There was also this fellow named Pickman ...

The art created by Mark Maness is symbolically rich, detailed to an excruciating degree and frequently nightmarish. Had he been around when pulp magazines and their breathtaking covers were being published, his name would probably be mentioned today in the same breath as Virgil Finlay and Margaret Brundage. He wasn't, of course, so the pictures you'll be seeing at the Russell Industrial Center on 9/15 are new and in much better shape than a vintage copy of Weird Tales. The World of Markness will also be a vivid reminder that the psychological subtlety of a painting – the intentional use of a mere shadow, for example – is often more startling to the imagination than the roaring monsters bred by the sleep of reason. This is what Lovecraft might have given us if he had picked up the brush instead of the pen. 1600 Clay Avenue in Detroit.

Thematic Tango

Basing an art show on the gallop of the Four Horsemen of the non-Mayan Apocalypse is a project that would intimidate (if not defeat) the average artist anywhere, but Graem Whyte does not scare easily. Indeed, Whyte's ability to see the war, death, famine and pestilence derby as a multi-layered image of referential tangents is one of the chief reasons we're excited about Remain Calm, an ambitious solo exhibit he set in place at the Oakland University Art Gallery. Rather than depict the obvious effects or consequences of those menacing riders, Whyte has rendered up the inverse imagery of each one. This exercise in deliberate irony is not trite greeting card optimism, but a wise, philosophical and often humorous rejection of the overt nihilism of the present day. 208 Wilson Hall on the OU campus in Rochester. Also: We're also happy to note that Whyte plans to contribute The Ice Cave to the Detroit Art & Light Festival that's part of Art Detroit Now next month.

Clay Nation

Most of the AB&E feedback received here was well-deserved praise for the many ceramic pieces that were glimpsed. Here's a heads up that Heads Up, an exhibit of new works by the talented Mark Chatterly opens at Chelsea's River Gallery on 9/15. "Life, death, creation and destruction – then life again," remarked Chatterly recently. "This is the world we find ourselves in." We call that the proper way to run a kiln. More: chelsearivergallery.com.

What Has He Done Recently?

He (Ian Swanson, in this case) has been very busy in his Brooklyn studio and it was awfully nice of the guy to bring his Recent Works back to Detroit for a solo at Re:View Contemporary. An intellectually rigorous artist with an eclectic vision of what the visual can be, his pieces challenge the viewer with an always respectful presumption that the viewer is someone who wants to think. Recent Works remains at Re:View throughout the month. 444 W. Willis.

Miller at Music Hall

We know you went to the Detroit Jazz Festival and we know we went to the Detroit Jazz Festival and we know you're feeling the same way we're feeling right now – let's have more jazz! The Music Hall must have known we'd all be experiencing these painful "withdrawal symptoms" because they booked Marcus Miller for 9/14. A guitarist whose strings have the singular ability to draw you up to a truly celestial level of awareness, he can also lend his incomparable mastery to the R&B and rock beats we Detroiters love so well. 350 Madison. Please call 313.887.8500 for ticket info.

Even If Finding a Parking Lot Proves Difficult

The recent announcement that a singularly priceless piece of downtown architecture may fall victim to the wrecking ball prompts us to remind you that the good people at Preservation Wayne have walking tours to reacquaint you with the stone, brick, marble and even wooden structures that have survived the encroachment of enlightened progress. We took several of these excursions and were amazed at the stories behind the towers created by Kahn, Rowland and others. Drop by 4735 Cass yourself or place a call to 313.577.3559. | RDW