Valerie Hammond & Anne Siems

A light touch and a graphic interest in wildlife and botanical images unite these two painters, whose works are exhibited together in “HERstory,” opening Saturday, February 13, at the Walker Contemporary in Waitsfield. Siems’ most striking works are paintings of young women in the style of American folk art portraiture. Her subjects are distinguished by adornment with specimens as well as their position within an otherwise empty plane. Hammond’s detailed images, rife with butterflies, birds and beasts, complement Siems’ suggestion of magical realism, and would fit seamlessly as illustrations in a contemporary volume of fairytales.