Tomorrow morning I'm heading down to New York City, with a little stop-over in Hartford for the "American Splendor" show at the Wadsworth Atheneum on the way.

I haven't had time to sit down and collect my impressions of Dorchester Open Studios last weekend, and I don't have time now, either, but I wanted to mention a couple of artists of note I encountered on my trek through Dot's art scene Saturday. (Dot has an art scene? you ask. Who knew?)

At the Humphreys Street Studios, I loved Joseph Wheelwright's stone, wood, and bone sculptures. Like the Hudson River School artists of the "American Splendor" exhibition in Hartford, Wheelwright's sculptures speak to the mysterious in nature. Unlike the Hudson River works, famous for sweeping panoramas—Wheelwright explores it on the micro level (even when his sculptures are carved out of boulders they are about pieces of nature, not panoramas). And where the Hudson River artists, many inspired by Transcendentalism, sought the glorious in nature, Wheelwright goes after the grotesque.

I liked his small pieces best, because they looked like things you'd stumble across in some enchanted forest, and then scream and run away from as fast as you could. He uses the natural shape of his sticks and stones to coax out the creepy forms already in them. I like his rough forms better than his more polished pieces, but taken together I think they're all pretty cool.

At the old Chocolate Factory—The Walter Baker Lofts—there's an artist by the name of Greg Rogers, who's got a lot going on. I was immediately drawn into his studio, and set about admiring his eye-popping paintings, when my friend struck up a conversation with the artist.

"So you painted all these with your feet?"

"Yeah," Rogers said, with the tone of someone who's used to stating the obvious ad infinitum. I mean, I looked over, and the guy's obviously got no arms.

I tell you all this so that you'll know I was impressed with his work before the revelation, not because of it.

Art will find a way out of you if it's in you and you're willing (and even sometimes, albeit in rare cases, when you're not). I mean, take Chuck Close. Just one living example of the maxim. I'm sure you can think of others. Rogers is one.

There were some extraordinary pastels by Hidea Ida at Ahimsa Studio right down the street from me (practically), too. His landscapes are exquisite. And surprisingly—even shamefully—affordable. You should pay more than three hundred bucks for such masterful stuff.

All in all, an impressive showing for dear old Dot. Who knew, indeed.