Critics' picks - visual arts

Filling in the blanks

The 26 artists in "Drawn to Detail," a fantastic show at the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, have spent weeks and months filling blank surfaces with obsessive mark-making. Technically, much of their work is spellbinding. But there are also times when their work, in all its detail, suggests an anxious attempt to keep uncertainty at bay. Through Jan. 4. 781-259-8355, www.decordova.org - Sebastian Smee

Pop eye

Street artists hit the gallery in "Paint It Now," a rakish, gritty group show put on by OverKill Studio. The highlight: a giant black-and-white mural by all the artists, bubbling with such pop characters as Alfred E. Neuman and roiling with dark undertones. Through Oct. 2 at the Distillery Gallery, 516 E. 2nd St., South Boston. 978-270-1904, www.distilleryboston.com

- Cate McQuaid