Critics' picks - visual arts
As luck would have it
Jacques Louis Vidal's "I Make My Own Luck" is a hectic, sloppy, and yet consistently impressive show, full of black humor, hard-hearted obsession, brazen absurdity, and occasional outbreaks of virtuosity. What it lacks, pointedly, is a sense of larger purpose. Rather than an expression of creative conviction, the whole enterprise feels like a mirthful roll of the dice. At LaMontagne Gallery through Oct. 22. 617-464-4640, www.lamontagnegallery.com
— Sebastian Smee
Going green
Esther Pullman's lovely multipanel color photographs of greenhouses fracture panoramic views and focus the eye. We see prickly cacti and flourishing greens, graceful architecture, and the dewy glass skin between indoors and outdoors, and it feels as if that's just the beginning. "Greenhouses" runs through Oct. 25 at Victoria Munroe Fine Art. 617-523-0661, www.victoriamunroefineart.com
— Cate McQuaid 