Local curators laud Locke, 42, but he has yet to sign permanently with a gallery. Often in portraits, he says, "women and people of color are seen through the lens of their sexuality." In his work, Locke, who is an adjunct faculty member at Emmanuel College, unpacks that tendency to objectify. "The gaze is a tool of power," he says. "I make work about looking and use those things in paintings that make you want to look," such as color, texture, and composition. But he paints men only -- traditionally the ones who do the looking. Locke's work ($150-$2,000) will be in a show at Emmanuel next year. stevelocke.com