The clients of Birch Tree Communities, which cares for people with serious mental illness, will be the beneficiaries of the annual "EXPRESSIONS Art Show and Sale," 6 p.m. tonight at Temple B'Nai Israel, 3700 Rodney Parham.

There will be more than 225 framed works for direct sale as well as a live auction. Persons aided by other mental health organizations will also have work at the sale.

Tickets are $10 at the door. Wine and Roses will provide the music; wine and beer will provide the wallet lubrication, light hors d'oeuvres will be served.

Work by patients in the Arkansas State Hospital's Creative Expressions art program goes on exhibit tonight in the hospital lobby at 305 S. Palm St. The artist patients, who work with Little Rock artist Ariston Jacks, will benefit from the sale of their work.

The show and sale starts at 5 p.m. and runs to 8 p.m. There will be live music.

There are more cups and plates and bowls and objets in clay for sale than you can shake a stick at at UALR, work by its Clay Guild. The sale runs 11 a.m.-8 p.m. today, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday. If you go, you WILL find something you love. Or at least you'll find something I love. So go.

• Matt McLeod, "Lustrous Red'

Arkansas impressionist Matt McLeod holds his annual show and sale tonight at Pulaski Heights Christian Church, 4724 Hillcrest Ave. "Seasons of Change" features new work, and a portion of proceeds from sales will go to the Our House Shelter for the working homeless and Pulaski Heights Christian Church ministries. The sale is 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

The Arkansas Arts Center's annual Museum School Sale kicks off tonight (Friday) for members and opens to the public tomorrow at Clear Channel Metroplex. Featured is work by students and faculty in paintings, pottery, photography, jewelry, fused glass, woodwork, drawings and pastels. If you've been, you know it's ginormous.

There will be many sales tonight; if you aren't a member and want to make sure you don't miss something, you can join at the door tonight during the sale, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. (We're warned that some artists sell out on Friday night.) The sale Saturday runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. You'll need cash or checks.

• Happy Christmas, all.

The Holiday in the Heights shopapalooza is coming 1-5 p.m. this Sunday, Nov. 11, and Stephano's Fine Art has hopped on the Santa wagon with a "Very Marilyn Vintage Christmas" (see Stephano's painting above).

The gallery will feature hand-painted ornaments by Carole Katchen, KK Bennett, Mike Gaines, Angela Turney, Lynda Marnon, Macie Fellows, Kathleen Kennally and Stephano, as well as glass ornaments by the Riley brothers. "Adult libations" will be served to lubricate those not quite yet in the spirit and increase the joy of those who are. The gallery is at 5501 Kavanaugh Blvd.

• "River of Music Rug," by Louise Halsey

The Friends of Contemporary Crafts have brought nationally-recognized craft artists to Little Rock for Sunday programs for several years. These are excellent talks by America's top talent, followed by a nice meal and libations. Here's a way to keep the talks coming: Head to the Arts Center at 5:30 p.m. this Sunday, June 23, for a silent auction of art donated by private collectors and artists.

Anncha Briggs, who's heading up the auction, says the value of the items — about 65 objets d'arts in all media — ranges from $50 to $2,800.

Here's a link to a gallery of some of the work to be auctioned. If I had the wherewithal, the rug shown above would be mine, all mine.

Wine and light snacks will be served. The FOCC will hold its annual meeting after the auction, at 6:30 p.m., so don't dawdle.

You can also join the FOCC while you're there to receive its newsletter and free admission to FOCC events.

Postscript: The event is free to FOCC members; others will pay $20 (for a membership).

• Glass by Margaret Warren

This year's Arkansas Sculpture Invitational Show and Sale — the seventh annual show organized by the Arkansas Sculptors Guild — opens tonight at the Argenta Community Theater. Work by Benton Anderson, Brett Anderson, Robby Burton, Darrel DeMoss, David Harris, Bre Harris, Kandy Jones, Jaak Kindberg, Bryan Massey, Aline McCraken, Lora Rawlings, Robert Sherman, Gene Sparling and Margaret Warren will be on display during the Argenta ArtWalk from 5-8 p.m. tonight, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

There will be hors d'ouevres and a cash bar tonight. Click on the image above to make it larger.

An Arkansas town or city hankering to tell its story with a public art project will have a chance to do that thanks to the Mid-America Arts Alliance's Community Mural Project, which is partnering with the Arkansas Arts Council to bring a muralist to the state.

The chosen community will get to work with nationally-recognized muralist Dave Loewenstein. The Lawrence, Kan., artist, writer and printmaker will be in residence for two months in late summer, early fall 2012 to work on the mural and will be accompanied by one or two assistants. Loewenstein has created murals in several U.S. cities and in Northern Ireland.

One Arkansas artist will be chosen to serve as an apprentice, and will receive a $2,000 stipend to to work on the research, design and executiion of the project.

The Arkansas Arts Council culture and (or) concerns of the selected community. Deadline to apply for the Community Mural Project is May 15; go here for a request for proposal. Deadline to apply for the apprenticeship is June 1; go here for the application.

Muralists from outside Arkansas have made a memorable mark on public buildings with such place-related paintings, from New Deal artist like Louis Freund, whose mural is in the Heber Springs Post Office, to Joe Jones, whose mural for Commonwealth College is being restored by UALR.

• R.F. Walker painting of Joey

If you like cats, KTHV, the Thea Foundation, paintings by R.F. (Rob) Walker and the Pulaski County Humane Society, you are in high litter.

Walker, who's known for his paintings of animals, is selling prints of his oil painting of Joey the Garden Cat , who has taken up residence at KTHV, and donating proceeds to Thea's Art Closet and the Humane Society.

To buy a print, go to this website.

• Painting by Doug Gorrell

There won't be any work by Degas there, but folks who love the dance and paintings of dancers should check out "Picturing Movement," a sale and show of paintings by Doug Gorrell to benefit Ballet Arkansas tonight from 6-8 p.m. at the THEA Center, 401 Main St., North Little Rock.

Ballet company members Leslie Dodge, Lauren McCarty Horak, Toby Lewellen, Anna Maris, Sean Porter and trainee Jake Catlett will do "mini-performances" during the event. All proceeds from the sale of Gorrell's work will go to Ballet Arkansas.

More on Gorrell, whose studio is at 4th and Maple in North Little Rock, from a press release:

Doug Gorrell has been painting for over 25 years. He studied at the Academy of Art College, the Fechin Institute and the Scottsdale Artists' School. Over the course of his painting career, Doug has been recognized by numerous fine art publications, including the International Artist magazine as a Master Painter of the World - USA, and the in the North Light Book "Best of Flower Painting 2", for his excellence in painting. His work has been featured in many national shows and can be found in hundreds of private and corporate collections. Doug's painting travels have taken him throughout the United States and abroad including France, Italy, Mexico, Sicily, and Spain.

UALR's department of applied design — the woodworkers, silversmiths, etc. — are having a silent auction and sale today at the department next to Big Lots in the shopping center at the intersection of Asher and University. There will also be a raffle for items by Mia Hall and David Clemons. Here's the flyer, for a little visual stimulation:

Little Rock artist George Wittenberg will autograph copies of his new book "Postcards from Little Rock" at the Green Corner Store tomorrow afternoon, at 3 p.m. The book includes 22 watercolor images of Little Rock scenes, all stamped and postmarked. Above: the mezzanine at the Capital Hotel.

The Green Corner Store is at 1423 D Main St., in that cute storefront that faces, no surprise, the corner of Main and 15th St.

Stephano's Holiday Extravanganza weekend kicks off tonight with martinis and music by cellist Micah and Patty from 6:30-10 p.m., continues tomorrow night at 6 p.m. with eggnog and music by Mica Turner and Steve Mangan and finishes Sunday with a painting demonstration by Amy Eichler from 1-5 p.m. There is, of course, art for sale! That's the spirit!

• Annie Lee, at Pyramid Art, Books and Framing

Annie Lee, whose collectible dolls, figurines, ornaments, paintings and furnishings have been dubbed Black Americana and are featured in galleries, TV shows and movies, will be at Pyramid Art, Books and Custom Framing , 1001 Wright Ave., today for a meet and greet and autograph session from 5 to 7 p.m.

Garbo Hearne, owner of Pyramid and companion business Hearne Fine Art, has also created a Second Friday Matinee event (1-3 p.m. tomorrow) for shoppers who prefer earlier hours than those of 2nd Friday Art Night (5-8 p.m. tomorrow night), in which the gallery and bookstore will also participate. On Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Annie Lee will autograph purchases.

In the gallery: Sculpture by Chukes.