Do they validate?

Get up close and personal to catch The Black and Blue Portfolio by David Mayhew at the Pamela Skinner Gallery, 808 R Street. Exhibited until July 1, these 29 little windows, each 3 3/8 inches by 1 1/8 inches, are actually the backs of parking-lot tickets. Sitting in a parking-lot booth, with only a blue ballpoint pen, Mayhew turned out pieces, such as “The Warriors,” that convey a “world coming unglued,” with elements of surrealism and more than a hint of film noir. Others are more macabre or verge on sci-fi, and still others evoke comics. But they all reveal a gift for detail and minutia and inspire amazement that someone could get all that from a humble pen. Meanwhile, Odd Signals, by Mark Oldland, features whimsical metal sculptures like the “Fascist Wagon,” which looks like it rolled right out of the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine flick. For more information, call (916) 446-1786.