Fine-art aviary

A bird-themed body of work being shown at a place called Sparrow Gallery may sound like either the ingredients for a fine-art aviary or a scratched Portlandia put-a-bird-on-it sketch, but Zach Timberlake's paintings of creatures of flight do not aim for cutesy. The Sacramento-born artist's portfolio contains successful examples of hyperrealism, and he applies that style to his feathered beast paintings, too, but he also allows his brushstrokes to stray into more expressionistic territory, resulting in more movement and less razor-sharp details of these unstill live beings.

Also on view at the gallery is work from Richard Ratcliff, who is known for creating the bronze sculpture in front of the Fox & Goose of the fox and goose. Yes, that's right, another fine-art bird.