Andrew Au's Chimera Romerica is on view at the Weston Gallery.

Whether you're looking to impress a date or just yourself, we've got some suggestions that should score high on the scale, so keep reading. ... Opening Feb. 29 at 1:30 p.m. is Painting ... A Life Together by artists ANNE KEENER and LARRY SHINEMAN at the STUDIO SAN GIUSEPPE ART GALLERY (5701 Delhi Road, College of Mount St. Joseph). Keener seeks to portray an intimate experience with the world in its pure organic form. Shineman's large-scale work incorporates emotionally driven concepts charged with an intense luminosity in his palette. Sources say that despite Shineman's abstract paintings, his hint of emerging figures and landscapes by subtle shifts in color unite both artists' visions. Through March 28. ...

Continue your collegiate tour by heading south of the river to NORTHERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY'S MAIN GALLERY (Fine Arts Center, Nunn Drive, Highland Heights). Appropriately titled, Heart Felt: Artwork that is Pulmonary or Tactile features 21 regional artists, including recent favorites JIMMY BAKER, DENISE BURGE, ANDY MARKO and VICTOR STRUNK. The artists followed only one restriction: Their pieces were required to be tactile or heart-related. The exhibition features entries of all sizes and media, including painting, fabric and video. This show promises a varied and engaging take on matters heartfelt. Opening reception Thursday, 5-8 p.m. Through March 5. ...

At the ALICE F. AND HARRIS K. WESTON ART GALLERY (650 Walnut St., Downtown), our amazement never ceases, and this time is no exception. The gallery features Cincinnati Portfolio III, the third in a series of printmaking collections. Curated by Mark Patsfall, master printmaker and founder of Mark Patsfall Graphics, the exhibition features hand-made relief prints in an assortment of types, including woodcut. Ten artists, including MARK FOX and THOM SHAW, contribute their unique vision to this collection. Our mood continuously changed as we viewed each piece: Calm concentration stealthily replaced intensity and control and, just as quickly, catapulted into confusion and bitterness. Each print offers a definitive emotional response, while allowing us to weave personal connections into that response. Don't miss this dazzling display of fine printmaking. Through March 20. ...

Carve out some time in your schedule for Physical Introspection by artist MIRIAM MARTINIC currently at THE CARNEGIE VISUAL + PERFORMING ARTS CENTER in the HUTSON GALLERY (1028 Scott Blvd., Covington). This exhibition stopped us in our tracks. Martinic showcases an intense level of detail in each piece as she investigates the human body. "Pants," a sculpture made from Vermont marble and pigment featuring a figure shown only from the hips down, immediately grabbed our attention. The artist's belief that the inner and outer bodies are interconnected strongly influences her sculptures. We found it fascinating that a material so dense can appear thin and weak, initiating palpable apathy. "An awareness of emotions and thoughts gives this work its meaning. Awkwardness and elegance can coexist, beauty is a result of reflection, choice and practice," says Martinic. Through Feb. 20.

Mini Reviews
DEOGRACIAS LERMA PHOTOGRAPHY (1319 Main St., Over-the-Rhine) features Hinterland's Diverging Destruction, the work of local photographer Josh Beeman. Using infrared film, he expertly captures the destruction of nature by man and machine as he documents construction of State Route 33. He uses extra-sensitive film, juxtaposing living images, like skin and foliage, in sharp relief with the debilitative forces of human creation. Don't miss Beeman's powerful and strangely hypnotic photography. Through March 20. (JULIE BERNZOTT) Grade: A-

MILLER GALLERY (2715 Erie Ave., Hyde Park) provides us with Ladies to Love. Twelve artists investigate women as the primary subjects, exploring themes of motherhood, traditional and contemporary women's roles and more. Some pieces demand interaction while others provide a representation of the figure. The exhibition only scratches the surface of a subject that in its own right holds a list of endless possibilities. Through Feb. 22. (JACQUELYN VAUGHN) Grade: C+