Mona Mary Leda

A merry-go-round of the most painted woman in the world. At its center a mother and child ride a carousel horse beneath a sunburst (Leonardo's Virgin and Child with Saint Anne), while Leda, the Mona Lisa, and the swan circle past on the turning floor. The notebook runs them together: "There is a close connection between the Mona Lisa and the figures he used for the Virgin and Saint Anne." Devotion, desire, and a smile, all spinning on one axle.

James Formichella is a Gloucester painter who works by association. Each of these canvases has a companion in An Alphabetical Caprice, a notebook he compiled from his working notes and source clippings: an A to Z in which every letter spirals off into art history, etymology, money, madness, and mortality. He came to Gloucester from Denver in 1978 for the plein-air light, trained in oil under John C. Terelak, and is an associate member of the North Shore Arts Association.

One of a kind. Giclée on stretched canvas, a flat $180 regardless of size. Fish City Studios, 39 Main St, Gloucester. Leaves the gallery ready to hang.