Come for the art, or come for the sushi. This art talk is supposed to be fun.

Michael Scott's Farny Fables, an exhibition of 31 bright, mixed-up paintings, works on different levels, so you don't have to be a serious art critic to appreciate it, said Bruce Richardson, who will give a gallery talk at the Nicolaysen Art Museum tonight.

Richardson, associate lecturer at the University of Wyoming/Casper College center, and Matt Board, Casper College art instructor, will take visitors on a tour of the paintings, explaining how they connect into a story criticizing commercialism in art.

The talk will be a conversation, with plenty of time for questions and comments from patrons.

People who appreciate "robust" artwork, people who like mysteries and puzzles and people with a sense of humor will all find something to love, Richardson said.

Art historians will appreciate the multitude of styles Scott used: 17th century Dutch portraiture and still life, 19th century Western scenes and trompe l'oeil.

Those who like a visual treat will delight in the neon colors of Dutch masters cavorting on the Vegas Strip, the still lifes of chickens and playing cards and country-kitchen baking supplies.

Readers will like how all the paintings come together in a satire of the art world. The artist wrote a book weaving the paintings together in a story involving a theft, Dutch cowboys and the ghost of Vincent Van Gogh, all revolving around a baking contest at a county fair.

"It's been a very popular show," Richardson said. "What they're finding is a combination of sheer visual delight and a kind of pointed satire at making money in the art world."

The irony, he said: the paintings have all sold.

But still there is the message, that "real value is in the action of creation itself, whether or not you get paid for it," Richardson said.

As the artist put it in his story, "If your work is made from these four ingredients, goodness, faith, truth, and beauty, then you will have a winning recipe. To achieve that is the MoonPie.”

If you miss the walk tonight, the paintings will still be up through April 29. After that they'll head to a gallery in Santa Fe.

Scott is from Kansas and now lives and works outside Santa Fe. He was here when the exhibit opened.