Caitlin Wheeler: Ador/Armor

A man hangs upside down from a tree branch alongside bats. A woman tentatively gazes into the meager contents of her fridge. Caitlin Wheeler’s quirky silk-screen prints are influenced by instructional illustrations and children’s books. But her charming, simply rendered series “Ardor/Armor” (on view through October 30) also examines the limbo between adolescence and adulthood that all 20-somethings struggle with. Wheeler knows plenty about that subject—she’s fresh out of college and just made a move from Baltimore to Knoxville, Tennessee. The promising young artist’s drawings exude vulnerability and frustration. They also provide a kind of comfort, making messy coming-of-age woes look a hell of a lot prettier than they really are. Bluebottle Art Gallery, 415 E. Pine St., 325-1592, www.bluebottleart.com. Free. Noon–7 p.m. ERIKA HOBART

Tuesdays-Sundays. Starts: Oct. 15. Continues through Oct. 30, 2008