The road to Reuse, Renew, Recycle is always a good turn for the environment but often no more exciting than rinsing out the glass and plastic jars and dumping them in the blue bucket. Stomping down the cardboard boxes gives some measure of satisfaction, and a bit of exercise, but is still a solitary affair.

Leave it to Lani Carney, art teacher extraordinaire working primarily at Featherstone in Oak Bluffs, to raise the bar for all of us.

Jeffrey Serusa, a fine art photographer and the proprietor of Seaworthy Gallery on Martha’s Vineyard, has recently been accepted for exhibition at the 2011 International Artexpo in New York city taking place March 25 to 27.

The art of Marshall Pratt and Inas Al-soqi is now on display at the Vineyard Haven Public Library. The exhibit runs through April 1.

Mr. Pratt’s describes his photography as being about people, in particular the sort of in-between moments in everyone’s lives that may not make the headlines of one’s year but actually define one’s character indelibly.

“I capture these moments, magnify them and recontextualize them in order to evoke a feeling of ambient familiarity with the viewer,” says Mr. Pratt.

March Madness is not confined to college basketball. Featherstone Gallery in Oak Bluffs is dedicating its month of madness to the arts. In particular, the art of Island students.

The series kicks off on Sunday, March 6 with a reception for Tova Katzman, a senior at the high school. The reception is from 4 to 6 p.m. and will feature Miss Katzman’s photography including digital, darkroom and video projects. There will also be pieces on display of work she did at the Art Institute of Chicago last summer.

Dogs of Love

Chilmark Chocolates is open again just in time for Valentine’s Day. On your way to pick up sweets for your sweet, stop by the Chilmark outpost of Sovereign Bank to check out an art exhibit featuring work by Lisa Vanderhoop.

The wizard behind the Seadogs calendar, Ms. Vanderhoop will be showing and selling her work.

The major theme of the exhibit is Valentine’s cards - from a canine perspective, of course. Calendars will also be for sale at a discount.

Artful Laughter

When discussing her art, Patricia Carlet speaks clearly about what she intends.

“My art is created to evoke smiles and encourage laughter. If it captures the pleasure and irony of the everyday for the viewer, then I feel that I have succeeded as an artist.”

As cabin fever sets in on the Island, and here comes February, Ms. Carlet’s art sounds like just the antidote for all those gray, wintry days.

Traeger di Pietro first started painting for love. He was 15; she was artsy and he was a jock, a baseball player. He knew her ex-boyfriend had painted her things and he wanted to impress her too. His first paintings were small still lifes of flowers and roses.

“I never stopped, I just kept going and going,” he said. Now he’s a full-fledged member of the Island arts scene, and has received acclaim from art collectors and artists alike.

Dana Nunes perched naked on a pedestal of pillows and blankets inside a studio at Featherstone Center for the Arts.

“I get a kick out of the flea market go-ers who look through the window and back up . . . and then look again,” she said.

Ms. Nunes was the model for the Tom Maley Life Drawing class which last Tuesday morning was experiencing another full house, as the flea market was in bloom right outside the doors.

Class facilitator Anne Gallagher asked everyone to make room for old and new faces alike.

The Gay Head Gallery, a fine art and photography gallery on State Road, located in the center of Aquinnah, is now open for the summer. This is the second season for the gallery which seeks to promote issues of conservation and sustainability. Several shows are planned for this summer that will integrate art with environmental concerns and issues. Shows also benefit featured non-profits.

Tanya Augoustinos, former owner of the e’kaya gallery in Vineyard Haven, has opened a new gallery this summer called A Gallery in an empty warehouse located behind the Tisbury Farm Market in Vineyard Haven. It’s a loft-style spacious building, with two large rooms for showing art, Ms. Augoustinos said.

The gallery is having its first opening reception on July 6, from 5 to 8 p.m. Jeremy Wagner will present works on steel panel and Jennifer Delilah will present her oils and works on paper.