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SATURDAY

Photographing clouds may not be the most original pursuit, but the work of Susan Eder and Craig Dennis is sui generis. Over the years, the two have documented clouds that look like letters and numbers—one for every letter and digit, plus punctuation marks, right down to the semicolon. Their works, showing through today at the Marsha Mateyka Gallery, combine elements of the artists’ alphanumeric collection in witty ways: an eye chart, a cinematic frame reading “THE END,” a mathematical “magic square” matrix, and even a typographical chart for the winkingly named “New Cloud Roman” font. (A second series documents the unexpected patterns visible in slices of cinnamon-swirl bread.) A few of the duo’s cloud works reach for grander meaning—one spells out “God” in dozens of languages, playing off the heavenly imagery—but even without the intellectual spin, the artists’ dreamy blue tones, plus the knowledge of how difficult it was to bring the series to fruition, are reward enough. The show is on view from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (to Oct. 1; see City List for other dates) at the Marsha Mateyka Gallery, 2012 R St. NW. Free. (202) 328-0088. (Louis Jacobson)