BOUNTIFUL — Artistically, opposites often attract because of how good they can make each other look.

There’s still a few days left to see the phenomenon in action at Bountiful’s Lamplight Gallery (170 S. Main). May’s featured artist R.M. Laub, along with guest artist Helen Hepworth, show how soft, realistic nature scenes and color-soaked abstract re-imaginings of basic items can come together to highlight the strongest points of each.

Laub, who uses watercolors to capture scenes of Southern Utah and the California Coast, creates soft-edged scenes that manage to capture both the epic beauty of the mountains and the quieter charm that can be hidden in pockets of forests. Hepworth, on the other hand, is all about sharp edges and bold colors, taking things such as lilacs and lamps and experimenting with the complex interplay of lines and eye-popping detail.

When seen next to Hepworth’s work, the viewer’s eye is immediately drawn to the subtle depth and shading in Laub’s scenes. At the same time, the jewel-like tones in Hepworth’s work also have an echo in Laub’s, whose shades are gentle but no less rich. Mother Nature’s palette, after all, is just as varied as any artists.

In turn, Hepworth’s work seems almost impossibly crisp when seen next to Laub’s. They could be perfect templates for magical stained glass windows, pushing out of their confines with the curve of a lamp (“Arabian Nights”) or pulled in with the twist of endless stairs (“Spiral Staircase”).

jwardell@davisclipper.com