Monroe Street had a festive Halloween vibe Friday evening – not because of the temperature, which pushed 80 degrees, but because of the number of groups of gallery-goers, chatting animatedly and walking door-to-door for visual and edible treats. The venues involved in October 5th’s Gallery Night, organized by the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, featured work by local artists and often served refreshments. Local artist Jen Clausen and I made the rounds by bike, stopping first at Monroe Street Framing.

The store proved to be a small, intimate gallery space, full of the odds and ends the framing shop needs day-to-day. Featured artist Chris Gargan’s work was set up on the carpeted counter space, next to frame samples and small containers of wall hooks. Everyone seemed to know each other, probably because Mr. Gargan seems to know everyone in the local painting scene. The oil paintings on display are luscious, pastoral celebrations of Wisconsin’s landscape. Each piece is a different landscape, often involving farm buildings and portrayed in late afternoon or evening. Oranges and greens make gentle statements, and the overall feel is soft and impressionistic. In fact, one painting featuring Blue Mound in the background immediately reminded me of Impressionist painter Paul Cezanne’s endless treatments of Mont Saint Victoire, the strange, purplish mountain near his hometown in France. Mr. Gargan’s art will be displayed until November 3.

Our next stop was just across the street. Macha Teahouse + Gallery, formerly called Hue Gallery, continues to display art and jewelry and now serves an impressive selection of high-quality teas. Teahouse manager Anthony Verbick and Gallery Director Rachel Fox were on hand to answer any questions. Featured artists Barbara Barnard and Tom Fjelstad were also present, and it was interesting to eavesdrop on conversations about their art. Ms. Barnard’s pieces are often mixed media, blending feathery fibers, mesh and what looked like paint, hand-pressed paper and pencil drawings. It’s difficult to tell exactly what’s involved in a mixed-media piece, unless specifically told by the artist or an information card. Her pieces tended to be dream-like, jarring and blurry, and a little dense. Occasionally, when examining closely, a perfectly drawn animal face would peer out of the fuzzy jumble.

Mr. Fjelstad’s pieces are more aggressive, often featuring animals with etched outlines, cutting the space between animal and background. The paintings often juxtapose a few opposing colors and are a little more raw and disturbing. One painting features a swimmer underwater, clawing to a surface filled with other swimmers’ feet. I overheard the painter explain he took the image from an actual dream he had in which he woke up still holding his breath. Ms. Barnard’s and Mr. Fjelstad’s work will be on display until October 28.

Before we left, Jen and I sampled the tea that was presented for the evening’s tasting. Mr. Verbick had two Oolongs to sample: velvet oolong and jade oolong. The velvet oolong had a milder, lighter color and a milky green-tea taste. For the jade oolong the firing process is longer and it has a more intense yellow color and a taste that reminds me of toasted grain. Mr. Verbick mentioned he’d like to begin offering regular tea tastings, perhaps coinciding with art openings in the Gallery. The teahouse just opened in July and features several small rooms, each with a different theme. On the first floor, there is an alcove in the front window with a low table and comfortable-looking cushions. Upstairs there is a toy room for kids, a pink-walled sitting room, a Moroccan-themed room, and an East Asia inspired room. Not only are the small salons interesting, comfortable places to sip some tea, they’re also conversation starters. Jen and I may have gotten a surprised look from one group in the Moroccan room as we chatted on about the decorating. Certainly unique in the Madison area, Macha Teahouse + Gallery combines an interesting, engaging gallery with tea rooms that rival what one might find in Europe for inspiration and style.

Jen was especially interested in visiting the Madison Public Library to see S.V. Medaris’s exhibit “The Whole Hog,” so we biked downtown on the Capitol Bike Path. In oils, intaglio and mixed media, Ms. Medaris’s work features romantic, bucolic portrayals of pigs, hogs and sows and is accompanied by sly commentary and a defense of pigs’ dirty reputation for gluttony. Most impressive was Some Pig, a 10-foot by 18-foot tableau in the main stairway. An homage to Wilbur (in fact Ms. Medaris includes an excerpt from Charlotte’s Web on the information card), Some Pig is an oversized hog on a flat bed with a proud girl waving blue ribbons from the back of the truck. “The Whole Hog” will be on display until October 30.