You wouldn’t know it to look at Felix Mas’ portraits of beautiful women, but the Barcelona native was once a comic book illustrator, working for publications like Vampirella and Creepy before choosing to concentrate on painting. He later moved to Florida – and those of us on the other side of the country will have an opportunity to see his work up close and personal at his artist reception, slated at the Martin Lawrence Galleries La Jolla venue and set for Saturday, May 17, between 6 and 9 p.m. His work is in the art nouveau style, combining traditional elements with modern geometric patterns. FELIX MAS ARTIST RECEPTION, Saturday, May 17, from 6 to 9 p.m. at MARTIN LAWRENCE GALLERIES, 1111 Prospect St. www.martinlawrence.com.