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• "Taking on the Light" by Erickson Díaz-Cortés

At Montpelier's Hexum Gallery, a pair of solo exhibits illustrate how artists can be very different yet have much in common. It's tempting to draw a timely societal lesson here, but we'll stick to the art. Similarities: Both Erickson Díaz-Cortés and Fiona McTeigue present drawings on white paper, many of which feature scenes of daily life with their same-sex partner. Difference, aside from gender: Díaz-Cortés works in brilliant hues, courtesy of watercolor pencil, while McTeigue uses solely graphite.

Coincidentally, the artists have made inverse progressions up or down the East Coast. Díaz-Cortés, 26, born in Puerto Rico, was educated in Florida and now lives in Providence, R.I. McTeigue, 35, is from Great Barrington, Mass., was educated in Boston and now lives in Jacksonville, Fla.

How did these artists find their way to a Vermont gallery? Hexum owner John Zaso said he discovered Díaz-Cortés because he has acquired work by the latter's partner and fellow artist, Gabe Cortese. He came across McTeigue on Instagram. For Zaso, an avid art collector, this is a recurrent curatorial M.O.

Díaz-Cortés insisted on the bright-blue frames and matting surrounding his nine diminutive works, Zaso said. Only when he saw the pieces installed did Zaso concede that the unconventional presentation works. The drawings are just 9 by 6 inches, but they pop with gusto against the gallery's white walls.

Perhaps growing up in a sun-drenched part of the world influenced Díaz-Cortés, or perhaps he has extrasensory color perception. Either way, he is a 21st-century fauvist.

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• "Aniversario" by Erickson Díaz-Cortés

"Taking on the Light" is a tightly cropped portrait of a male — presumably the artist's partner — seen from a slightly higher position. The man's hair isn't black; it's blue and violet. The fabric of his shirt undulates in white and blue. At the bottom of the frame, we see the tip of a bright red pen. This is a drawing of a man drawing. The unusual angle and proximity to the subject lend the portrait a tender intimacy.

And speaking of hair: Díaz-Cortés nails it. With a precise symphony of lines, he conveys impossibly lustrous curls and waves. If these images weren't behind glass, you'd want to reach out and pat them.

The artist's floral images are vivid and sensuous, particularly the vibratory orange blossom in "La Flor de Don Coco." Díaz-Cortés combines botanica with his penchant for cropped imagery in "Aniversario." The title suggests the bouquet of orange-red tulips is a gift. But it's unclear why the seemingly nude torso edging into the frame at the left is grass-green and lumpy, or why the hand reaching around the tulips is an alarming purple. A sunny yellow wall in the background casts a little cheer on this inscrutable narrative.

While most of Díaz-Cortés' scenes are tightly focused, he brings both perspective and a bit of surrealism to "Five Vignettes." In the foreground, a barefoot man leans over a desk, writing, in a pale blue room. Behind him, a window opens onto a street whose tilt suggests a hill. Greenery and sky lie beyond. Beside the window, a full-length mirror reflects another man — the artist? — in a doorway. The jarring number of angles and portals in this scene contrasts with the calm of the writing man and the curve of his back. Díaz-Cortés rendered his shirt and long pants in diaphanous orange; his hair is green and wavy.

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• "Babyyy" by Fiona McTeigue

McTeigue's drawings are all about narrative. Her 17-by-14-inch graphite works are so filled with content that each requires sustained observation. A viewer who takes the time for it is rewarded with relatable quotidian moments from the artist's life — walking the dog, making dinner, lounging — featuring humor and lots of pets.

Spotting animals in McTeigue's visually chaotic scenes is something of a "Where's Waldo?" game. In "Babyyy," for example, a pensive woman curls up on the couch accompanied by a cat and a small dog; birds and a horse appear in artwork on the wall, and a bunny is embedded in the curtains. This drawing is also typical of McTeigue's abundant patterning: The couch pillows come in plaids, florals and spotted prints. Like Díaz-Cortés, this artist is adept with line and shadowing.

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• "You'll Be a Butterfly One Day" by Fiona McTeigue

"You'll Be a Butterfly One Day" is flat-out hilarious. This time, a fluffy white dog with a bow on one ear reclines on the couch, improbably holding a cigarette in one paw. The other front paw has possession of a wormlike toy. On the floor lies an eviscerated plush bear, its stuffing scattered like tiny clouds. Beside the couch, a small three-legged table holds a sketch pad, pencil, ashtray, mug, headphones and a Magic 8 Ball. A drawing on the wall depicts a very relaxed bunny on a floatie, holding a cocktail.

Both humans and animals in McTeigue's world have an insouciant air. Despite the disarray around them, they seem to project security and comfort. How the artist achieves this with only a pencil is a marvel.