It’s an eye-popping choice to pair Miamian Jen Stark and New York-based Rory MacArthur in the last show of the year at the Carol Jazzar Gallery, intermingling the pieces in the garage-as-exhibition space. At first glance, because both artists use psychedelic colors that make the works look like they are bursting from the wall, some might think they all stem from the same hand (and on opening night, quite a few did).

But they don’t. And on closer inspection, these vibrant, abstract works reveal the unique process of their creator.

By now Stark’s intricately layered pieces are familiar to Miami audiences, having been highlighted in galleries, museums, and fairs alike over the last several years. In the simplest of terms to describe her process, Stark takes an X-Acto knife and painstakingly cuts rainbow-colored paper, then layers and layers it, resulting in trippy, optical illusions that mess all over the place with perception. In one piece in this show, the work literally spirals into the wall itself. The final product is a complex geometric work, yet the materials and the crafting are basic: paper and knife and the patience of the crafter.

MacArthur’s work is super-infused with color as well, but they are paintings, originating as drawings. His process, while time-consuming as well, differs dramatically from Stark’s, involving sanding, sealing, polishing, and painting. The end results are similarly dizzying but an entirely different breed. That’s what makes spending quality time with the pieces in this show so satisfying; it’s a somewhat effortless way to learn while enjoying.

Street Life

Tomorrow night MOCA is bringing together a disparate “crew” to talk about graffiti and urban walls and Wynwood’s street art culture. The panel discussion will include developer Tony Goldman, one of the instigators behind the Wywood Walls mural project that went up during last year’s Art Basel; Books Bischof, a founder of the group who first started to seriously cover the neighborhood’s facades years back, Primary Flight; as well as taggers and painters Brandon Opalka, Cruz, and Space. They’ll talk about aerosol art and the impact on street murals on urban neighborhoods.

“Urban Beautification Through Street Art,”  Wed., May 19, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., MOCA, 12500 NE 8th Ave., North Miami, 2nd Fl.; 305-893-6211. “Jen Stark and Rory MacArthur,” through June 13 at the Carol Jazzar Gallery, 158 NW 91st St., Miami; 305-490-6906; cjazzart.com.