One morning last week I was getting my fix at Urban Standard when I had one of those experiences that’s only possible in a town the size of Birmingham.

Right before I ordered my coffee, I picked up a postcard advertising “Figuratively Speaking,” a two-day exhibit of new paintings by Michael Swann, J. Calton Watters and Celeste Laborde. The front of the handbill showed a photo of the trio sitting at a table at Urban Standard, presumably engrossed in a discussion about what it’s like to work as artists during a time when painting seems to have taken a backseat to massive site-specific sculptural works, video installations and digital imagery. As I stepped to the end of the counter to pick up my potent beverage, I did a double-take once I realized that the three artists were at that moment sitting at a table at Urban Standard, presumably engrossed in a discussion about what it’s like to work as artists during a time when…

You get my point. I thought I was having a pre-caffeinated dream in which postcards were coming to life.

Billed as “a celebration of traditional figure painting with an undeniable modern edge,” the exhibit runs for only two days — Friday, Oct. 9 and Saturday, Oct. 10, at Filament Artists Studio, with an opening reception from 6-10 p.m. on Friday and an informal gallery talk at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Through their exploration of the role of figure work in the 21st century, Swann, Watters and Laborde seek to remind us that the things that humans can still most relate to in art are other humans.

Filament Artists Studio is located at 2309 Second Ave. South. For more information about “Figuratively Speaking,” send an e-mail to Julie Watters: jcaltonwatters@yahoo.com