Among the wild animals, mythological beasts, and family pets in Joerg Dressler’s paintings are English pointers, a breed he grew particularly attached to while growing up in Hanau, Germany. “I was thinking a lot about the importance of companionship,” he says of “Wild Companions,” his new exhibition at Alden Gallery (423 Commercial St., Provincetown).

Rather than depicting things that represent the passage of time — memento mori — the series is focused on the concept of memento vivere, or being fully present in each moment. “The animals I paint are active, depicted in movement,” Dressler says. “My current palette is also brighter, with landscapes and flowers chosen for their symbolic associations.”

In Pursuit, a white greyhound bounds through a surreal terrain as greenery and oversize pink blossoms bloom beneath puffy clouds drifting across the sky. In Risky, Dressler paints a yawning cat (based on photographs of his own cat) stretched out in a meadow of pink and red dahlias. A cut-in star hovers over the mid-distance. The cat’s bright crimson tongue echoes the oversize floral elements, creating a dreamlike scene with allusions to growth and energy.

“The dahlias are a symbol of commitment and also are very elegant, similar to a cat’s movement,” he says.

Dressler’s studio practice includes a “sketching” phase in which he collages elements from sources ranging from his own photographs to 19th-century landscape and still life paintings. He describes his work as “layer-based,” both in its construction and its frequent use of symbols with various meanings.

While Dressler’s compositions are carefully thought out, his larger artistic practice is guided more by intuition and playfulness. “There’s a sense of letting go when I approach this work, in the structural components but also the looseness of the organic shapes,” he says. “It’s what keeps me interested.”

There will be an opening reception for “Wild Companions” on Friday, Aug. 7 at 7 p.m.; the show is on view through Aug. 20. See aldengallery.com. —Susan Rand Brown