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Exhibits interact in interesting way |
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A subtle sense of emptiness and even abandonment in acrylic paintings by John Wolfe creates an interesting interaction with the naively appealing Southwest landscapes of Jim Keffer in two new shows.
The Wolfe and Keffer exhibits are on view at JRB Art at the Elms gallery, 2810 N Walker, along with a show of "Small Works,” measuring 8 inches by 8 inches each, by 100 artists.
There is no lettering left on the derelict structure of an "Uptown Shopping Center” sign, casting its shadow on a sunlit wall, with a few distant parked cars behind it, in one of Wolfe’s acrylics on canvas.
Real-estate signs in front of a once-modern motel with a heated pool seem to indicate that it is for sale, perhaps in the aftermath of a "Woodward Storm,” in a second Wolfe acrylic with a downbeat subtext.
A red arrow on an otherwise blank sign, and unoccupied white buildings communicate an even stronger mood of being passed by time in an acrylic painting on paper that Wolfe calls "House Movers.”
Wolfe undermines the strong white triangular shapes of a church steeple with a blank, raised rectangular sign and a "site available” sign, to create a mixed visual message in his acrylic of "St. Matthews.”
Supplying a nice counterpoint to the lack of people in Wolfe’s acrylics are the expressive but enigmatic figures found in his "Saints or Sinners Series” of wooden, steel, ceramic and found-object sculptures.
A wooden figure with expressive hands, arms and a blocklike body that suggests a flowing robe, raises a rootlike plant in a tiny boat over his head, as a kind of "Offering,” in one work from the Wolfe series.
Equally bizarre and thought-provoking is Wolfe’s sculpture of a priestly looking figure holding wires in his rigid hands that keep his miterlike headgear suspended over his head.
Possessing a forceful, figurative presence, too, but more totemic, are three large, free-standing, wood and steel works, from Wolfe’s "Bundle” series, that suggest some neo-primitive or futuristic deity.
Wolfe is an Oklahoma City artist and retired 35-year art teacher, while Keffer is a self-taught Oklahoma City artist who paints his acrylics in "a colorful, contemporary primitive style” at his Guthrie studio.
Sometimes Keffer directs our attention to details such as a "Warehouse Door,” the multiple crosses of a "Mora Roadside Saint” shrine, or a solitary crow perched on top of a steeple or corral gate.
Keffer is at his best, however, when he takes on slightly more complex subjects, as in his painting of a dramatic red sandstone cliff looming over a humble but picturesque "House With (a) Turquoise Roof.”
The Wolfe and Keffer shows are highly recommended during their run through Saturday.
— John Brandenburg
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© Joy Reed Belt 2010
All prices subject to change without notice - not responsible for errors. Availability, price and shipping charges can be confirmed by e-mail or phone prior to purchase. |
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