Thursday night I popped into two shows that blinked on my radar. After the dark reality of the film "Biutiful", which I saw that afternoon, I needed the colorful surreality of the work I was venturing out to see.On my agenda was a solo show of artist Robin Williams at PPOW Gallery, and the Trey Speegle show at Benrimon Contemporary.
I checked out Robin's show "Rescue Party" first, and no the artist is not a fifty year old furry male comedian, but rather a twenty-something blonde chick. I ran into an acquaintance just as I was entering the gallery who was too amused that I referred to her as a him. How was I to know? I hadn't really heard of her though her work seemed familiar, I was there purely because I liked what I saw in thumbnail-size posted on art log.
To my surprise and enjoyment all her pieces were no smaller than 60"x 40". She explained that she liked her work to be life-sized. Understandably so, as each piece brought you into this world she's created that, if I had to describe it in few words, evokes a farm on LSD.
Neon-hued scenes of children "at play" or portraits of eccentrically costumed figures fascinate and bewilder. When you get close, the texture pulls you in just as the subject does from afar. Ridged and swirled the paint extends off the canvas like barnacles.
In their entirety, these paintings are truly beautiful and cinematic and a little bit eery.
In their entirety, these paintings are truly beautiful and cinematic and a little bit eery.
Photo courtesy of RobinWilliamsArt.com
