LITTLE ROCK — Barry Thomas has some small surprises for fans of the Arkansas oil painter’s impressionistic work.
To be precise, some 5-by-7 and 9-by-12-inch surprises - 17 of them. These smaller works are the highlight of his “Arkansas Landscapes” exhibition at Greg Thompson Fine Art.
The pieces have an immediacy and a sort of improvisational quality that is captivating. Broadway Bridge ($650) is especially well rendered. Also interesting among the smaller works are Riverboat and Submarine, Clinton Library ($650 each) and Trolley on the Bridge ($950).
But those who love his large canvases won’t be disappointed.
There’s no denying the beauty of Saturday Morning Market ($6,800). The 36-by-36-inch workshows a scene familiar to many of us: going to the River Market’s Farmers Market to shop for flowers, fruits and vegetables. The scene is alive and vibrant with color.
Other Arkansas scenes include Tupelo Trees ($9,400) in a bayou-like setting in Palestine and the lovely Ozark Mountain Sunset ($3,200). Several canvases reflect fall’s colors and themes, including October in Ferndale ($6,500), with a luminous rendering of a creek, and the subdued October Morning ($6,800) with mallards flying, silhouetted in the rising sun.
“Arkansas Landscapes” by Barry Thomas, through Nov. 13, Greg Thompson Fine Art, 429 Main St., North Little Rock. Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. gregthompsonfineart.com or (501) 664-2787.
A GALAXY OF ART
Art, like love, is where you find it.
And if your definition of art is open and wide-reaching, you’ll find it - from well-executed paintings to collectibles and kitsch - at Galaxy Office Furniture and Interiors.
The quirky nature of this Argenta business, which has a flea market/antique shop like vibe and pie by the slice at Hunka Pie, makes browsing a real treat.
And speaking of treats, the acrylic paintings of Janet Martin Peebles are a delightful discovery. A trio of monkey-themed paintings ($350 to $1,250) should tickle those who enjoy the work of Arkansas’ Donald Roller Wilson.Treasure Chest ($1,250) finds monkey business afoot in what appears to be a Mayan ruin. In another area of the store are two paintings of egrets (Egret 1, $975; Egret II, $875) that are particularly lush and striking in their execution.
Peebles, who lives in Wright (Jefferson County), also grows gourds that she converts into frogs ($45). She draws and paints on white dominoes ($20), adding an attachment for a chain so the tiles can be worn as a necklace.
“I also show work at thePine Bluff Art League Gallery,” she says. Peebles recently won third place in the league’s show, which hangs at the Arts and Science Center for Southeast Arkansas in Pine Bluff.
The monkeys? Peebles says she studied Wilson’s canvases before she started her monkey paintings.
“I used to paint rabbits with clothing before I ever saw his work,” she says.
Other Galaxy highlights from a recent visit:
A framed poster of Fred Astaire. This black-and-white piece, about 2 by 3 feet, has the elegant actor and dancer in top hat, tails and cane. A real show-stopper at $75.
Colored gravel paintings ($25-$45). Think of them as gravel-by-number.
A sleek black ceramic panther with green glass eyes. About 18 inches long, it reminds me of a TV lamp we had when I was a kid ($45).
Bean art. This folk-style craft art ($20 each) depicting roosters is created by gluing colored beans to a wood panel.
A colorful serving tray with Popeye, Bluto and Olive Oyl, $35.
And how can one resist an iconic painting of a matador and bull on black velvet ($75)? Unless Elvis was in the house.
Galaxy Office Furniture and Interiors, 304 Main St., North Little Rock. Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday. (501) 375-3375.
OPENINGS
Acclaimed painter George Dombek continues his open studio, 2-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and Oct. 9 and 10. The studio is at 844 Blue Springs Road in Goshen. For more information, visit georgedo mbek.com.
“Black in White America,” an exhibit by photographer Leonard Freed, opens Oct. 6 at the Fine Arts Gallery, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. Freed, who died in 2006, was a member of the Magnum photo agency. The show, curated by the Bruce Silverstein Gallery in New York, hangs through Oct. 29. Hours: 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, 2-5 p.m. Sunday. art.uark.edu/finearts gallery or (479) 575-7987.
Artist V.L. Cox opens a three-day show of her wonderful screen door portraits at the THEA Foundation, 401 Main St., Suite 100, North Little Rock. “Images of the American South: The Art of V.L. Cox” opens with a reception at 6 p.m. Oct. 7 and continues through Oct. 9.
Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. theafoundation. org or (501) 379-9512.
E-mail:
Style, Pages 29 on 09/28/2010