ARTBEAT

Tech exhibit captures Criswell’s unrest

— If there’s one word to describe Warren Criswell’s artistic nature, restless just might be it.

But that’s not without qualifiers. His is a restlessness fueled by curiosity, boredom and, perhaps, a certain amount of fear.

Criswell’s muse has led him into an exploration of painting, sculpture, printmaking, watercolors and animation.

“I do get bored easily,” Criswell says. “I keep wanting to get into areas where I don’t know what I’m doing. Even in painting. I think the worst thing that can happen to a painter is to learn how to paint. I like to start fresh with everything; when I work in new areas, I get to do that.

“Art is discovery. If I don’t have the feeling I’m discovering something new, I have trouble getting the creative energy to do it. That’s probably why I explore so many media.”

A just-opened exhibition at Arkansas Tech University displays Criswell in all his varied glories; the show hangs through March 30 in Russellville.

But whatever medium he works in, certain themes seem to recur time and again.

The nude female form. Surrealistic and psychological/mythological imagery. Crows.

“The nude female form embodies a lot ofthings,” he says. “The desire of anything seems to be symbolized by the female form. Some of the oldest sculptures in human history are of the goddess.”

One of the works in the Russellville show is Die Gluckliche Hand, an oil on canvas. It’s a work he sometimes refers to as road kill, reflecting its seemingly bizarre concept - a human body lying on a highway being picked at by a winged creature.

That work was inspired by an unexpected, but frequent source - music. Specifically, an opera of the same title by Arnold Schoenberg.

Die Gluckliche Hand translates into the hand of fate.

“The painting is the first scene of the opera ... a winged hyena chewing on the neck of a guy on the stage,” Criswell, 75, says. “The opera was inspired by events in Schoenberg’s life. His wife had an affair with a painter and I think he thought he could put this out of his system via his hands in composing music.”

Nicolae Bretan’s opera Arald inspired a painting of the same title.

“Music inspires me so much,” Criswell says. “I’ve been reading about origins of music, it seems to involve sexual selection in examples such as bird songs, frog songs. I’ve always loved music; I played cello when I was a kid, switched to string bass so I could sit in with jazz groups. Dave Brubeck was my favorite, who got a lot from Bach. That led me to classical music.”

What about the crows?

“They are a symbol of mortality to me because they are carrion birds,” he says.

Criswell’s latest exploration is sculpture with live models; he’s working with Michael Warrick, a sculptor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Art, Criswell says, can be dangerous.

“When you follow the muse, you can lose the material success you might have had. I like the danger. Every great work of art has a sense of danger. And that can be harmful to the ones you love. My wife, Janet, has been supportive and forgiving. We go on; we forgive and support each other.”

Still, Criswell is haunted by questions:

“I wonder if creativity has a termination point. Sometimes nothing is going on and I think I’ll never paint again. It comes and goes. Now when it happens, I worry that I’ll stop having images and ideas.

“I wonder ... have I done my best work already?

“But I haven’t been able to figure out how to quit. There’s no 12-step program for artists to quit art,” he says, laughing.

“Whether you succeed or not, you keep pushing on.” “Time & Space: the 2-, 3-, and 4-Dimensional Works of Warren Criswell,” through March 30, Norman Hall Gallery of Art, Arkansas Tech University, Russellville. Closing reception, 3 p.m. March 29,Criswell will give a gallery talk and screen the latest version of his animated movie Moments. Gallery hours: 8:30 a.m.-noon and 1-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. Info: (479) 964-3237, atu.edu/art/normangallery/index.htm OPENINGS ...

Daniel Coston’s new showof acrylics, “Structures,” opens with a reception at 6 p.m. Friday at Cantrell Gallery, 8206 Cantrell Road, Little Rock. The show hangs through April 28. Info: (501) 224-1335 or cantrellgallery.com.

“Disfarmer: Portraits From a Lifetime,” an exhibit of 40 vintage prints by Arkansas photographer Mike Disfarmer, opens with a reception at 6 p.m. March 16 at Greg Thompson Fine Art, 429 Main St., North Little Rock. The show is curated by Jennifer Carman of J. Carman Inc. Fine Art. Info: gregthompsonfineart.com, (501) 664-2787.

M2 Gallery, 11525 Cantrell Road, Suite 918, Little Rock, will celebrate its fifth anniversary with an exhibitopening reception at 6 p.m. March 16. The anniversary show will feature a retrospective by printmaker Evan Lindquist. Others with work in the show will be Jeaneen Barnhart, Cathy Burns and Dan Holland. Info: m2lr.com, (501) 225-6257.

E-mail:

ewidner@arkansasonline.com

Style, Pages 29 on 03/06/2012

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