The main wall in Gallery 26 is an almost dizzying mosaic of dozens of paintings, drawings and photographs. Colors, shapes, media and light clash and coalesce, coaxing the viewer while competing for attention.
Just take a deep breath, relax and enjoy; see what catches your eye. There’s a lot of interesting work in the Hillcrest neighborhood gallery’s Holiday Art Show, with prices ranging from $20 to $1,200.
Some high points:
Amanda Linn’s humorous Crunk ($175), inspired by the art teacher listening to students and experiencing the changing meanings of words; the always interesting Amy Edgington’s 3 WiseMen and the Drone (Xmas in the 21st Century), a sly commentary ($115). It’s nice to see Betty Jones’ sweet Christmas-theme acrylics, such as Up the Chimney ($65). She formerly showed at the now closed Heights Gallery.
Among photographers: Walter Ellis Lang has a wonderful dye-infused aluminum print, Canale Veneziano ($175), a canal in Venice, that hints at surrealism; Gail Arnold’s After the Rain ($195), a silver gelatin print of a plant that suggests a star burst; Brittany McDonald’s landscape Nothing ($250), on metal, of a billboard with the word “nothing”; David Rackley’s haunting Gold Man, Paris ($375), a hand-printed, hand-painted silver photograph; and Ben Krain’s The Birds ($75), with its Alfred Hitchcock vibe.
Also: Jeff Waddle’s colorful, anatomical acrylic See-Through Blue ($275); Michael Lierly’s skillful blend of figurative and abstract forms on his canvas Non Human Nature ($650); David Warren’s color intaglio Overboard in the Sea of Unconscious Thought ($500), a nod to Jungian philosophy; Rachel Trusty’s humorous soft sculptures, Flock ($79 each); and Laura Fanning’s Make Me One With Everything ($120), a Buddha in a fun assemblage that includes a chair seat, a reflector and more.
Gallery 26 Holiday Art Show, through Jan. 11, Gallery 26, 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd., Suite No. 1, Little Rock. Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Info: (501) 664-8996, gallery26.com
Weekend, Pages 35 on 12/19/2013