‘Monkey Business’ on display

Laughter rings out in the gallery at Greg Thompson Fine Art in North Little Rock, where a pair of art lovers are almost giddy as they study an oil painting. It’s an unusual reaction to a piece of fine art, but then again, these are images of chimps smoking over sized cigarettes and dogs wearing sunglasses. The show features the madcap menagerie of Donald Roller Wilson, fully accessorized with floating olives, super-sized matchsticks and half-smoked cigarettes.

Wilson is probably the most famous artist in Arkansas today; his work has been collected by a gaggle of celebrities including Jack Nicholson, Steve Martin and Meryl Streep. This show features works from the 1980s-90s and often feature chimps like Naughty Betty, Brenda and Jimmy. There are also cats and dogs, such as Patricia “the seeing eye dog of Houston.” There’s an entire mythical world built around animals; one painting concerns the “Miss Dog America” contest, won by Helen the bulldog.

Some of the paintings here are named for specific days, like Cookie’s First Easter (1996) and April Fools’ Day (1993). In Ash Wednesday (1993), Jimmy and another chimp are smoking over sized cigarettes and, as the artist’s uppercase title explains, “THEIR BUTTS BECAME ENTERTWINED.” In The Days of Sukkoth (1993), Beverly, the big ape, is “WANTING A BIG PORK CHOP” but, sadly, winds up “GETTING THE BERRIES INSTEAD.”

One particularly intriguing painting is Mrs. Mystery’s Daughter’s Shoes (1982). A pair of black, high-heeled shoes lie on a small table beside a vintage lamp. There are half-smoked cigarettes everywhere, and in a subtle dash of surrealism, one of the shoes looks as if it is smoking one of them.

Several larger works are on display, like Jimmy in Mrs. Jenkins Hallway (1986), which stands out because of its heart-shaped frame, and Big Betty (1992). Many of the others are more modest in scale, but Wilson paints them all with the polished precision of an Old Master.

“Monkey Business and Other Strange Sights - An Exhibition of Works by Donald Roller Wilson,” through Dec. 7, Greg Thompson Fine Art, 429 Main St., North Little Rock. Gallery hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. Information: (501) 664-2787, gregthompsonfineart.com.

Across the river at Cantrell Gallery in Little Rock, a selection of oil paintings and watercolors by the late Bill Lewis are on view in the main room. This retrospective hangs through Dec. 24 and includes figure drawings, portraits and landscapes in different mediums.

There are watercolors and a couple of pencil drawings in the show, but Lewis’ oils stand out due to the artist’s easy facility with the medium. He applies impressionistic swatches of color in White River Valley, a fluid blue and green landscape painting. Works like Dune Trail and Offshore Breeze are thoughtfully composed and colorful, showcasing the artist’s skillful brushwork. Another fine example of Lewis’ work is Santa Barbara Mission, which is filled with expressive brushstrokes that create a warmly beautiful atmosphere.

When entering the next room in the gallery, be prepared to confront the dark world of the talented and obsessive Warren Criswell. A leering portrait of the artist emblazoned on a Chinese scroll looms in the foreground, alerting viewers that something very different lies ahead.

Criswell’s imagery is always surreal and frequently unsettling. A recent canvas, El Dorado, features Criswell riding a strange ostrich-stork hybrid down a road as his doppelganger gestures toward a massive moon that fills the sky. Broken pieces of a highway overpass lend an apocalyptic feel to the work.

In another work, Criswell follows an elusive nude woman, painted in multiple ghostly outlines that simulate motion. The motif is repeated by Criswell in different mediums; the artist moves between painting, printmaking and sculpture with ease. There are a number of monoprints, including the creepy Taping Jasmine, in which a man records the gyrations of a nightclub stripper on a camcorder. The image is technically superb, similar in style to the 20th-century burlesque show prints of urban realist Reginald Marsh.

In Go Ask Alice, Criswell paints himself standing in front of a gigantic female nude lying by a river. The painting refers to Alice in Wonderland and the ’60s rock band Jefferson Airplane’s ode to psychedelia, “White Rabbit”: “One pill makes you larger/And one pill makes you small/And the ones that mother gives you don’t do anything at all/Go ask Alice, when she’s 10 feet tall.”

One of several landscapes in the room is a darkly beautiful watercolor, Conjunction, in which car headlights illuminate a ribbon of road stretching beneath a starry sky. There are several strong still life paintings here, composed of random objects like toilet paper rolls, stacks of books and wads of paper, and a there are number of sculptural works as well. This ongoing exhibit shows that Criswell is a restless creator, exploring different mediums and constantly looking for new ways to express his dark visions and wicked sense of humor.

“Bill Lewis - Retrospective - 1932-2012,” through Dec. 24; Warren Criswell, ongoing; Cantrell Gallery, 8206 Cantrell Road, Little Rock. Gallery hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Information: (501) 224-1335, cantrellgallery.com.