Aj Smith has a stellar and well-deserved reputation for his spectacular drawings, portraits that capture more than a subject's appearance.
Smith's graphite and silverpoint likenesses are as personal as they are precise in execution. In Smith's hands, a life unfolds in these rich, emotional works. Sometimes, even our own.
Portraits are a vital part of "All That I Am: A Retrospective 1971-2012," hanging through Nov. 8 at Hearne Fine Art. The joy of a retrospective is seeing an artist's evolution; this is a shorthand visual timeline of Smith's artistic journey.
Flanking the entrance are two superb graphite portraits: Montre and Lil' Kim. While the boy seems wary and closed, the girl is open, friendly, inviting.
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock art professor has a number of other portraits here, including a strong Ms. Daisy Bates, who worked with the Little Rock Nine during the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School. This work is 14 by 16 inches, but its power is much larger.
Grandma Alma is deeply moving, a large work that places the subject's face in shadow, as it radiates wisdom and a quiet strength shrouded in mystery. She commands our respect.
There are several lithographs from Smith's mid-1980s "The Way Down South" series, which led to his association with Hearne in 1988, including The Old Country Church/Jasland and Outhouse.
Other highlights: the 1979 intaglio The Subway Platform -- New York City and three monotypes from the "Ancestral Dream Series" (1997-1999) with bold colors and graphic-like images that seem to be gateways to ancestral and spiritual awareness.
It's art as autobiography, one we are richer for seeing.
"All That I Am: A Retrospective 1971-2012," through Nov. 8, Hearne Fine Art, 1001 Wright Ave., Suite C, Little Rock. Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, by appointment Sunday. Smith will attend a Young at Heart and Home Schoolers Reception at 1 p.m Oct. 10 and will present an interactive demonstration workshop Oct. 25. Info: (501) 372-6822; hearnefineart.com
THE SOUTH'S BEST
One of the highlights of Greg Thompson Fine Art's season is the "Best of the South" exhibition, which opened Thursday at the North Little Rock gallery.
The show features more than 20 artists from around the region and pays homage to some of its historic giants -- Thomas Hart Benton, Clementine Hunter and Carroll Cloar. Gallery patrons will see other familiar names represented, including photorealist Glennray Tutor and photographer Millie West, both of Oxford, Miss.; magical realist painter Sheila Cotton and sculptor Robyn Horn, both of Little Rock; Memphis-born photographer William Eggleston; and Edward Rice of Augusta, Ga., known for paintings of Southern architecture.
Rice's Icon may be the show-stopper. A brightly painted piggy bank in a yellow dress with high white collar, sporting huge red lips, fills a 60-by-48-inch canvas. It is laugh-out-loud funny, but after the chuckles subside, a wry commentary on wealth and greed emerges.
Three oil paintings by Arkansas State University associate professor of art John Harlan Norris from his "Occupants" series are eye-catching, colorful works of people beneath headgear made of objects that are keys to their self-identity. The works provide a pointed commentary on materialism's impact.
Also memorable are a gorgeous oil cotton field landscape by Cotton, Pinkney Herbert's abstract pastels and Thompson's lovely impressionist works with a fauvist color sense.
"The Best of the South," through Nov. 15, Greg Thompson Fine Art, 429 N. Main St., North Little Rock. Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. gregthompsonfineart.com, or (501) 664-2787.
ART AT 26
New works by Diane Harper, Dominique Simmons and Emily Wood make a visit to Gallery 26 most enjoyable.
Harper has a particularly strong canvas, Phrenologie, a thoughtful work with a head in the foreground with a phrenology diagram and a background inspired by the Chauvet, France, cave paintings. A series of charming linocut self-portraits also feature a photo of the artist as a child taken by her father.
Simmons' pastels and linocuts are strong compositions. The Escape is a pastel of scarecrows running away, while one remains. The UALR adjunct professor of art's three okra-themed linocuts are wittily titled, including Love in the Time of Okra.
Wood's striking acrylic and graphite works on oak panel continue to delight. Her works play out a music and dance theme, and she skillfully uses wood grain to establish environment and feeling. Sax Guy at White Water is moody and lyrical; Fins Up shows her parents enjoying an evening of music.
Recent Works by Diane Harper, Dominique Simmons and Emily Wood, through Oct. 25, Gallery 26, 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd., Suite 1, Little Rock. Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Info: (501) 664-8996, gallery26.com
C'MON IN
Everything seems to be coming up George Dombek these days. The internationally acclaimed watercolorist will host his annual Open Studio from 1 to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays starting Oct. 11-12 and concluding Nov. 16-17 at his studio, 844 Blue Springs Road, Fayetteville. For information, call (479) 442-8976 or georgedombek.com.
For a look at his Arkansas Barns series of watercolors, visit Argenta Gallery, 413B Main St., North Little Rock. The show of Dombek works hangs through Wednesday.
And finally, a coffee table book of Dombek's works has been published by the University of Arkansas Press. George Dombek ($55) has 101 images in its 184 pages.
DEERING'S TRAVELS
We would be remiss if we didn't mention John Deering's superb exhibit at Cantrell Gallery. "The Arkansas Traveler" represents a first of sorts for this newspaper's editorial cartoonist. These everyday life scenes are painted from photographs taken by the artist.
The whimsy and fantasy that have infused much of his recent work are set aside for a kind of romantic realism, imbued with warmth and a new depth of feeling. These works represent a major artistic step forward. Deering has emerged with a distinctive, personal style that comes from the heart.
"The Arkansas Traveler," through Oct. 18, Cantrell Gallery, 8206 Cantrell Road, Little Rock. Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Info: (501) 224-1335, cantrellgallery.com
Email:
ewidner@arkansasonline.com
Style on 09/28/2014