For artist Delita Pinchback Martin, this is apparently not the time to slow down.
Martin had a breakthrough year in 2014 with solo exhibits that included Boswell Mourot Fine Art, The Arts and Science Center for Southeast Arkansas in Pine Bluff, a couple of shows in Texas and "State of the Art" at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, which included three of her works. In addition, Martin's multimedia piece She Walked With Me was recently added to the permanent collection of the Arkansas Arts Center.
Does this ever woman take a day off?
It doesn't look that way. Martin has kicked off 2015 with "Beyond Layers," a show of new works at the Argenta Branch of the William F. Laman Public Library System, 420 Main St., North Little Rock.
"Beyond Layers" explores themes that reverberate throughout Martin's work, inspired by her close-knit family and the stories she was told. With that foundation, the multimedia artist and printmaker expresses that experience in works that explore the roles and psyche of black women in their families and communities.
Along with the expressive, emotionally deep portraits, Martin utilizes common and familiar objects -- cups, saucers, coffee pots, spoons, bowls, bottles -- to help move her stories forward. These women have a presence that haunts and touches the viewer; their expressive faces (particularly the eyes) reveal much about their struggles and joys.
Martin's style -- mixing printmaking, collage, sewing, writing, painting and more -- brings an uncommon visual depth as she adds layers (literal and metaphorical) to her surfaces.
The exhibit mixes a few earlier pieces (a striking Ajani: She Fights for What Is Hers and the moving Kamile: She Listens from 2009) with more recent work. A series of portraits titled Beyond Layers is particularly strong. No. 4, a profile, features colorful, wonderful patterns and stitching.
Little Girl 1 is especially thought-provoking. Iron skillets are depicted in this piece, along with the portrait. Is this young female sensing her future and feeling trapped by cultural/societal expectations?
"Beyond Layers" invites us to peel back and examine the layers in Martin's beautiful works and seek -- and perhaps even find -- a deeper, personal truth.
"Beyond Layers," through Feb. 13, Argenta Branch, Laman Library, 420 Main St., North Little Rock. Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday; Info: lamanlibrary.org, (501) 687-1061
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The 20th anniversary exhibit at Greg Thompson Fine Art is a lively sample of works by Southern artists, including photorealists Glennray Tutor of Oxford, Miss., and Arkansas native/Dallas resident Kendall Stallings; Fayetteville's Donald Roller Wilson, the realist known for his fantasy paintings of monkeys and other animals; and magical realist Sheila Cotton and impressionist Rebecca Thompson, both of Little Rock.
Among the high points: Stallings' Leisure Suit, which portrays an uptight businessman, still in his suit, relaxing on the beach; Edward Rice's sly commentary on greed in the form of a piggy bank, Icon II; Cotton's very Southern-feeling landscape Swans of the Marsh; and Southern realist William Dunlap's Union Blue-Sabre Too, an oil and dry pigment on paper, of a Union soldier's jacket and saber.
Three paintings by Carroll Cloar are a welcome presence, particularly Charlie Mae as a Baby, as is an oil by another Arkansas great, Louis Freund. His Cave at Eureka Springs was painted in 1938.
John Harlan Norris, who teaches at Arkansas State University, has created portraits loaded with symbology about the subject's occupation and hobbies. The works take on a fantasy, almost comic-book edge.
20th Anniversary Celebration, through March 21, Greg Thompson Fine Art, 429 Main St., North Little Rock. Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. Info: gregthompsonfineart.com, (501) 664-2787
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Humor and surprise link recent works by Amy Edgington and Sulac at Gallery 26.
With both, some of the humor is in the title of the work.
Edgington's collages, enhanced by painting and drawing in some pieces, are a wonder. They charm, they sometimes puzzle, but her craftsmanship often brings a painterly quality to her work.
Nowhere does that come through more powerfully than in The Smoldering Fire, a stark contrast to most of her usually bright and colorful work. Fire has a somber, dark edge. Two figures -- one wrapped in white, another in black -- stand in a dark landscape next to a pile of smoldering leaves. The trees have an almost snakeskin texture. Social/psychological implications abound.
Those who like Edgington's playful side will especially appreciate Who Invited Tyrannosaurus Tex, which depicts a dinosaur wearing a cowboy hat crashing a children's party. With Rainbows Everywhere, she took a completed puzzle of two zebras and painted them in vivid rainbow stripes.
Sulac's collages can bring a smile from the titles, too. Approaching the Gilded Palace of Sin has mushroom-shape people-like figures around a palace. Where You Come From Is Gone rings true to its title, as time changes everything. This work includes objects such as restaurant guest checks, bridge forms and a tax form from 1942, underscoring the title's theme.
New works by Amy Edgington and Sulac, through March 14, Gallery 26, 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd., Suite 1, Little Rock. Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Info: gallery26.com, (501) 664-8996
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Cantrell Gallery is celebrating its 45th birthday with a group show by more than two dozen artists.
The well-organized exhibit, which continues through Feb. 28, includes painters Daniel Coston, Warren Criswell, Cici Davidson and Lee Nora Parlor and woodcut artist Neal Harrington. It's well worth a visit.
45th Birthday Show, through Feb. 28, Cantrell Gallery, 8206 Cantrell Road, Little Rock. Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Info: cantrellgallery.com, (501) 224-1335
Email:
ewidner@arkansasonline.com
Style on 01/27/2015