New paintings by R.F. Walker and the photography of Brian Fender are just two good reasons to take in the Fall Group Show at M2 Gallery in the Pleasant Ridge Town Center, 11525 Cantrell Road in Little Rock.
It's also an opportunity to see the playful, childlike multi-media pieces of Fayetteville resident Taylor Shepherd, the photorealistic canvases of 2014 Delta Award winner Robin Tucker and works by Catherine Nugent, Nancy Hillis and Tansill Stough.
Walker, who works with oil and acrylic, impresses with retro-imbued landscapes such as In Retirement, showing several horses in a fenced pasture. A little magical realism creeps in on Party Crashers, depicting four women at a table in the woods. Two rams walk toward them, yet the women seem unperturbed by the animals' presence.
Four pieces in a series titled "Americana" depict ethnic women, heads covered, against old brick walls with painted soft drink advertisements in various shades of fading. Strongly executed, the pieces mix a vintage vibe with contemporary commentary on changes in this country and topics such as immigration.
Fender has a small group of photographs that make a big impression. None more so than Montauk Magic, a 40-by-60-inch beach scene with rising waves, surfers and umbrellas that is magnetic and appealing. A set of 10 photos united under the title March show a black-clad woman marching down a street against a building's dark red wall. Starting and ending with just a foot, the series is kinetic and cool.
Both men are defined by their art and openness about their disabilities. In his artist's statement, Walker, a fifth-generation Arkansan, says "being deaf has only strengthened my visual awareness." The proof is on the walls.
Fender, who has a master of fine arts in writing and spent a number of years as a photographer and filmmaker in New York, has been diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or Lou Gerhrig's disease. He can no longer use a camera, but has completed his first feature-length screenplay. He has organized an ALS benefit show in New York and has set up a website for ALS research, artistslendsupport.org. Fender's photographs are a testimony to his talent.
Fall Group Show, through Nov. 18, M2 Gallery, 11525 Cantrell Road, Suite 918, Little Rock. Hours: noon-5 p.m. Monday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Info: (501) 944-7155
JERRY'S GARDEN
Jerry Phillips is fascinated by the idea of revision and the process of revising, which he explores in his new show of drawings and sculpture at Good Weather in North Little Rock.
The French writer Voltaire's book Candide informs Phillips' new work. The artist took the title of his exhibition from the words at the book's end, when Candide says "we must cultivate our garden," words that carry literal, symbolic and philosophical meanings.
"This is about trying to find positivity in the face of adversity," Phillips says of Voltaire's work and his own show. "This project helped me work through the death of Hudson, my New York gallery representative; and that I could do something different."
Phillips pays specific tribute to his gallery rep, who died in 2014, with the show's lead piece: Hello.
"When he wrote to me, the note always started with 'hello,' so I re-created one of his hellos. He always wrote his notes to me with a marker, so part of it is faded-looking, as before the color came in full." The story enriches one's experience of the work.
Revision (La Valliere Manuscript, screen 122) directly tackles Phillips' intent by re-creating a page from Candide. The manuscript that inspired the piece shows words crossed out and notes written in the margins. "I focused on the deletions," Phillips says.
Revision (du monde) and [sic] also tackle revision, with the latter work including a spelling error.
Phillips' work is cerebral, but not inaccessible. His technique and process have a Zen-like precision and focus.
Good Weather's small space -- a one-car garage with white-painted walls -- manages to give the small, intimate show room to breathe. Phillips uses the space to his advantage, focusing on a few hanging works and some sculpture. Phantom Limn, several polished graphite tiles topped with cast porcelain black light bulbs, occupies the floor's center.
Untitled, a graphite on paper of gift-wrap ribbons inspired by a 1980s Polaroid image from a birthday party, ends the show on an upbeat note.
Overall, the new work seems less photographic in nature; the artist says he is "exploring language and the process of revision, especially what is deleted."
"It is an attempt to express the struggle to get the words right and the right words."
"Cultivate Your Garden," through Nov. 21, Good Weather, 4400 Edgemere Drive, North Little Rock. Hours: by appointment only, email: desk@goodweathergallery.com
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Style on 11/03/2015