Jason McCann, who teaches art at Little Rock Central High School, felt his creative well was going dry. So, he put the brushes down for several months.
"One day I saw my new direction clearly," McCann, a Maumelle resident, says. He went back to the studio and finished new work just in time for a show with Kathy Bay at Boswell Mourot Fine Art.
Sherwood resident Bay, who won an award in the 2010 Delta Exhibition at the Arkansas Arts Center for her acrylic and collage on paper work titled Txtrd Msg., has made changes of her own.
Her new paintings are larger, but they feel more intimate, looser and alive.
Several of McCann's works have a fresh, overhead perspective. Some are self-portraits, with the artist appearing only in shadow.
Shadows and the different viewpoint are the main drivers in Maddox and the Art Lesson. Maddox, son of M2 Gallery's Mac and Ashley Murphy, casts a shadow across his paper as he begins to draw; another shadow looms larger, as McCann clearly is watching and guiding his student. McCann's own son Aiden is the subject of several playful works. Especially fine is Self-Portrait With Aiden's Bike, which again finds the artist depicted in shadow as Aiden, his back to us, walks away. His helmet hangs on the handlebar.
Emanuel Before School is a watercolor and pastel portrait of a young male sitting on a chair, earbuds in place, listening to music. It crackles with energy and passion.
Bay, who creates rich and colorful abstract expressionist paintings, has a series of vibrant landscape-inspired works. Emerging Series OO is especially engaging and inviting. The large -- 6 feet by 6 feet -- painting is magnetic, due in great part to the artist's savvy use of bold color, exploring its mysteries and interrelationships as she explores those same qualities in nature. Departure Series V is another outstanding painting that shows her command of her brush and subject matter. The flow and energy are palpable.
Six 15-inch-by-15-inch works, all titled Change of Scenery, are appealing and striking acrylic and collage works.
New Works by Kathy Bay and Jason McCann, through Nov. 5, Boswell Mourot Fine Art, 5815 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock. Hours: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday. Info: (501) 664-0030.
Email:
ewidner@arkansasonline.com
Weekend on 10/27/2016