By focusing on the natural world and our relationship with it, Renee Williams' paintings and drawings took on a new depth at her Gallery 26 show last year.
Williams continues to explore that relationship in "New Works" at Mugs Cafe in North Little Rock. The new acrylics seem even more painterly, but her exquisite graphite drawings just about steal the show.
The acrylic portraits of women have folkloric, fantasy and mythological aspects. There is undeniable beauty, but closer examination can reveal a sense of mystery, tension, fear or other psychological undertones.
In Dreams of Spring, a woman in profile, wrapped in warm clothing, is thinking of spring. Her thoughts manifest as a swarm of blue butterflies that emerges from her and flutters into the sky.
Rose Headdress depicts a woman in a huge rose head piece, but her slight smile seems forced, conveying a sense of unease with nature's outpouring. But in Belonging, another rose-theme work, a woman smiles broadly, confident she is right where she belongs.
There's an element of humor here and there, such as Fox Wrap, which depicts a woman with a fox on her shoulders.
Some of the graphite works seem even more intense, despite surface whimsy. People often seem to question whether they want a relationship with nature.
Message From the Natural World shows a young man looking ahead, joined by two rabbits (one looking away from the viewer), a raccoon and a beaver in a pose that recalls Grant Wood's American Gothic. But hovering over the young man's head are two hummingbirds, keys dangling from their beaks. What will the keys unlock? Or is he even aware of them?
Renee Williams, "New Works," through July 12, Mugs Cafe, 515 Main St., North Little Rock. Hours: 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday. (501) 960-9524.
ANGST AND NOSTALGIA
Two shows at Gallery 26 take us to different parts of the emotional spectrum.
People in the emotionally charged oil paintings of Michael Lierly hold each other with fearful determination.
The Fit has an air of desperation as a couple cling tightly, desperately, as an unseen force tries to tear them apart. Alone offers multiple images of a woman who may be reflecting on her life or haunted by her past.
The Convalescent and The Angel We Carried look at illness and death unflinchingly.
Lierly's work is powerful and haunting; he embraces a raw, visceral surrealism and clearly understands that emotions can be quite surreal as well.
Donna Uptigrove's nostalgic ceramic plates and platters abound with whimsy and charm.
Deer, dogs, cats, birds, rabbits and butterflies are among the sculpted and painted imagery gracing platters and plates that echo the shapes of antique dishes.
Loaded with retro charm, the dog and cat platter is magnetic and appealing. But wait till you see the deer platter. A handbuilt deer sits on the edge, as though it stepped out of Bambi. A painted deer is on the platter's surface.
Painted floral details enhance the vintage vibe. The ceramics are decorative, but the artist says they are meant to be used. But I'm not sure I could cover Bambi with biscuits.
Michael Lierly and Donna Uptigrove, "Recent Works," through July 9, Gallery 26, 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd., Suite 1, Little Rock. Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Info: gallery26.com, (501) 664-8996.
SHOCK AND AWE
The members of the Culture Shock artists collective fill Concordia Hall at the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies with a showcase of work by Melissa Cowper-Smith, Melissa Gill, Tammy Harrington, Dawn Holder, Jessie Hornbrook, Holly Laws, Sandra Luckett, Morgan Page and Rachel Trusty.
Destruction Happens Quickly is among several fascinating pieces by Cowper-Smith. The digital print on homegrown and handmade cotton paper depicts a close view of a tornado's arrival: Debris is flying at the edge of the storm. The collage and painting are skillfully executed. She had a piece in last year's Delta Exhibition at the Arkansas Arts Center.
Harrington, a professor of art at the University of the Ozarks in Clarksville, has three excellent cut-paper pieces -- Phoenix, Dragon and Crane. They have a printlike quality that captivates. Her relief prints also stand out, particularly the soulful Enigma.
Gill, associate professor of drawing and printmaking at Hendrix College in Conway, uses patterns in bodily shapes that offer an experience of the interior landscape amid the reality of physical and emotional impermanence. Her eye-pleasing prints invite reflection and contemplation.
Hornbrook's powerful Antelope Totem is a blend of lithography, serigraphy, gold leaf and graphite.
Don't miss Holder's liquid porcelain black flowers, shown in a display case.
"Culture Shock: Shine Your Rubies, Hide Your Diamonds," through Aug. 27, Concordia Hall, Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, 401 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock. Hours: 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Info: butlercenter.org, (501) 918-3033.
BRIEFLY ...
• "Faces of the Delta: The Art of Aj Smith" is on exhibit at the Delta Cultural Center in Helena-West Helena through July 4. Smith, professor of art at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, is a superlative graphite and silver point artist.
The exhibit spans some 40 years of Smith's art. The center, at 141 Cherry St., is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. For information, call (870) 338-4350 or visit deltaculturalcenter.com.
• Ever wonder what the juror didn't choose for the Arts Center's annual Delta Exhibition? Then check out "Delta des Refuses" at the Thea Foundation, 401 Main St., North Little Rock. Organized by Rachel Trusty, the show features artists who were not accepted into this year's Delta. It hangs through July 17.
And yes, the exhibit's name is a play on the Salon des Refuses, an 1893 show in Paris that included works by Edouard Manet, Paul Cezanne and others who had been rejected by the conservative Paris Salon.
Hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. An artists reception is scheduled for 5-8 p.m. Friday. For more information, visit theafoundation.org or call (501) 379-9512.
Email:
ewidner@arkansasonline.com
Style on 06/14/2016