Mobile Museum of Art's 'Shared Expressions' exhibit reveals depth ...

Art is the real and the imagined, and the dynamic tension that exists between the two.

True art also possesses the quiet authority of an artist comfortable with his/her medium and subject matter: a melancholy nude; a blue fishing boat in a marina; sunlight on a row of houses; a colorful abstract; a ceramic sculpture that seems to be one thing but also another. The kind of thing that makes us stop and whisper: ?What in the world . . . ??

?Shared Expressions,? ongoing at Mobile Museum of Art, is equal parts reality and imagination ? and occasionally one can detect the hum of dynamic tension. Nothing edgy, mind you, unless you count the quirky but delightful Jake Ollinger ceramic titled ?Mechanimug V2,? made of ceramic, stainless steel and electrical wire.

This enormous show, which runs through Sept. 25, encompasses painting, drawing, photography, ceramics, Sumi-?, fabric arts (quilting) and mixed media in abundance. (See information box.)

If it does nothing else, ?Shared Expressions? is evidence of the depth and breadth of the visual arts traditions in our region. The show comprises work from the Mobile Art Association (founded in 1943), Watercolor & Graphic Arts Society (1948), Camera South, the Coastal Clay Collective, Azalea City Quilters Guild and the Shibui Chapter of the Sumi-? Society of America.

This year?s exhibit pays homage to three distinguished artists who contributed mightily to the Gulf Coast arts community: Lee Maris Hoffman (1932-2010); John R. ?Jack? Sanders (1923-2010); and Frances Mutchnick. Look for more on these three artists and their work in an upcoming edition of Living Arts.

The enormity of this biennial exhibit demands a commitment of two to three hours ? longer if one makes occasional forays into adjacent galleries to catch of glimpse of the museum?s recent acquisitions and the always intriguing Haverty Collection of international

Start wherever you like, but an exhibit like ?Shared Expressions? is best savored in moderate portions. Moving clockwise around the gallery, one is struck by the graceful of energy of the ballet dancers in Earl S. McLaughlin?s images of ?Sleeping Beauty, Corps de Ballet? and ?Pas de Cinq.? In the former, the dancers? arms unfold like spring flowers.

David K. Snyder?s ?Window Dressing? shows a marvelous sense of color with a blue-green umbrella set against a brilliant crimson kimono.

These photographs here are long on atmosphere. See Robert Schroeter?s ?New Orleans Trolley Car? (a view from inside) and Jerrid Jones? wonderfully moody ?Cotton Tree.? Other images in the exhibit depict a produce stand, a Mardi Gras image, a Civil War re-enactment, an owl, and racing greyhounds.

For sheer dazzle, one must spend a few moments with a quartet of digital images that really pop.

David Snyder?s ?Oak Creek Canyon? depicts the majesty of rocks and falling water; Karen Cassidy?s ?Fraser Island, Australia? (from 2005) is a stunning view of a lone figure on a rock perch above a beckoning sea; ?A Way Out? by Deborah Jones-Kuykendall, a hiker?s view from a red-rock canyon, has a painterly quality; and Beth Snyder?s ?Safe Harbor? is a study in color and composition.

The Coastal Clay Collective is well represented by Ollinger?s aforementioned piece along with Georgia Jones Godwin?s ?The Mechanic,? an eye-catching figure of stoneware, oil and found objects ? and a tachometer in the center of its chest.

Equally arresting is Megan Gullard?s nude female earthenware figure seated on a large spool of thread. The work is titled ?For Some Reason This String Gave Me the Ability to Fly.?

The most visible piece in the show is the suspended work titled ?Totem,? which is rooted in Native American culture. A striking work, it is a collaborative effort between the students of Murphy High School and the Downtown Creative Wellness Foundation, along with Chad Holder of Port City Restoration and artist Zach DePolo.

Other noteworthy three-dimensional pieces here include Steven Dark?s ?Jester,? Bertice McPherson?s serene ?Moon and Cloud,? and Fred Marchman?s tongue-in-cheek ?Blond with Book.?

The delicate beauty of Sumi-? can be seen in the encased display of book art by Kaoru Oka and Yuka Miller; nearby is one of the joyful surprises of this exhibit, several 3-D works in ceramic, bamboo and other materials that bear the distinctive signature of this long-revered art form. Lovely.

Quilts adorn the back wall of the gallery in a profusion of styles, colors, designs and subject matter. Most are intricate and reveal an obvious investment of time and energy; all show the makers? zeal for their work.

Among the highlights of Mobile Art Association are Maria Papp?s ?Lotus,? a lovely piece using ink and watercolor on golden Japanese rice paper tiles; and Kate Seawell?s monotype, ?Asiatic Lilies in Black.?

Some of the strongest work in ?Shared Expressions? comes from the Watercolor & Graphic Arts Society whose body of work reveals a shared intellectual curiosity and an astonishing passion for detail. The latter is evident in Lynda Smith Touart?s ?Shore Thing,? which uses colored pencil to depict water crashing on rocks.

The same holds true for Judy Aronson?s ?Toxic Beauty: Gowanus Canal,? a 2011 watercolor. Satomi Kamei?s ?At the Pub? is an atmospheric work with a profound sense of place.

Art can be admired and appreciated for the technique, and that is certainly true of Marie Nickerson?s large watercolor, ?My Garden,? an explosion of red. That color also figures heavily in Loran Chavez? ?Biloxi Red,? a deceptively simple painting of a seagull and a boat.

?Colored Glass,? a 2010 watercolor by Allan Butt, reminds us of the simple pleasures of a still-life lovingly rendered.

Anyone who has visited Alaska will appreciate Phyllis J. Henson?s ?Sitka,? which evokes powerful memories of tugboats, sea air and ? while unseen here ? the craggy silhouettes of mountains. Alaska is quite real, and its Technicolor images live forever in the imagination.

?SHARED EXPRESSIONS?

WHAT: ?Shared Expressions: Bay Area Art Partners?

WHEN: through Sept. 25

WHERE: Mobile Museum of Art in Langan Park, west Mobile

ONGOING: ?The Prominence of Place: Dori DeCamillis and Susan Downing-White,? through Aug. 28

HOURS: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday; 1-5 p.m. Sunday.

ADMISSION: $10 adults; $6 students

INFO: 251-208-5200 or www.mobilemuseumofart.com ?

NOTE: ?Shared Expressions? is a biennial showcase that includes artwork from Mobile Art Association, founded in 1943; the Watercolor & Graphic Arts Society, founded in 1948; and Camera South, Coastal Clay Coalition, Azalea City Quilters Guild and the Shibui Chapter of the Sumi-? Society of America. Three artists are honored this year: Frances Mutchnick; Lee M. Hoffman (1932-2010) and John R. ?Jack? Sanders (1923-2010).

Source: http://blog.al.com/entertainment-press-register/2011/08/shared_expressions_exhibit_rev.html

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