Voelz Chandler: Creating a flow

Published March 30, 2007 at midnight

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The power of the line, one of the basics of non-representational art, is at the heart of "Current."

It's a term that can be taken so many ways - no coincidence considering the fact that Robischon Gallery usually works on many levels in assembling a show. Here, that includes the sense of physical movement, the fact of being new, and the more conceptual element of psychological continuity in a world of the ephemeral.

And "Current" has all three, partially because this thematic group show includes so many artists in some cases represented by a sample of work.

Part of the lure is work by Ellsworth Kelly, though viewers definitely will be in for a surprise. Perhaps best known for his stringent explorations of form, shape and color, Kelly here is represented by black-and-white lithographs from his 2005 "States of the River" series.

Six "River" works fill the front space, large-scale explorations of currents and reflections the artist documents from rivers such as the Hudson, Amazon, Seine and Thames. Talk about conceptual: Each work has a different intensity of flow, a different regularity of line, and different . . . well . . . style or signature. What each does, though, is shift a viewer to the locale in question, imagining that he or she is standing on a river bank relating to a natural wonder. They are, in short, evocative in all the best senses of that word.

But Kelly certainly doesn't own the "line" here, as demonstrated in work by nine other artists, including several the gallery is introducing through this show.

New York-based Maureen McQuillan applies layer upon layer of resin, each with its own line drawing, in the process turning a two-dimensional image into a three-dimensional, almost helical presentation notable for its depth and perspective. If you've seen Aspen-based Kris Cox's highly textured paintings on view into May at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, the five works here will augment the experience of how the word painting is defined.

Cynthia Ona Innis, from California, works in a small scale with collaged elements that become a road map to viewing her paintings. And Chris Gallagher paints arced lines in rich colors, canvases that take on an astronomical cast. Think of the color transmissions from Cassini images of Saturn's rings, and you get the impact of New York-based Gallagher's bright, rhythmic paintings.

But much of the work chosen for "Current" will be somewhat familiar to those who follow the gallery's own arc. Trine Bumiller's huge, new multipart oil Vox includes the strong organic shapes for which she is known, in a return to the more muted colors of nature. Jae Ko has shifted from ebullient paper sculpture to torqued pieces that look as if someone had taken a thick painted line and twisted it.

Jamie Brunson's repetitive style in ice-cream-bright colors produces paintings with chains of loops and wavy lines, reinforcing the appeal of pattern and decoration. And, with the near-kinetic Current, Brunson has served to subtly not just lend a title to an exhibition but also point the way for reflection on the meaning of the line.

Current

• What: Work by artists including Ellsworth Kelly, Kris Cox, Trine Bumiller, Jamie Brunson and Jae Ko; recent paintings by Gary Komarin and sculpture by Scott Chamberlin in The Viewing Room

• Where and when: Robischon Gallery, 1740 Wazee St.; through May 5

• Information: 303-298-7788; robischongallery.com

In Significance

• What: Installation by Kim Ferrer and paintings by Christopher Fox

• The bottom line: Gallery owner Bobbi Walker over the years has learned how to best use her cavernous space on the first floor of the Prado (yes, I, too, have to holdmybreath when I approach that overwrought pile of stucco). She tweaked thehanging walls to provide uniformity, and lets the soaring space infront house large-scale work that needs room to breathe.In this case, that is an installation by Kim Ferrer. Ferrer's A StoryWithin a Story involves more than a dozen tall, podlike meshforms, each holding an object that reflects Ferrer's strong attachmentto the diversity of material, texture and the way an inanimatething can provide meaning. From twigs to fabric that offers a shroudlike feel to a swath of tulle escaping from its cage, Ferrercontinues to show her strength as an artist who works to makehumble materials powerful as sculpture and installation. For something completely different, there is the other half ofwhat Walker is calling "In Significance," a murky umbrella overdiverse solo shows. Christopher Fox paints in a reductive method,focusing on portraits of notable people such as Martin LutherKing Jr. and Joni Mitchell. Fox moves paint around, scraping itaway, all with a sensitivity to personality and style.

• Where and when: Walker Fine Art, 300 W. 11th Ave.; through April 7

• Information: 303-355-8955; walkerfineart.com

Mary Voelz Chandler is the art and architecture critic. Chandlerm@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2677.

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