http://www.gomemphis.com/news/arts/visual-arts/?partner=RSSGo Memphis Stories: Visual Arts Reviewsen-usarts/visual-artshttp://www.gomemphis.com/news/2012/feb/09/dynamic-paintings-celebrate-abstraction/?partner=RSSThere's no denying that David Comstock's abstract paintings are attractive, though to say that they're easy on the eyes would perhaps stray into the area of condescension. koeppel@commercialappeal.com (Fredric Koeppel)Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:52:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-288392-734542arts/visual-artsFredric KoeppelMemphis, TNArt Review: Dynamic paintings celebrate abstractionGo Memphisdynamic-paintings-celebrate-abstractionurn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-288392-734542Change0Usablehttp://www.gomemphis.com/news/2012/feb/01/art-review-photos-aim-to-capture-reality-of/?partner=RSS A sense of place depends as heavily on our imaginations as it does on reality, while the definition of "reality" can be as fluid as it is ambivalent. What, then, is the reality of Memphis? Cinematically, the gamut runs from "Mystery Train" to "The Firm," from "21 Grams" to "Forty Shades of Blue" to "The Blind Side." koeppel@commercialappeal.com (Fredric Koeppel)Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:19:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-287154-734534arts/visual-artsFredric KoeppelMemphis, TNArt Review: Photos aim to capture 'reality' of MemphisGo Memphisart-review-photos-aim-to-capture-reality-ofurn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-287154-734534Change0Usablehttp://www.gomemphis.com/news/2012/jan/05/exhibit-zeroes-in-on-brief-period-in-prolific/?partner=RSS I promise that at the end of this year, when I'm compiling my list of best exhibitions of 2012, this show, "Ted Faiers: Flat Space, paintings and works on paper 1953-56," will be among those selected. Since 2002, David Lusk Gallery, which represents the artist's estate, has mounted a series of revelatory exhibitions that have cemented Faiers' reputation as a regional master of American Modernism. koeppel@commercialappeal.com (Fredric Koeppel)Thu, 05 Jan 2012 22:58:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-283137-734507arts/visual-artsFredric KoeppelMemphis, TNArt Review: Exhibit zeroes in on brief period in Faiers' careerGo Memphisexhibit-zeroes-in-on-brief-period-in-prolificurn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-283137-734507Change0Usablehttp://www.gomemphis.com/news/2011/dec/29/art-review-comical-sublime-contained-within-unique/?partner=RSS If you're feeling a bit of a letdown between Christmas and New Year's, drive down to the National Ornamental Metal Museum for a bright pick-me-up in the form of Sarah Perkins' "Tributary" exhibition. It's a compact show, and the 13 objects are small, but the sensory effects are bountiful. koeppel@commercialappeal.com (Fredric Koeppel)Thu, 29 Dec 2011 19:00:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-282153-734500arts/visual-artsFredric KoeppelMemphis, TNArt Review: Comical, sublime contained within unique vesselsGo Memphisart-review-comical-sublime-contained-within-uniqueurn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-282153-734500Change0Usablehttp://www.gomemphis.com/news/2011/dec/15/lusk-exhibits-peer-into-artists-creative-methods/?partner=RSSFor its last shows of 2011, David Lusk Gallery juxtaposes the witty, elegant and highly finished welded bronze sculptures of Carroll Todd with the purposefully unfinished -- or at least giving that illusion -- sketches and drafts of works by seven artists in "Ripped from the Studio." koeppel@commercialappeal.com (Fredric Koeppel)Thu, 15 Dec 2011 23:00:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-280231-734486arts/visual-artsFredric KoeppelMemphis, TNArt Review: Lusk exhibits peer into artists' creative methodsGo Memphislusk-exhibits-peer-into-artists-creative-methodsurn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-280231-734486Change0Usablehttp://www.gomemphis.com/news/2011/dec/01/painters-visions-focused-on-mystical-world/?partner=RSSArt is everywhere, it seems, displayed in commercial galleries, shops that specialize in local artists, museums, various stores that just want to hang some art and sell it, the lobbies of performing arts centers, storefront alternative spaces, restaurants. koeppel@commercialappeal.com (Fredric Koeppel)Thu, 01 Dec 2011 17:38:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-278192-734473arts/visual-artsFredric KoeppelMemphis, TNArt Review: Painter's 'Visions' focused on mystical worldGo Memphispainters-visions-focused-on-mystical-worldurn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-278192-734472Change734473Usablehttp://www.gomemphis.com/news/2011/nov/21/art-review-armed-dangerous-and-beautiful/?partner=RSSArmed + Dangerous: Art of the Arsenal, newly installed in the main exhibition galleries at the Brooks, has a title worthy of an action movie. Like a fast-paced caper film, the display of over 125 examples of arms and armor will appeal to visitors on many levels. Mon, 21 Nov 2011 22:56:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-276749-734462arts/visual-artsKarla Klein Albertson, Special to The Commercial AppealMemphis, TNArt Review: Armed, dangerous and beautifulGo Memphisart-review-armed-dangerous-and-beautifulurn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-276749-734462Change0Usablehttp://www.gomemphis.com/news/2011/nov/10/estes-and-ledbetter-artistic-styles-evolve/?partner=RSS One doesn't expect to go into an exhibition of abstract paintings by Don Estes and be greeted by splashes of color, but in "Prosody," at David Lusk Gallery through Nov. 26, the artist reveals a radical transformation of his manner that includes far more color than he has employed in many years. koeppel@commercialappeal.com (Fredric Koeppel)Thu, 10 Nov 2011 23:00:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-275034-734451arts/visual-artsFredric KoeppelMemphis, TNEstes and Ledbetter artistic styles evolveGo Memphisestes-and-ledbetter-artistic-styles-evolveurn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-275034-734451Change0Usablehttp://www.gomemphis.com/news/2011/oct/27/art-review-nine-artists-set-adrift/?partner=RSSAre we truly adrift? Are all matters and perceptions ephemeral? The answer to those questions is "Yes," at least in the light of the exhibition "Adrift," displayed in the Hyde Gallery of Memphis College of Art's Nesin Graduate School. koeppel@commercialappeal.com (Fredric Koeppel)Thu, 27 Oct 2011 22:00:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-272897-734437arts/visual-artsFredric KoeppelMemphis, TNArt Review: Nine artists set 'Adrift'Go Memphisart-review-nine-artists-set-adrifturn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-272897-734437Change0Usablehttp://www.gomemphis.com/news/2011/jul/21/art-review-art-from-sky-high-perspective/?partner=RSSBryan Blankenship has been defying expectations for two decades. A ceramic artist of exquisite taste and craftsmanship, he repeatedly crosses the borders or blurs the boundaries between craft and fine art, between provocation and décor. koeppel@commercialappeal.com (Fredric Koeppel)Thu, 21 Jul 2011 23:05:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-257778-734339arts/visual-artsFredric KoeppelMemphis, TNArt Review: Art from sky-high perspectiveGo Memphisart-review-art-from-sky-high-perspectiveurn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-257778-734339Change0Usablehttp://www.gomemphis.com/news/2011/jul/14/art-review-indulge-in-circular-thinking-with-whirl/?partner=RSSWe expect an art of chaste and enigmatic power from Terri Jones, and she fulfills that expectation in "Whirl," her exhibition at David Lusk Gallery through July 30. She also indulges a streak of playfulness -- or serious play -- unusual for her typically contemplative mode. koeppel@commercialappeal.com (Fredric Koeppel)Thu, 14 Jul 2011 20:26:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-256744-734332arts/visual-artsFredric KoeppelMemphis, TNArt Review: Indulge in circular thinking with 'Whirl'Go Memphisart-review-indulge-in-circular-thinking-with-whirlurn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-256744-734332Change0Usablehttp://www.gomemphis.com/news/2011/jul/07/postal-creations-track-artists-whims/?partner=RSSOn Saturday at Beauty Shop Restaurant in Cooper-Young, Joel Hilgenberg exhibits 100 small envelopes on which he has drawn, stamped and written a veritable history of his dark cultural consciousness in what could be called a collaboration with the U.S. Postal Service. koeppel@commercialappeal.com (Fredric Koeppel)Thu, 07 Jul 2011 16:15:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-255725-734325arts/visual-artsFredric KoeppelMemphis, TNArt Review: Postal creations track artist's whimsGo Memphispostal-creations-track-artists-whimsurn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-255725-734325Change0Usablehttp://www.gomemphis.com/news/2011/jun/30/meddling-with-metal-and-more-in-new-jewelry/?partner=RSS "Digital Mettle: Jewelry and Objects of CAD," at the National Ornamental Metal Museum through Sept. 11, is an exhibition as confounding as it is beguiling, as confusing as it is benign but ultimately is a harbinger of the future for arts and crafts. koeppel@commercialappeal.com (Fredric Koeppel)Thu, 30 Jun 2011 16:58:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-254706-734318arts/visual-artsFredric KoeppelMemphis, TNArt Review: Meddling with metal and more in new jewelry exhibitGo Memphismeddling-with-metal-and-more-in-new-jewelryurn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-254706-734318Change0Usablehttp://www.gomemphis.com/news/2011/jun/23/kurts-exhibit-fills-gallery-with-greatest-hits/?partner=RSS It's a clever idea for Lisa Kurts Gallery to mount an exhibition called "Kurts-Bingham Retrospective" (through the end of July), because the result is a gathering of many of the artists that Memphians have loved for years, including local painters Burton Callicott, Veda Reed, Mary Sims, Adele Lemm and Carol Cloar; only Reed is still living of that group. koeppel@commercialappeal.com (Fredric Koeppel)Thu, 23 Jun 2011 18:34:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-253626-734311arts/visual-artsFredric KoeppelMemphis, TNArt Review: 'Kurts-Bingham Retrospective' fills gallery with greatest hitsGo Memphiskurts-exhibit-fills-gallery-with-greatest-hitsurn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-253626-734311Change0Usablehttp://www.gomemphis.com/news/2011/jun/16/art-vs-craft-misses-point-in-sticks/?partner=RSSNiles Wallace slyly poses a question in his exhibition "Sticks & Stones (one thing follows another)," at Gallery Fifty Six through June 25. It's not the traditional question whose implication we often expect at displays of ceramic art, that is, "Is it art or craft?" No, this question is more basic: "Who cares if it's art or craft?" koeppel@commercialappeal.com (Fredric Koeppel)Thu, 16 Jun 2011 20:08:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-252617-734304arts/visual-artsFredric KoeppelMemphis, TNArt Review: 'Art vs. craft' misses point in 'Sticks'Go Memphisart-vs-craft-misses-point-in-sticksurn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-252617-734304Change0Usablehttp://www.gomemphis.com/news/2011/jun/09/art-review-nearly-abstract-work-organic-in-nature/?partner=RSSChuck Johnson's exhibition of paintings, "Above Ground," on display at L Ross Gallery through June 30, is so restful to gaze upon that my suspicions were raised; I do like art to jab and unsettle me a bit. On the other hand, sitting in the gallery when the afternoon temperature outside was about a bazillion degrees and the sun blazed down relentlessly acted as a definite respite to the torrid oppression. koeppel@commercialappeal.com (Fredric Koeppel)Thu, 09 Jun 2011 20:26:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-251578-734297arts/visual-artsFredric KoeppelMemphis, TNArt Review: 'Nearly abstract' work organic in natureGo Memphisart-review-nearly-abstract-work-organic-in-natureurn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-251578-734297Change0Usablehttp://www.gomemphis.com/news/2011/may/27/exhibit-takes-a-swipe-at-corporatism/?partner=RSS "Oh, I'll never run out of ideas," said artist Jason Miller. "I have so many ideas on the drawing-board that I haven't gotten to yet." Perhaps there's such a thing as too many ideas, but you can certainly say this: Miller, 31, is among the most energetic, prolific and protean young artists in Memphis. koeppel@commercialappeal.com (Fredric Koeppel)Fri, 27 May 2011 05:00:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-249439-734284arts/visual-artsFredric KoeppelMemphis, TNArt Review: Exhibit takes a swipe at 'corporatism'Go Memphisexhibit-takes-a-swipe-at-corporatismurn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-249439-734284Change0Usablehttp://www.gomemphis.com/news/2011/may/13/human-foibles-inform-edwards-themes/?partner=RSS Larry Edwards' exhibition in the Mallory Wurtzburger area of Dixon Gallery and Gardens is titled "3 Themes," and indeed it's evident that there is a "Pinocchio" theme, a "battle" theme and a "freak carnival" theme. koeppel@commercialappeal.com (Fredric Koeppel)Fri, 13 May 2011 07:00:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-247323-734270arts/visual-artsFredric KoeppelMemphis, TNArt Review: Human foibles inform Edwards' 'Themes'Go Memphishuman-foibles-inform-edwards-themesurn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-247323-734270Change0Usablehttp://www.gomemphis.com/news/2011/may/05/nature-in-all-its-dramatic-glory-comes-to-light/?partner=RSSJohn Torina's career seems to have been an extended exploration into the nuances of painting light. As his exhibition "In the Gloaming," at David Lusk Gallery through May 28, reveals, his proficiency has attained near-mystical levels. There is a reception tonight at the gallery from 6 to 8 p.m. koeppel@commercialappeal.com (Fredric Koeppel)Thu, 05 May 2011 21:29:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-246244-734262arts/visual-artsFredric KoeppelMemphis, TNArt Review: Nature in all its dramatic glory comes to light through pigmentGo Memphisnature-in-all-its-dramatic-glory-comes-to-lighturn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-246244-734262Change0Usablehttp://www.gomemphis.com/news/2011/mar/25/time-running-out-to-view-two-provocative/?partner=RSS The two shows discussed today actually close today, so time is limited. I encourage readers, though, to make an effort to see at least one of these because they are powerful and strangely moving displays. The most public and provocative is Suzanne Broughel's "Lied, Tied & Dyed," at the Jones Gallery of the Department of Art at the University of Memphis. koeppel@commercialappeal.com (Fredric Koeppel)Fri, 25 Mar 2011 09:30:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-239860-734221arts/visual-artsFredric KoeppelMemphis, TNArt Review: Time running out to view two provocative exhibitsGo Memphistime-running-out-to-view-two-provocativeurn:publicid:www.gomemphis.com:news-Story-239860-734221Change0Usable