With 33 works by nine artists, "Driven To Abstraction," on display at Joysmith Gallery, might be more aptly called "Propelled To Distraction."

The whirlwind of paintings, from far-flung parts of the globe including Mexico, Ghana, Ethiopia, Mexico, New York, Denver and the Dominican Republic, play off each other with humor and sophistication, creating an unexpected international dialogue about contemporary abstract art.

In quantity and canvas size, the series of big, bold acrylics by Reyna Castano, a self-described "abstract informalist," dominate the South Main gallery -- fittingly, they're placed in the front of the room, where they demand complete attention.

First, there's the audacious "Definitions," comprised of tactile layers of matte brown and black paint interspersed with streaks of glossy red, offset by deep X's gouged into the canvas.

With the garish "Pause in the Infinite," a study in rusty orange, yellow and shiny magenta, and "The Face Of Truth," which adds creams and blues to the mix, Castano's vision comes into sharper focus. The Monterrey, Mexico, native, who comes from an architectural background, has created coldly structural yet intensely emotional work that, with rectangular shapes and grid-like patterns of gougings, resembles skyscrapers under siege.

Five works by Denver artist Lela Kay are displayed on perpendicular walls. Where Castano's paintings scream, Kay's whisper, with subdued oranges, grays and browns. In "Galaxies," bright red bracelets float on the edges of a muted yellow-brown field, giving viewers the chance to re-center themselves after taking in Castano's chaotic, violent work.

In "Amor Termenal" and "Paseo Termenal," Dominican painter Antonio Carreno's work complements aspects of both Castano and Kay's work, blending sand and paint to build bumpy backdrops the color of a café mocha, then accentuating the textures with elegant, calligraphy-like jet black lines.

By the time you reach Brenda Joysmith's pastel on paper "Abstract I," the darkness is dispelled, as lithe arches and bursts of color seem to dance across the canvas.

New York-based painter and photographer Adger Cowans continues the buoyant mood with two acrylic paintings from his "Sky Earth Series," which feature multi-colored squiggles dancing across blue and brown horizons.

Three pieces by California native Bill Dallas combine Far East and western techniques. He uses a palate knife, sticks and his bare hands to apply acrylics onto masonite boards. "Kind Of Blue" features various blues -- reds, yellows and cream, too -- daubed and combed across the canvas, while a more complex piece called "A Mountain Village" is divided into two halves, one left nearly spare and the other covered in short, static strokes that bristle with energy.

That energy flows to the other side of the gallery, where Ghana-born painter Tafa's "The March" deftly reduces sign-carrying protestors into an abstract zig-zag that cuts across the canvas.

'Driven to Abstraction '

Through Aug. 31 at Joysmith/Sunsum Gallery, 46 Huling.