The crisp, heightened color and the vertical symmetry immediately draw the eye to Penrhyn Cook’s photos, Mexican Tub and VW at Sunrise, side by side on the wall at Kehler Liddell Gallery in Westville. They’re just normal manmade objects, and in the world there are many like them, but Cook’s treatment of them imbues them with substance, meaning — even dignity.
Cook’s vivid photos are one of many works in “Deck the Walls,” Kehler Liddell Gallery’s annual holiday show of its member artists, running through Dec. 23 with an opening reception at its Westville space on Saturday, Dec. 11 from 12 to 7 p.m. As the name suggests, the show is aimed at people perhaps looking to bring a little cheer into their homes or someone else’s. From abstract painting to playful sculptures, the artists’ works are unified by a sense of positive feelings, whether it’s strength, community, or serenity.
Among the photographs on offer, R.F. Wilton’s My Front Trees in Fog and Snow is soaked in a meditative beauty, whether the viewer is outside in the yard, breathing in the crisp air, or inside with a hot cup of coffee, observing from the window.
Rod Cook’s photographs may appear darker in tone at first, but they’re really about power. The models in his photographs are active participants in their portraits. Cook may be doing the shooting with the camera, but it appears that the models are calling the shots.
Kim Weston dazzling work is a celebration of her Native American lineage and the way the traditions of that culture continue to be passed on.
Chris Ferguson’s Farmers Market captures the easy community New Haveners can find a few days a week across the city — whether in the warmer weather as depicted in Ferguson’s painting or in the colder weather, which never seemed quite cold enough to drive away vendors and patrons altogether.
Frank Bruckmann’s miniature landscapes revel in the light, color, and texture of the places he puts to canvas.
Bill Butcher’s Studio Vision is alive with the thrill of the artist using the shapes and textures of everyday objects to create something more surreal.
Kate Henderson’s Walk #24 conveys a sense of near-complete freedom; it’s a record of the artist running with her ideas about color and texture as far as she wants to take them.
Amanda Walker’s pieces range from abstract to figurative, showing how both are sides of the same coin, using bold lines and simple shapes to construct their sense of balance.
Amanda Duchen’s busts of fantastic animals are so whimsical that the skill in creating them takes a moment to appreciate. She uses the kind of technique that could be applied to making near-realistic sculptures to instead make creatures bursting with personality in a way that realism doesn’t allow.
Similarly, Julie Fraenkel’s sculptures eschew realism entirely to head straight for emotion. Her sculptures don’t even need faces. The poses of the body, the gesture, are all she needs to convey compassion, empathy, hope — the sorts of things the holidays inspire us to nurture for the year ahead.
“Deck the Walls” runs at Kehler Liddell Gallery, 873 Whalley Ave., through Dec. 23. In addition to the artists mentioned, it features work by Robert Bienstock, Amy Browning, Thomas Edwards, Brian Flinn, Sean Gallagher, Jeffrey Gangwisch, Matthew Garrett, Sven Martson, Roy Money, Hank Paper, Mark St. Mary, Gar Waterman, and Marjorie Wolfe. Visit the gallery’s website for tickets and more information.
