Kyle Ragsdale's Costumerie and First Friday

Sunset, Mass Ave

(Please note:  Click on the photographs to enlarge.)

This past First Friday Satch and I headed out early to The Harrison Center for the Arts! to view Kyle Ragsdale's new work before the crowds showed up.  We had an excellent evening up and down Mass Ave taking in several exhibits.

We really enjoyed Kyle's new paintings.  Revisiting themes from twenty years ago this new work is a departure from his recent work.

The exhibit is consistently strong.  The palette used for each painting seems perfect.  I'm hardly an art critic, but I know when art moves me and many of these new paintings did indeed do that.

The scale of the paintings varied.  The large works were impressive.  I will point out two paintings that I really like.

The first is a young girl from Kyle's Fountain Square neighborhood.  She is in a red cape that reminds me of Little Red Riding Hood, or is she a Superhero?  Her pose is exquisite and Kyle catches her in a beautiful light.

The second painting is a large piece that features a Koshare, or a Pueblo Clown in the upper right corner.  I wonder if this is a nod to Kyle's past in New Mexico.  In the painting, the Koshare is the only figure that is looking directly at the viewer.  I suppose the armor-clad Knight could also be looking directly at the viewer, but we will never know

Photographs of these pieces, along with other views of the exhibition are directly below this writing.  If you missed opening on First Friday, I heartily recommend that you make the effort to get to The Harrison Center of the Arts! to take in Costumerie - New Work by Kyle Ragsdale.

 

Kyle Ragsdale

Also at The Harrison Center for the Arts! is Continuous, A Gallery Show - Illustrations by Herron School of Art + Design students.  I especially liked "Continuity" by LorieLee Andrews.

Satch at "Continuous"

"Continuity," LorieLee Andrews

At the Anthenaeum, the A Cause for Elegance fundraiser for twenty local non-profit causes drew an impressive crowd.  The art was refreshing and exciting.  The detail found in the art showed that the artists are very dedicated to their vision.  Dan Grossman wrote a feature article about Outside The Box and the incredible work that this organization does on a daily basis and about what A Cause for Elegance is all about.  I invite you to visit this link and read Dan's article.

A Cause for Elegance (Dan and Satch in discussion)