Continuing through May 10, 2016
British-born artist Christian Dore’s paintings are whimsical and expressive takes on wildlife and nature, yet attentive enough to composition, color and textural details so as to rise above becoming cloying. One of Dore’s trademarks is to nestle animal imagery amid the painting’s amorphous shapes and columns, almost hiding the animal — be it a buffalo, bear, bird, raccoon or water creature. But his semi-abstract use of a limited palette of colors, applied in multiple layers over black, creates an equally interesting focal point. For good measure, he often embeds small door hinges in a corner of select canvases, which he says is meant to symbolize an open door to varied interpretations of his work.
Among the strongest pieces is “Aspen,” with overlapping grayish-white columns evoking a thick aspen grove. Dore tricks the eye, though, by turning the black knots of the trees into cut-outs so that the viewer can essentially peer through the grove and get an intimate sense of the creatures and habitats within. Meanwhile, the eye-pleasing “Arriving” offers a batik-like arrangement of orange, yellow and black, with overlapping spires, ovals and lines suggestive of a red cliff. A bear emerges once the viewer’s eye moves to the upper right corner, where the animal is rendered almost like a pictogram. Even in the paintings without hidden animals, Dore succeeds in honoring the mysteries of Mother Nature.
