Review

William Rainey, with his painting "Magic Show," acrylic on canvas, 80" x 70", 2009; a new series of show-based paintings opens November 6 with a reception for First Friday at the Blue Gallery in Crossroads and runs through December 1. Photo: Blue Gallery

Cory Imig, "Cheek," digital print, 2009, is featured in the Arts Incubator's "Thermal" exhibition, a group show opening November 6 for First Friday of its resident studio and INKubator Press artists. The show is also a preview of heat-themed work up for auction in the Turn on the Heat annual chili fundraiser November 14. Tickets are still available for $25 at the Incubator's site. Image: courtesy of the gallery

Sheng Qi, "Power of the People," oil on canvas, 31.5" x 39.5", 2006, is by one of the featured contemporary Chinese artists at Byron Cohen gallery; most of Sheng Qi's work is sold overseas to foreign collectors, as his work is part of a mission to counteract the cover-up of the Tian'anmen Square massacre of 1989. His paintings depict tanks, guns, and political prisoners. The work by the other artists at the gallery this season is quite varied by contrast, however; Feng Zhengjie, Guo Wei, Yang Qian, and Huang Yan's paintings will be on display in Kansas City through New Year's Day. Image: courtesy of the gallery

Angela and Nicholas Snyder, "Time-o-Lite," found objects sculpture, 2009, is part of the artists' exhibition opening November 6 at Third Eye Gallery. According to the artists, "We walk through life looking at discarded parts and outdated electronics as though they are heads, bodies, legs or arms. We assign personality to people's unwanted junk. Individually each part may seem like a piece of junk, but together the parts form a robotic creation with its own persona and endearing qualities. We've found that our robots are not only fun to make, but fun to share with others." Image and quoted text: courtesy of the gallery

Mark Raynes, "Smokin' Gun," from "Celestial Peepshow: An Erotic Look at the Moon," open First Friday November 6 and by appointment at {:momentum gallery. Image: courtesy of the gallery

Jeff Aeling, "East of Dodge City, KS," oil on panel, 48" x 72", 2009, is part of "Looking West," opening November 6 at Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art.

Carl Corey, Moccasin Bar, Hayward, WI #2760), color photograph, 35" x 35", is part of Habitat, opening November 6 at Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art, along with paintings by Jeff Aeling (Looking West). Image: courtesy of the gallery

Jim Leedy, "The Earth Lies Screaming," detail of one of panel of 50' x 10' mixed media mural, was first created and shown at Grand Arts for a solo exhibition called "War" in 2000. The mural is a centerpiece of "Witness: Perspectives on War," opening November 6 at the Leedy-Voulkos Art Center and featuring major work by Leedy, Tim Guthrie, Denis Reichel, Jim Sajovic and John Thein, with supporting work by Justin Bell, Skyler Bieberly, Gear, Misha Kligman and Matteo Potter. Image: photo Holly Swangstu, courtesy of the gallery

Misha Kligman, "Root," mixed media on paper, is part of "Witness: Perspectives on War," opening at the Leedy-Voulkos Art Center November 6 which includes nine other artists. Kligman is originally from Kazan, Soviet Union, and he writes in his online artist statement about his work: "Identity fragmentation and cultural dualism are two results of the immigrant experience. My work focuses on a visual representation of this phenomena.Through the lens of my family’s history and personal experience I am examining ideas of home and cultural belonging. Particularly, I am interested in the 20th century history of the Soviet Jewish diaspora and the residual psychological affects that the continuous ethnic repressions and the Holocaust had on the generations of Russian Jews who survived these events. I attempt to recover and piece together what remains of a lost and scattered culture, one shaped by internal values as much as by the passage of time, extermination, war, and finally assimilation."Photo courtesy of artist

Shanna Fliegel, "Walrus Plate," 2009, is part of "Where the Wild Things Are" at Red Star Studios, featuring animal-themed ceramics by six artists, including Bernadette Curran, Martha Grover, Calder Kamin, Brooke Noble and Shoko Teruyama. Image: courtesy of the gallery

Calder Kamin, "The Fox," stoneware, 2009, is part of "Where the Wild Things Are" at Red Star Studios November 6 through 28. Image: courtesy of the artist

Aaron Dougherty, "Junkyard, 73-17," photograph, 12' x 12", is part of a solo exhibition of photography opening at Plenum gallery November 6 as part of First Friday. Dougherty enjoys recording the look of places that are threatened by eminent domain, such as this "junkyard," which is a few acres situated across the street from the new stadium home of the New York Mets on Willets Point in Queens, NYC. Dougherty holds a bachelor of environmental design degree from the University of Kansas and is also a registered architect and certified high school teacher of chemistry. His work has been exhibited in several group and solo shows in the Kansas City area, where he currently resides. Image: courtesy of the artist

Darrin D. Dressler, photograph, is part of his nature-focused work that is being offered at auction along with designs from PK Steel, First Friday only, at 130 West 18th Street. A portion of the proceeds are designated to Harvesters. Image: courtesy of the artist

Mark Cowardin, "GAS-O-LINE," wood, dimensions variable, 2009, is part of a solo exhibition, "From the Ground Up," opening November 8 with a reception and artist talk at the Epsten Gallery at Village Shalom. Cowardin's work brings the home environment of simple, everyday objects and architecture in focus with "a new body of work that defines the home as a specifically un-built environment. Neither quite here nor there, the conceptual spaces Cowardin creates with his sculptures and installations are mental thresholds for us to enter and consider various states of potential." Using industrial materials, "Cowardin manages to subvert them into ironic and conflicting metaphors for a sense of loss over the deconstruction of our historic surroundings and, simultaneously, to question the usefulness of nostalgia when balancing the scales of mass consumption and future sustainability." Image and quoted text: courtesy of the gallery

Andrea Nigh, "Cuidalbi Women," is part of her photo essay about life in Romania, called simply, "Viata," which means "life." From the gallery: "It is the best word to describe the Romanian people and their culture. In the face of poor living conditions and post communist regime, they are still a vibrant, happy and resilient people. These images were taken during a trip to the small village of Cudalbi, a good four hour train ride from Bucharest. With a good friend and Peace Corps volunteer leading the way, villagers opened their homes to us, cooked us meals consisting of chicken, mamamiga and homemade Vin. Mostly an agricultural village; the majority of these people survive on a monthly income of $60 and live without running water, electricity or modern day luxuries. Objects we take for granted on a daily bases and all the while they are hospitable, gracious and giving with what they do have. This show also includes images from Transylvania, the legendary Dracula's Castle in Bran and the Carpathian Mountains which are home to the beautiful Painted Monasteries. This essay is not only a reflection of the living conditions and reality for the people of Cudalbi it is also a celebration of their pride and culture. A culture that although seems poor in many ways is very rich in family, land and Viata." Image and quoted text from artist: courtesy of the gallery

Barry Anderson, "Lawn Ornaments," video still, is the final 2009 limited edition Picnic on Art Island print (11" x 17", archival pigment ink print on cotton rag paper, edition of 50) offered through Cara and Cabezas Contemporary gallery's series. Anderson is a Review Studios resident artist (represented by Byron Cohen gallery) who teaches at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and whose "work has been shown throughout the country, as well as in Thailand, South America, Cuba, and the UK. Most recently, Light Work at Syracuse University organized a multi-venued exhibition of his work entitled 'Intermissions.' The picnic is November 14, and you can make your reservations for just lunch or to include the print through Cara and Cabezas through November 9. Image: courtesy of the artist

Bekah Ash, untitled painting, 36" x 72", is part of a two-person exhibition with Marydahna Nicholoff at b gallery (in the Studio b), open for First Friday November 6. Ash's work is identified by strong graceful contour lines and vibrant color. She works on about 30 paintings at once and uses the portrait as her subject to communicate to a wide range of viewers. Her work is part of the permanent collection at Iowa State University and can be found in galleries throughout the Midwest. Image: courtesy of the gallery

Jane Pronko, "Open 24 Hours," oil on canvas, 36" x 48" is part of "Kansas City When the Sun Goes Down," opening at Pi Gallery in the Crossroads (and a few blocks to the east of the 18th Street-view depicted here) November 6. Image: courtesy of the gallery and artist; *link is to Present Magazine's article about Pronko and her work.