Review

Dressed to Impress: Suze Ford

When Suze Ford created a series of paintings with classic party dresses as the dominant image, the statement was one of more than fashion.

Light Furnishings: Kale Van Leeuwen

The paintings in “Chairs” are, as with Van Leeuwen’s previous mixed-media pieces, uniformly slick, sleek and polished … the sort of thing Edward Hopper might have produced had he used furniture instead of faces as his props.

Round and Ripe: Allan Chow

The lush curves of skin and petal add yet another dimension to the visual flavor profile: a layer of sensuality that ties in perfectly with the seductive aspects of food-sharing.

Art is a Thing with Feathers: Anne Gagel

Art which engages the brain as well as the eyes and heart is always a good thing … and depending on your repertoire of allusions, Anne Gagel’s current show of paintings, drawings and mixed media works should keep the mind hopping. Or, perhaps, “flitting” is a better word, given Gagel’s penchant for depicting birds of all sorts of feathers — or, more accurately, depicting herself as all sorts of birds.

(ARTKC365) Penned-Up Expression: Jim Button

There’s a lot of detail in Button’s small pieces, meaning that he must be (a) an incredibly speedy creator or (b) an insomniac. Those are the only two possible explanations for having enough free time to execute them, given the multitude of hats Button wears.

(ARTKC365) Rough-Spun Charm and a Smooth Cup of Coffee: Maria Calderon

Calderon’s paintings hang freely, and unframed, with the attendant fabric ripples and loose threads at the edges. That adds not only depth, but a sense of unrefined, homely charm and affection. (“Unrefined” and “homely” are used here in the best possible sense. Think raw sugar, as opposed to the over-processed white stuff, and the comfort of one’s own family space.)

Combing the Trickster's Fur: Angela M. Allegro at JavaNaut Cafe

Angela M. Allegro
Like a Fox
7 a.m.-10 p.m.
JavaNaut Cafe
1615 W 39th St
Kansas City, MO
816.716.3657
Hours: 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, 8 a.m-8 p.m. Sunday
Runs through: July 31
Like a Fox, Angela M. Allegro’s show at JavaNaut cafe,  is small — only five pieces — but perilously engaging.
Allegro first tempts the eye with two deceptively simple, [...]

Big on Japan: Torey Julian at Blue Koi

Torey Julian
11 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
Blue Koi
1803 W. 39th
Kansas City, MO
816.561.5003
Hours: 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Friday, noon-10:30 p.m. Saturday
Runs through: June 30
Artist’s site: http://medius.deviantart.com
Gallery site: http://www.bluekoikc.com
Bicycles await
restless legs, pursuing
Japanese Dreams
Symmetry
is not symmetrical;
a koan in red
Dragon Shrine;
the object of worship
faded with age
wedding shrine;
scraps of paper bear
Romantic Wishes
corner table;
a bowl of noodles,
bright with Sriracha …

Arte de Triomphe: Anne Vieux at JavaNaut Cafe

Anne Vieux
8 a.m.-8 p.m.
JavaNaut Cafe
1615 W 39th St
Kansas City, MO
816.716.3657
Hours: 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, 8 a.m-8 p.m. Sunday
Runs through: July 13
Artist’s site: http://www.annevieux.com
Looking at Anne Vieux’s new work is a bit like trying to watch television on three channels playing simultaneously … with paint smeared and streaked all over the screen. [...]

Big Shots of the Big Apple: Jon Bidwell at Room 39

Jon Bidwell
an exhibition of urban photography
7 a.m.-3 p.m. and 5:30-1 a.m.
(Opening reception 10 p.m.-1 a.m.)
Room 39
1719 W. 39th St.
Kansas City, MO
816.753.3939
Hours: 7 a.m.-3 p.m. and 5:30-10 p.m. Monday-Wednesday and Saturday, 7 a.m.-3 p.m. and 5:30-midnight Thursday-Friday.
Runs through:
Artist’s site: http://www.jonbidwell.com
Gallery Site: http://www.rm39.com
Jon Bidwell covers a lot of bases on a big field.
He shoots portaits, cityscapes, street [...]

Serious Pixel Play: Brian Stubler at JavaNaut Cafe

Brian Stubler
Brian Stubler & the Clothesline of His Mind:a photoART Exhibit
7 a.m.-10 p.m.
JavaNaut Cafe
1615 W 39th St
Kansas City, MO
816.716.3657
Hours: 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, 8 a.m-8 p.m. Sunday
Runs through: May 31
Artist’s site: http://beingstubler.blogspot.com
Say you hand someone a 34-inch, 31-ounce piece of white ash, cylindrical at one end and tapering to a thin handle [...]

Extra-Virgin Oils: Zac Eubank at JavaNaut Cafe

Zac Eubank
7 a.m.-10 p.m.
JavaNaut Cafe
1615 W 39th St
Kansas City, MO
816.716.3657
Hours: 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, 8 a.m-8 p.m. Sunday
Runs through: April 30
Artist’s site: http://skinlessproductions.blogspot.com/
Need something to do today? Go to JavaNaut Cafe, order a mug of something hot and stimulating … and watch paint dry.
No, really.
When Zac Eubank says he’s putting new work in [...]

Numbers Game: Tabitha Miceli at Miami Ice

Tabitha Miceli
Noon-9 p.m.
Miami Ice
1624 W. 39th St.
Kansas City, MO
816 561-5600
Hours: Noon-9 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, noon-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday.
Runs through: March 31
Tabitha Miceli’s art is formulaic. Her paintings are strictly by the numbers.
That’s what makes them so fascinating.
Miceli, a sophomore at Kansas City Art Institute, doesn’t follow formulae. She created not only the works for [...]

The Good of Small Things: Mary Ann Coonrod at JavaNaut Cafe

Mary Ann Coonrod
8 a.m.-8 p.m.
JavaNaut Cafe
1615 W 39th St
Kansas City, MO
816.716.3657
Hours: 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, 8 a.m-8 p.m. Sunday
Runs through: Feb. 28
Artist’s site: http://www.coonieart.com
Mark Twain once wrote to a friend, “If I had had more time, I would have written a shorter letter.”
It takes discipline to work small. There’s nowhere to [...]

Hey There, Little Cyan Riding Hood: Wolfie at Bulldog Restaurant & Bar

“The Gate,” Digital Photograph with Sabattier Effect.

Wolfie
11 a.m.-1 a.m.
Bulldog Restaurant & Bar
1715 Main
Kansas City, MO
816.421.4799
Hours: 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Monday-Friday, 5 p.m-1 a.m. Saturday-Sunday
Runs through: March 31
Artist’s site: http://www.ru4realphotography.com
Gallery site: http://www.kcbulldog.com
Wolfie. That’s how Michael Wolfe answers the phone and signs his online statement — and yeah, I like being able to put “Wolfie” and “Bulldog” in the [...]