Tropical landscapes and luscious fruits portrayed in oil evoke the essence of warmer climes in two new exhibitions opening at Tory Folliard Gallery this weekend. Starting Nov. 21, well-known Milwaukee artist Flora Langlois and retired Bowling Green State University art professor Dennis Wojtkiewicz display their engaging paintings.
Langlois' magical realism will delight viewers in "Matters of Nature," comprised of new oil pieces detailing surreal and intimate worlds in the vibrant colors of her Costa Rican homeland. Parrots, monkeys and anteaters frolic amid idyllic landscapes depicted in the fluid lines of dense forests and delicate ferns. Scattered throughout these narrative paintings, innocent nudes or playfully dressed children oversee the flora and fauna populating Langlois' world.
Langlois draws viewers into her visions through smaller-sized images that capture a dream-like ambiance enhanced with myth and metaphor. An enticing example, Children's Forest, depicts lush trees adorned with tiny flowers, leaves and a host of animals while a young boy swings through the luminous sky.
Even more fanciful, Langlois' Love Seed Pods envisions four ladies dressed in sheaths of different seedpods, their tiny hands and faces revealed with tender expression. One lovely lady actually holds a real seed imbedded in the painting. Occasionally deviating from her landscapes, Langlois' feminine portraits capture fairy-like creatures that might inhabit any of her paintings.
The oils that comprise Dennis Wojtkiewicz's "Ripe and Illuminated" complement these flourishing environments. His 3-by-8-foot large-scale portraits of delectable fruit touch on photo-realism while appearing backlit with sunlight to define the succulent pulp and individual seed pockets. These interpretations of nature concentrate on shape and form while studying the shadows and shading created by light.
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One example from the artist's Citrus Series #14 explores a grapefruit slice exposing every section and vein in the flesh, including the rind, with hyper-realism that transforms the fruit into an organic cosmos. With the brilliant colors of fruit flesh silhouetted against deep charcoal backgrounds, ordinary edibles become a natural wonder, a contemporary citric twist on the still life.
Langlois presents the best of her enduring and inspiring artwork alongside Wojtkiewicz, who has completed more paintings than ever in his retirement. Both artists own impressive résumés, including Langlois' highly regarded reputation as an artist in Costa Rica. A reception with Langlois and Wojtkiewicz on Friday, Nov. 21, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. offers an opportunity to meet these artists, who continue to pursue excellence while transporting viewers into fresh territories.
