The opening reception, Aug. 1, from 6-8 p.m., may lag a few weeks behind the de facto opening of two exhibitions at the Delafield Art Center, but as they say, better late than never.
The self-explanatorily titled exhibition “Michael Mercado: Recent Works, Paintings and Sculptures” belies an unusual approach to the creative process. “These works crept up on me,” explains Mercado. “There was no prep work and, with one exception, no sketches. I haven’t worked this way in the past. These specters weren’t allowed to surface in my art. But they insisted this time, so I decided to ride it out.” By his own account, the emotional and personal nature of these works made Mercado hesitant to display them. Yet his heart and soul will be on the walls along with the rest of the exhibition until Aug. 23.
The task described by the exhibition title “Chuck Weber: 100 Paintings—100 Days” may give rise to concerns about the quality of such hastily completed works. But Weber waxes philosophical about the challenge: “Doing one a day isn’t a gimmick. It’s a warm-up… much the same as you would loosen up before exercising. They are a way of disciplining the artist to simplify, to be spontaneous and to ‘limber up’ the eye before tackling larger studio works.” The verve and assuredness of these “warm-ups” will have you repentant for ever doubting Weber’s prowess.
“Playful Provocations”
Gallery 224
224 E. Main St., Port Washington
Port Washington’s Gallery 224 is notable not only for its superb marina view, but also for its recently established artist-in-residency program: Gallery 224 Studios. Resident artists are given studio space in the newly refurbished Boerner Mercantile Building and the public is given the opportunity to watch them in action on Saturdays from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. “Playful Provocations” (Aug. 1-31) emerges from these very studios. The opening reception takes place from 5-7 p.m. on Aug. 1, and is punctuated by a 6 p.m. gallery talk.
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“Weird Scenes From Inside the Fair”
Gallery 2622
2622 N. Wauwatosa Ave.
Pop artist, surrealist and Racine-extract Jeff Sadowski is set to unleash an exhibition’s worth of canvasses at Gallery 2622. Despite its putative “weirdness,” surrealism has always relished impeccable technique, which is one of the factors that make its representative works so sur (i.e. “beyond,” “above”) the real. Sadowski has both the masterful brush and skewed view that makes, for example, Salvador Dalí of enduring interest. The weirdness begins with a reception on Aug. 1, from 6-9 p.m.
