… or, rather, under Review’s umbrella.

Starting today, ARTKC365 can be found at Review magazine’s site, where it is now a daily column.

The first post is here.

The details of the migration are still being sorted out. For now, you can still access archives and permalinks through this site.

I’m excited about this new step forward with ARTKC365. Review is a quality publication, and I’m honored to be a part of it. I’m also glad to confirm that, because of the move, ARTKC365 will go on after the end of this year.

So … thank you for all the support so far, and for your patience as things get sorted. And thanks once more to the artists who make all of this possible.

"Print 10", Print Collage.

Steph Toth Kates
Suspended Narratives: Stories in Oil and Silk

11 a.m.-4 p.m.

Beggars Table Church & Gallery
2009 Baltimore
Kansas City, MO
913.558.9039

Hours: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday
Runs through: Dec. 31.

Artist’s site: http://www.stephtothkates.com
Gallery site: http://www.beggarstablechurch.org

Ordinarily, you wouldn’t expect to find pictures of  marine invertebrates in the sanctuary of a church. But when the church in question is the Crossroads’ Beggars Table Church & Gallery, it makes much more sense.

Steph Toth Kates’ portion of the Suspended Narratives: Stories in Oil and Silk show, which she shares with silk artist Christy L. Berry, is largely — but not entirely — given over to repeated motifs of aquatic life, both flora and fauna. (Kates is the “oil” — and printmaking — half.) Jellyfish are frequent subjects, as in the print collage above.

The out-of-water pieces are no less organic in construction or feeling, however. They share the same sense of fluidity and motion as the aquatic works. 

Kates has given the “suspended” part of Suspended Narratives more than one layer of meaning: Her central images appear suspended not only in water (or another liquid medium — she’ll explain below), but also in the middle of some significant action.

In my current work I am creating body mythologies, Kates writes. Throughout time humans have developed myths seeking to make sense of a confusing universe. My paintings also seek to do this but on a more intimate level. They are interior landscapes – that delve into remote inner corners where body and consciousness combine.

Her creatures, then, swim the interior oceans of the body — which, after all, is mostly seawater.

I am exploring ideas of the body as a universe and a home, she writes. Inhabiting this inner expanse are animals familiar from children’s storybooks, cells, veins and neurons lifted from medical diagrams, and insects and plants gathered from backyards. In the tradition of Greek pottery painting, I capture my stories in the midst of unfolding. The paintings speak of creation, processes and growth.

And because Kates incorporates familiar elements into her stories, the painted and printed narratives — while still conveying her private vision — become more accessible to all.

"Turquoise and Black Onyx Necklace", Stones and Sterling Silver.

Phyllis Wiggins-Horne

10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Images Gallery
7320 West 80th St.
Overland Park, KS
913.232.7113

Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.

Artist’s site: http://wiggins-horne.myexpose.com/
Gallery site: http://www.imagesgallery.org

Phyllis Wiggins-Horne’s art career has gone from thread-based to threading-based.

As a child, Wiggins-Horne learned sewing and crocheting from her grandmother. As an adult, she took an interest in jewelry-making and developed it further after moving to Kansas City from Omaha.

I became fond of using wire in creating rings and bracelets, writes Wiggins-Horne, one of the current featured artists at Images Gallery in downtown Overland Park. I found this gave me an opportunity to explore free form art.

Wiggins-Horne’s explorations led her to a style that is by turns organic and regular, with a strong visual presence throughout. These are no discreet pendants or charms, waiting to be noticed. They command attention from the outset.

That’s not to say Wiggins-Horne’s work is over the top. It’s bold, not gaudy, and she knows how to use dark stones to create negative space — as in the turquoise and black onyx necklace pictured above.

My primary interest is creating jewelry with semi-precious gemstones, she writes. I enjoy the variety of colors and elements associated with them. I get my inspiration from nature during my long walks by the lake watching the birds and other wildlife.

Given the mid-teen temperatures and the wind in today’s forecast, a nature walk might not be the best idea. But some time indoors, taking in the results of Wiggins-H0rne’s natural inspirations, would be a good reason to come in out of the cold.

"Blue Burn #1", Oil on Canvas.

Rich Bowman
Very Small Landscapes

10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

Blue Gallery
118 Southwest Boulevard
Kansas City, MO
816.527.0823

Hours: 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.
Runs through: Jan. 4.

Artist’s site: http://www.bowmangallery.com
Gallery site: http://www.bluegalleryonline.com

Some show titles seem designed to keep a potential viewer guessing. If there’s an award for most straightforward title, though, Rich Bowman’s Very Small Landscapes has to be this year’s outright winner.

(Maybe next  year’s, too, as the show at Blue Gallery runs through Jan. 4.)

They’re landscapes. They’re small … tiny, really. The largest oils run less than 18 inches square, the smallest — a subset that includes Blue Burn #1, today’s featured piece — a miniscule 5 inches by 5 inches. (It’s not often ARTKC365 gets to show work actual size, or close to it.)

Several of Bowman’s larger works hang nearby, but the smaller pieces don’t suffer by comparison. Power, after all, has nothing to do with size — and it’s not as though Bowman altered his characteristic, all-but-abstract style when he decided to go (very) small.

The open fields, river valleys and ever-changing sky… where they meet and become one is the source of my inspiration, Bowman writes. That familiar, silent place has always drawn me in.

Being drawn to that place and being able to paint it to his satisfaction weren’t always on speaking terms, however.

For years I struggled to be at peace with myself and my work. I came to the realization that the detail and craft of my illustrative past were secondary to the emotional quality and truth of my paintings today, Bowman adds. This freedom to paint without the burden of a camera’s detail helps the landscapes come from a place filled with emotion, a place that I know well, my world. Starting with only a snapshot in my mind, void of unnecessary detail, the paintings begin. Details, instead are replaced by the emotional strokes and scrapes of my painting knife. Harmonious color, non-descript locations and abstract layouts allow the viewer to fill in their own details and hopefully remind them of a space in time silent of all distraction.

With the holiday season and all of its pressures upon us, anything that provides a moment’s peace is welcome — especially when that peace comes with so many chances to be drawn into Bowman’s serene, dreamlike landscapes.

No matter how big they are … or aren’t … more here is definitely merrier.

"The Way", Photographic Print.

Rose Burgweger

6:30 a.m-10 p.m.

Homer’s Coffee House
7126 W. 80th St.
Overland Park, KS
913.381.6022

Hours: 6:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Saturday
Runs through: Nov. 30

Artist’s site: http://web.mac.com/rosebuds/iWeb/rmbprints/Welcome.html
Gallery site: http://www.homerscoffeehouse.com

The attachments we hold in long memory are different from those we find later in life.

The latter represent a love of the actual, an affection for the object’s own sake — be it a person, place or thing. That’s not to say we can’t truly cherish things for themselves over a long time. But often, what we love is more a memory or a feeling than the “real” object.

Rose Burgweger’s love for the eastern Kansas countryside didn’t take root in her youth. She hadn’t even planned to live around here.

"Subtle Splendor", Encaustic on Panel.

Cheryl Toh

Noon-5 p.m.

Locust Studio
504 E. 18th
Kansas City, MO

Last day of holiday show.

Artist’s site: http://www.cheryltoh.com

Funny thing happened on the way to the pontification.

When I first sat down to write about Cheryl Toh’s art, and specifically her part of this weekend’s holiday group show at Locust Studio, I had in mind to focus on the way encaustic paintings almost hoard light — taking it in and storing it within translucent layers of pigmented beeswax, so that the works seem to glow under their own power.

I wanted to write about the way Toh’s abstract style and use of mixed-media elements, combined with encaustic’s light-storing properties, produce works — such as today’s featured piece, Subtle Splendor — that, as the painting’s title suggests, are both soothing and stirring.

There would be a mention of the other artists in the show: Paul Mallory, Michael Baxley, Owl and Mouse  Textile Designs and Kaden Myers, along with a reminder that today is the show’s final day. (And here they are. Some plans don’t change.)

But a couple of things kept throwing me. One is that Toh’s portion of the show also includes prints, which can’t be treated as second-class citizens. The other is that Toh’s statements on her work have little to do with light and everything to do with … well, here. Read for yourself.

My work stems from a fascination with communication. How a simple phrase, tone of voice, or a seemingly small gesture often gives way to something which is implied yet unspoken. For many, the subtlety of communication can be confounding and as complicated as our exchanges can be. We have added layers of technology, which seem to muddle things even more. Bringing up the questions: how can we keep from stumbling with language and how do we know when we’ve gotten it right?

Since I was a child, I have been intrigued by how those around us influence interpersonal exchanges and social dynamics. Censoring ourselves (and each other) in public, the whispered secrets we share in private, finding ourselves at a loss for words — all stem from who is around us at the time. In addition, we regularly turn to one another for help in deciphering what is really being said. Regardless of whether we meet in person or not, it’s seldom about the exact words exchanged but more about the impressions and feelings we experience.

My work is about creating a subtle feeling, something that is at the same time elusive yet quite familiar.

See how that could force a writer off his chosen track?

But when one thinks of art as a form of nonverbal communication between creator and viewer, it makes sense. Every act of artistic creation is also an act of self-control, presenting the artist with the challenge of expressing a vision without “saying” too much and spoiling the effect with too much information.

And where there is communication, there also exists the chance — or, rather, the likelihood — that the message received will be different, whether slightly or drastically, from the one which was sent. The work, especially an abstract work, is the constant; the viewer is the variable.

All of which is to say that Toh has figured out — and beautifully so — the balance between revelation and concealment. Her works draw the eye immediately, but don’t give up all of their secrets at once. Long and repeated viewings (true communication between the viewer and the viewed) are rewarded with depth of detail … and with the subtle interplays between Toh’s chosen media and the light they reflect, refract, store and release.

"The Possessions", Graphite, Gold Leaf and Gesso on Paper.

Misha Kligman
WITNESS: Perspectives on War (group show)

11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Leedy-Voulkos Art Center
2012 Baltimore
Kansas City, MO
816.474.1919

Hours: 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Wednesday-Saturday
Runs through: Feb. 5.

Artist’s site: http://www.mishakligman.com
Gallery site: http://www.leedy-voulkos.com

There’s art that uplifts, art that complements, art that amuses … and art that confronts, reminds and haunts.

Misha Kligman’s work is squarely in that fourth category.

Kligman’s portion of the WITNESS: Perspectives on War group show at the Leedy-Voulkos Art Center is stark, dark (in color and emotional tone) and steeped in the sort of pain and alienation that comes when people are made to be Others.

At the same time, it’s a study of survival and endurance through circumstances that most of us can’t even fathom. This culture has its tensions, yes, but deep-seeted ethnic and religious antagonism that lasts for centuries … the sort that leads neighbor to slay or betray neighbor? We have no clue – those of us who were born here, that is.

Identity fragmentation and cultural dualism are two results of the immigrant experience, Kligman writes. My work focuses on a visual representation of this. Through the lens of my family’s history and personal experience I am examining ideas of home and cultural belonging.

That’s a wide focus, but Kligman has narrowed it — and in so doing, made the work more powerful by making it more personal.

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, he writes. 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.

Kligman includes three-dimensional objects (most notably a burned book) in his portion of the show, along with such unusual media as ash, salt and gold. The last of those materials figures significantly – and poignantly — in The Possessions, today’s featured piece and perhaps the most wrenching of Kligman’s works.

I aim to transform the images from mere nostalgic artifacts to containers of cultural memory, he writes. Ash could be seen as alluding to destruction as well as rebirth; salt as something that preserves; gold reinforces the ideas of permanence and preciousness. Making the work for me is a process of discovery. The process provides me with the opportunity to not only reexamine the past, but to identify my place in history, and the cultures that I inhabit.

For the rest of us, it’s a reminder that history is made up of countless individual histories, and that those  cast aside — or worse — as Others are human, too.

And if that reminder isn’t a thing of conventional loveliness, so be it. Kligman’s work has its own harsh, cold beauty … one that has nothing to do with complementing a room’s decor and everything to do with matching the shadings of the soul.

"Sibling Rivalry", Metal and Mixed Media.

Anthony Pack
Whimsical Six (Group Show)

5-9 p.m.

Krzyz Studio
1800 Locust
Kansas City, MO
816.472.4999

Hours: 5-9 p.m. today, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, noon-4 p.m. Sunday
Runs through: Sunday.

Artist’s site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/anthonypack
Gallery site: http://www.krzyzphoto.com

Yes, it’s going to be cold tonight. That’s no reason to stay in and miss First Friday in the Crossroads — especially when there’s this much fun to be had.

That’s right: pure, cask-strength fun, as presented by Anthony Pack and the other artists in this weekend’s Whimsical Six show at Krzyz Studio.

The roster also includes Laura Nugent, Andrew Johnson, Dick Daniels, Amy Meya and Joe Blake, all regulars on the art-fair circuit. This is a chance to catch their work if you missed the summer/fall season.

Pack takes old utensils, containers, toys — all sorts of objects, really — and transforms them into ”urban folk art.” That’s a good way to describe them; another is  ”toys for big kids.” (Not that the themes are “adult”, but the points and small parts aren’t really child-safe.)

“Whimsical” is a good one-word descriptor for his creations — but not in the cloying, cutesy sense. In many cases, there’s an edgy undercurrent running beneath the playful surface.

Sibling Rivalry, today’s featured piece, is a prime example. The faces of Pack’s two-headed creation are visually reminiscent of Tex Avery’s best animated work, and the action going on with the forks also conveys the same feeling of Avery’s over-the top, this-would-be-frightening if it weren’t-so-funny mayhem. (Remember, cartoons were around long before Saturday morning television, and many of them weren’t really intended for viewers wearing footy pajamas and eating bowls of sugary cereal.)

Not everything in Pack’s portion of Whimsical Six is quite so … well, animated … but the same current of cartoonish fun (in every good sense of both words) runs through all of his works.

So go ahead. Bundle up and hit the Crossroads tonight. You’re likely to get a warming laugh or three out of Pack’s delightfully skewed creations.

5-8 p.m.
(Special holiday show)

Genevieve Flynn Studio
1717 Oak Street
Kansas City, MO
816.333.6719

Studio Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday and by appointment
Holiday show tonight only.

Artist’s/Gallery site: http://www.genevieveflynn.com

Most months, Genevieve Flynn would be preparing for a First Friday opening at her studio/gallery in the East Crossroads.

She’s doing things a little differently this time around. Flynn, along with Lori Fluegel, is hosting a holiday open house and sale tonight — and instead of being on the second floor, tonight’s event will be held on the ground floor.

The constant? Flynn’s art jewelry, of course, and the common theme that unites all of her pieces.

My art falls into two definite styles, she writes. While visually different,  in concept they are very similar. My botanicals are derived from the simplicity of nature; my contemporary work is derived from the simplicity of form.

The latter style characterizes the sterling silver and yellow gold Box Series rings in the photo above. With or without the addition of gemstones, the rings’ lines and designs are clean and simple — and at the same time, loaded with eye-catching detail.

Flynn takes the same approach with her botanical jewelry.

The mysteries of nature’s designs have always intrigued me, she writes. The beauty of natural botanical lines lends themselves to contemporary form and functionality. As an artist I take liberties with the natural form while trying to maintain the purity of nature’s art.

That’s a challenge — knowing what to change and what can’t be improved upon — but Flynn more than meets it.

And, thanks to her schedule change for this month, there’s no First Friday rush to take into account tonight. You can drop by Flynn’s studio and linger without having to keep one eye on her simple, elegant work … and the other on your watch.

"Eternal Dance", Acrylic on Canvas.

Allison Hedgpeth
Dreams

9 a.m.-9 p.m.

West Wyandotte Library
1737 N. 82nd St.
Kansas City, KS
913.596.5800

Hours: 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday
Runs through: Jan. 4

Artist’s site: http://hedgpethfineart.wordpress.com/
Gallery site: http://www.kckpl.org/FINEARTS/exhibits.htm

There’s a close link between creativity and dreaming — not merely daydreaming, but the sort that goes on while one sleeps.

A pair of horror classics — Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s Frankenstein and Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are literally the stuff of their respective authors’ nightmares. Samuel Taylor Coleridge dreamed a stately pleasure-dome in Xanadu (albeit under the influence of laudanum) but managed to get down only a fragment of the vision — a fragment we know as Kubla Khan — before a “person on business” interrupted his poem-writing.

Paul McCartney composed Yesterday in his sleep, so the story goes, and Sting’s Dream of the Blue Turtles was drawn from — well, a dream of blue turtles.

Allison Hedgepeth understands the power of dreaming, hence the title and theme of her show at West Wyandotte Library.

Painting is like dreaming, she writes.  The pictures are a result of the dream. I celebrate the human experience through visual storytelling.  Most of the image are from memory combined with life studies, photographic studies, and are brightly colored to emphasize expression rather than realism.  My offering to the viewer is the poetry of line, color, and the evocation of emotion.

Hedgpeth’s lines are intricate and intertwining, her colors bright (with blue featured prominently). The emotions evoked in Dreams range from reverence to pensiveness to the outright joy of Eternal Dance, today’s featured piece. At the same time, Hedgpeth’s extensive use of blue gives her canvases a calm — and yes, dreamy — feeling.

You can catch Hedgpeth and her works together on Sunday, when the library will host an opening reception from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. That might interfere with your Sunday afternoon nap … but there’s nothing wrong with giving your own dreams the day off and enjoying someone else’s.