By Liz Tramer

Calef Brown and Jason Limon’s  exhibit “Future Visions” at the 4th Wall Gallery in Dallas will not only pique your artistic interests, their pieces may also disturb and delight you. Limon’s haunting works emote imagery from another time and place. His detail and design are reminiscent of M.C. Escher, with the graceful fluidity of Erte’s figures. No matter how close you look at his canvases, you may never know what is behind each mask. 

More Than Meets the Eye
Upon entering the Gallery, an artist is seen standing by his work. The two seem in synch somehow. Hidden, subdued, yet powerful. Perhaps that is why it is not surprising to hear San Antonio native Limon says that his work is like him in many ways. After spending more than 10 years in the graphic-design industry, he took his knowledge and returned to his true passion – drawing. 

Limon describes his art as a progression and says that his current pieces are very organic in feel. Much of the items on display contain imagery of creatures found in nature. It is the eyes of each animal that strikes you. They seem to follow you and piercingly gaze at the viewer. With beaked noses and feathers predominantly featured in numerous paintings, it is a logical assumption that one is looking at birds or animals. But upon closer examination, it is revealed that the animal exterior is really a mask, and we are unable to see what or who is underneath it.

There is an enormous sense of irony in Falling. To simply tell you the title, one may envision a painting with motion in it. In actuality, it appears as though an ornate Erte-esqe figure is up against a tribal shield. The figure has fish, reptilian and bird characteristics, yet the body is drawn in a fluid and beautiful manner. The most disturbing aspect of the piece is not the imagery, which works. It is the deep piecing eyes behind the mask that draw you in. This is true for almost all of Limon’s work. 

Limon indicates that the beings under each mask are intentionally hidden and do not necessarily want to come out, leaving the viewer to wonder about who or what is being hidden. It is very apparent that his talent, like his art, is fluid and translates across different mediums. Limon’s haunting pieces will have you wondering about their meanings long after you’ve left the exhibit. 

Opening Your Imagination
Award-winning and beloved writer and illustrator Calef Brown sits quietly in the next room, signing a large stack of his childrens books. He is surrounded by photos of his colorful, entertaining and curious paintings. Brown finds his inspiration in the world around him. Three of his books were written during trips to India.

As a man who loved mythical creatures and Greek and Roman monsters as a child, many of his pieces are manamals … a combination of both man and animal. Brown is not interested in creating illustrations and books that nod and wink at parents and go over a child’s head. He wants to target his work to children and draw them in with positive, smart artistic images. 

Brown delighted fans with his illustrations for The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons. The Gallery is currently displaying numerous images from this book. In Hound’s Revenge, Brown has used numerous colors and patterns that will stimulate your imagination. Even though the hound is a still image, the viewer can sense that the he is about to take his next step. The dog appears to be caught midstride. Brown has also used size and color distortions, revealing that everything in the story is not as it seems. It is easy to see how Brown’s work is reminiscent of previous authors like Shel Silverstein and Maurice Sendak. He is an artist who is not afraid to show that it’s okay to not be status quo.

Brown's use of color and balance stimulate your thinking and many pieces will make you smile and perhaps remind you of some of your favorite childhood characters. Brown’s diverse scope of work is not limited to children's books. His illustrations have been used in a wide range of mediums, ranging from CDs, magazines and promotional products. Brown does not plan his characters or know what he’s going to draw until he’s completed his work. He describes it as a Ouijai board process, where he never knows what’s in his head until it’s on the paper. Although Brown may not necessarily know what’s coming next, I see him continuing to provide hours of joy and adventures for kids in his future.

For more information on Jason Limon or Calef Brown, visit http://www.limon-art.com/  andhttp://www.calefbrown.com/

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, Green Eggs And Ham, Fox In Socks, – the list of Dr. Seuss stories is endless. Mathew Abramowitz, owner of the 4th Wall Gallery in Dallas, was able to bring a collection of Seuss’s famous and not so famous pieces to his gallery. Viewers, ranging from 50 to 150 a day, were able to see classic pieces from The Cat In the Hat, Sam I Am and Horton Hears A Who.

Although the exhibit was small, it exposed attendees to some of Seuss’s obscure pieces. Viewers may be surprised by the sexual undertone  in certain pieces (Myopic Woman) and the dark overtone in others (The Stag at Eve) from the Secret Art collection. This exhibit exposed visitors to other parts of Seuss’s life as well.  It contained a number of his early political cartoons and spoke of his academy award-winning films on WWII.

Reading certain Seuss stories, such as Sylvester McMonkey McBean, as an adult, one marvels at his ingenuity. If you were to poll a group of adults, almost all of them could quote you a line from their favorite Seuss story. Hearing Seuss as a child made us laugh, taught us tongue twisters and, all in all, made us feel content and like children.

While attending the exhibit, you will hear joyous comments from both adults and children. Seuss managed to tie life lessons into color comical illustrations with catchy poetry that hold true no matter what your age. Abramowitz said, “The world is so chaotic right now, Seuss made people feel safe.”

Seuss was an artist, visual revolutionary and educator to all. Perhaps one of his greatest gifts is that people can identify with and find solace and comfort in his work. He is able to work timeless magic through his pieces. This traveling exhibit is a pleasure to behold.

By Liz Tramer

Raw, powerful, emotive … women in arts like you’ve never seen before. Not Who You Think I Am features multimedia works created by women incarcerated in Texas prisons. Many of the pieces are moving and spellbinding, and they show a human, sympathetic side of these prisoners that is impossible to ignore.  This must-see exhibit is presented by Resolana – a nonprofit organization that works to both educate and empower incarcerated women. Resolana Director, Bette Buschow, said, “Art is a tool for processing emotional issues, coping with stress, and gaining self-awareness and insight.”

 The women in this program are involved in a series of artistic exercises – each designed to help them explore an aspect of themselves. The opportunity for these women to use art as an emotional outlet seemed to benefit them tremendously. It enabled them to open a door to their innermost feelings through creativity. When viewing their work, one is taken on a remarkable journey with the artist. 

The first wall of the exhibit contained artist’s time lines, done in crayon. Each piece was a poignant bio and many contained heart-breaking information … loss of a loved one, drug addiction, divorce, etc. Many had hand-drawn images of tombstones, chapels, etc.

Most referenced making an effort to get better and turning a corner. The emotional depth revealed in each time line must have been cathartic for the individual artists.

In each section, there was a brief detailed overview of each exercise. In one, women were given two dolls to decorate: one as a “good” girl and another as a “bad” girl. The dolls ran the gamut from well dressed to stripper. Buschow indicated that most women created the bad girls first and spoke about wanting to be the good girl. By the end of the exercise many realized that they were actually a combination of both the “good” and the “bad” girl.

 In another fascinating section of the exhibit, women were photographed. In all photos, the women wore black-and-white striped shirts and were given the freedom to pose in any way they chose. Each woman wrote self-descriptive words on her photograph. One woman had her eyes slightly averted and a finger over her mouth (in the shhh gesture). Written in bright letters across her chest was the word incest. Another haunting photo was of a woman looking head-on at the camera. In bright red letters she had the words Dallas has changed my life forever. In the center of her shirt, where the numbers would be, were the words “Justice” awaiting trial. It is impossible to ignore the human side of each of these women and you will find yourself wanting to know a bit more of each of their stories.

 One of the most innovative exercises gave women the opportunity to explore their “inner” and “outer” sides. They were each given boxes and told to decorate them on two different planes. The outside of the box represented the image they showed to the world and the inside of the box was how they felt on the inside, enabling them to explore their internal and external conflicts.

These pieces allowed women who may be opposed to “typical” therapy an emotive outlet that had positive results. By choosing a nontraditional mode of therapy, some participants were able to come to terms and move past their traumatic life experiences.  One woman enjoyed the artistry so much that she brought it back to her cell with her. She diluted skittles and coffee grinds to use as paint. This thought-provoking exhibit will leave one with both haunting images and hope for the future.