Inquiry: Five Painting Practices

July 7-Aug. 1, Gross McCleaf Gallery, 127 S. 16th St., 215-665-8138, grossmccleaf.com.

by Deni Kasrel

visual arts

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The simple dot contains multitudes in the paintings of Rachael Wren, whose dense accumulation of dots adds up to nuanced investigation of tensions between structure and space. Wren's undulating optical illusions possess an atmospheric quality that stems directly from the basic seeds of her art: "The starting point for color choices in my work is often an observed natural phenomenon — fog playing between tree branches, the darkening sky before a thunderstorm."

Wren is one of several young artists presented in "Inquiry: Five Painting Practices" at Gross McCleaf Gallery. Each participant takes a different tack on the abstractionist path. Whereas Wren employs elements of nature for purely theoretical purposes, Susan Ziegler combines components of landscape to create scenes that seem both unusual and familiar. Likewise, Heidi Leitzke's lush paintings present recognizable organic forms that are transformed into fantastic visions of colorful sensuality. Chris Burnside layers characters and symbols onto paper and plywood pieces so that "a painting develops on the front, while a linear drawing is created in the back," while Jenny Hager creates works that play with notions of fluidity, stillness and chaos (Until We Meet Again, pictured).

July 7-Aug. 1, Gross McCleaf Gallery, 127 S. 16th St., 215-665-8138, grossmccleaf.com.