‘Bizarre surreal’ scenes, aquatic acrylics lure art lovers
John Sykes Jr., chief photographer at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, has been experimenting with digital art for several years now. In previous shows, his work has been interesting, if not always fully realized. But his first show at Boswell Mourot Fine Art, which hangs through Feb. 3, shows he has clearly hit his stride.
Also showing at Boswell Mourot is work by Nancy Wilson, known to many for her jewelry and part-time presence at the gallery. But this time, Wilson — inspired by her love of fly-fishing and water — is showing paintings of pastels, acrylic and more.
Sykes shows significant creative growth in his new work of computer-generated art he calls psykographs. They are surreal works loaded with wry, often humorous social and political commentary. Especially strong is Beach Blanket Existentialism, which presents several views of French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre holding a surfboard, an homage of sorts to Sartre and to the Beach Boys’ Surfer Girl album cover. It has a surreal, angsty edge.
In his artist’s statement, he says he is trying to create “a feeling of having come upon a bizarre surreal scene …” and his theme holds true throughout his works.
Other strong pieces include Keys to the Kingdom,a 40 by 30-inch work that utilizes photography, painting and computer manipulation in a creepy portrait that unsettles as powerfully as it fascinates. A series of pieces focused on dogs — Worlds Revolved Around Winston, a savvy piece underscoring what every dog owner knows about their pet’s self-image; Erich von Daniken Was Right, which finds a dog’s head on the Sphinx with pyramids in the background and flying saucers overhead; and dogs as saints, as a 51-by-40 inch giclee of a haloed Fido of Nazareth & the Quest for Wafers, a giclee, reveals.
Wilson’s beautiful acrylic and pastel works show an influence of modernism and a palpable tension suggesting a love/hate relationship with water. Her strong compositions (especially Boats Fish Rocks) hint at Marsden Hartley and Arthur Dove. Trout Balance and Boats on Rocks also evoke modern art and a sense of unease. The fanciful 13-by-16-inch work Fish or Cut Bait (an acrylic, charcoal and pastel) is also appealing.
Homes Encroaching Water, an acrylic, pastel and ink work, carries a subtle message about humans’ encroachment on once pristine streams.
“The Fine Art of John Sykes Jr. and Nancy Wilson,” through Feb. 3, Boswell Mourot Fine Art, 5815 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock. Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday. (501) 664-0030.