‘Flora & Felines’ reveals artistic acumen, humor
HELP NEEDED TO STAMP OUT HUNGER
ART REVIEW
‘FLORA & FELINES’ BY O. GAIL POOLE
Where:
South lobby of the Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory at Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W Reno.
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, through May 27.
445-7080 or www. myriadgardens.org.
A new show makes clear that “Flora & Felines” were subjects that brought out the artistic acumen and humor of O. Gail Poole.
The work of Poole (1935-2013) is in the south lobby of the Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory at Myriad Botanical Gardens in downtown Oklahoma City.
The show was organized by his daughter, Nicole, who took over Poole’s catalog and organized work for display after his death in 2013.
It contains more affordable color and black-and-white “estate reproductions,” plus one large oil canvas, and two oils on board.
A lady sits on the back of a circus tiger in the foreground while another jumps through the hoop of a trainer behind them in the large canvas. Vibrant yellow brush marks blend with the tigers’ coats in the 36-by-48-inch oil canvas, called “Demonico Tempts His Cats.”
Nicely simplified is his smaller oil on board of “A Happy Family” of flowers in a vase, while a cat looks full after a “Fancy Feast” in another oil board.
Comic but well-handled, like an artful blend of cartoon and painting, is his “estate reproduction” of an ancient Egyptian cat, named “overseer of pet mummies.”
Depicted in both color and blackand-white are estate reproductions of an Aztec cat, “paranoid and bitter” about young people’s failure to appreciate history.
Stressing pattern and more recent history is his depiction of a fat cat “Listening to the Voice of His Master” from an old record player, by a jungle window.
One of the show’s most autobiographical works depicts the artist holding brushes up to his cheek, contemplating a canvas on an easel.
Purple flowers, green leaves and yellow sky create a brilliant color scheme in “Luck of the Iris,” and slender stalks give elegance to “Red Flowers.”
Excellent black-and-white reproductions portray a feline “Sherlock,” checking for jungle clues on a branch, and one whose “Cat of 9 Tails” creates curlicues.
The exhibit is highly recommended during its run through May 27.