"Two Pair (Significant Others)'' is a wild ride. Count on D. Berman Gallery to summon a art combination of artists to share an exhibition. Now the gallery takes it one twisted step further by showing two pairs of artists who are life partners as well. Sure, there's an artistic dialogue between the work of the two pairs: James Orellana and Pat Johnson, and J. Hill and Hillevi Baar. But it's the quirky vivaciousness, the high-spirited wit of the art itself that makes this show shine.  Whimsy marks the work of Fayetteville artists Orellana and Johnson. Working under the pseudonym Carlos Maria, Orellana creates drawings and paintings that are private cartoons of the artist's dreams. A reoccurring triangle-headed figure represents the devil, or more correctly, the dark side of human nature. Johnson's ceramic figures share the same edgy surreal quality, sometimes using anthropomorphic   figures that are both humorous and creepy. 

Houston artists Hill and Baar work with surprising media, which translates to witty work that is surprisingly beautiful. Hill crafts conceptual sculpture from hair, wax, fabric, false eyelashes. ``Neapolitan'' is a three-tiered glass cabinet that displays three pairs -- brown, white and pink -- of women's pumps cast in wax. Baar  meticulously paints colorful patterns on small pieces of thin plastic before folding the pieces and weaving them together with pins. ``Open Spiral,'' a chain of varicolored plastic, corkscrews out across a gallery wall.  Smart.

Back to previous page.