These are large pieces which are well presented in the show.  Each is mounted on a hard support with a gloss finish.  Apart from the underlying issues Gefeller is addressing, these photographs are quite simply beautiful and elegant objects.

I last reviewed Anne Neely’s paintings in this gallery two years ago.  I wrote then of what I saw as a strong association to Gustav Klimt and a quality of patterning that suggests a relationship to esthetics of quilts.  Neither observation remains true of her new work which boldly steps out with an ‘in-your-face’ expressionism.  A measure of patterning remains but in many of these pieces it mostly resolves into a stratified horizontal arrangement with a mix of vibrant of colors and quieter tones.   One of the best paintings is represented on invitation for the show.  Called Floe (a watery nature theme persists throughout this work as evidenced by additional titles like Green River, Puddle and Down River) the color is intense as are the forms which in the foreground suggest waves with two white vertical forms referencing, perhaps, waterfalls.  But another take suggests a theatre interior in which the waves become seatbacks overlooking an elaborate stage set.  Neely endows this and all her work with enough abstract

Anne Neely, Puddle, 2005, oil on linen, 16 x 20 in

Andreas Gefeller, Untitled (Chicken Raising), Nordhorn, 2004, color photograph, 63 X 99.5 in

Anne Neely, Floe, 2006, oil on linen, 56 x 72 in

ambiguity to similarly free up interpretations.  While it’s clear that she interested in a particular theme for the subject matter, as a viewer you can follow along or carve your own path.

Another refreshing change found in these new paintings is their range of subject matter and paint handling.  A piece like Puddle is not subject to the overt stratification contained in most of the other paintings.  Whereas the latter are imbued with a sense of fluidity, Puddle is a static work; more about ‘place’ then motion.  The perspective also differs in that you experience a sensation