Picture Imperfect

Hal's Samples of Dallas

2/5

Should you find yourself at IR Gallery from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, admiring one of Hal Samples' photographs and on the fence about purchasing said piece, here's a word of advice. Four, actually: Give until it hurts. Why? Because that's what Samples has been doing since he began his Hero to Zero project, which raises money and awareness for the local homeless community. In a year and change on the job, he's lost weight (35 pounds and counting), money (more than you'd wanna know) and God knows what else in his quest to make Dallas just a little bit better for the people sleeping under bridges and behind buildings. But he's no charity case. Samples' vision is altruistic in front of the camera and artistic behind it, imbuing his stark images of the people and places that populate this world inside a world with warmth. Even if there wasn't a good cause involved, the heartfelt photos in his latest show, Samples of Dallas, which runs through February 16, would be worthy additions to anyone's collection. Call 469-951-7323. --Zac Crain

Modern English

2/8

In 1997, Richard Patterson, an otherwise unknown artist, had his work included in the exhibition Sensation: Young British Artists From the Saatchi Collection. The exhibit pissed people off the world over...and pisses them off still. Marcus Harvey portrayed Myra Hindley, an infamous British child murderer, using hundreds of children's handprints. Chris Ofili painted the Virgin Mary as an African--accessorizing the piece with elephant excrement. Patterson, on February 8, talks about the London scene of the '90s at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, 3200 Darnell St. His presentation, "How London Stole the Idea of Modern Art," is free and begins at 7 p.m. Seating is limited to the first 250 ticket holders. Visit www.mamfw.org. --Paul Kix

Heads Up

2/4

The heads are as tall as the man who makes them. The features are distinguishable, but not remarkable. The surface, however, is eye-catching--wrapped in layer after layer of black and white stripes, like giant monochromatic Christmas ribbon candy. Then there are the dangos, giant round sculptures spotted like leopards or striped like zebras. They're all part of the oversized, geometric, ceramic world of artist Jun Kaneko. Whether he's working in clay and glaze or paint and canvas, Kaneko loves patterns--especially big, bold ones, like Dr. Seuss gift-wrapped everything. Kaneko's exhibit features patterns on paintings, works on Korean rice paper and ceramic sculptures for both indoors and out. Gerald Peters Gallery, 2913 Fairmount St., presents Jun Kaneko from February 4 through March 19 with an opening reception from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday. Call 214-969-9410 or visit www.gpgallerydallas.com. --Shannon Sutlief