Circuit12 Contemporary
1811 E. Levee St.
Opening reception 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday
Howard Sherman is the line leader of a new generation of bombastic contemporary painters within the Texas art scene. His background as a cartoonist manifests heartily in his human-scale canvases, offsetting the abrasive punch of his paint strokes with playfulness and humor. Then there are his smaller paper works, which feel distilled, yet still somehow assertive. The frenetic feel of his work finds balance in its measured precision. Sherman gets extra bonus points for having worked with the esteemed artist Vernon Fisher before Fisher’s retirement.
Pierre Krause and Paul Winker — BIBLE STUDY
Texas Women’s University East Gallery
300 Texas St., Denton
Opens 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday
No, not that kind of Bible study, although both Pierre Krause and Paul Winker certainly attended a hearty share of them growing up. Bible Study examines their separate religious upbringings and addresses how indoctrination can be interpreted through the lens of mental illness, mania and religious ecstasy. Admission is free.
South Side Art Walk and Open Studios
1409 S. Lamar St.
4 to 8 p.m. Saturday
How to do the South Side Art Walk and Open Studios: Get yourself to 1409 S. Lamar St. Stroll the Artist Quarter in the historic Sears building. Discover loads of new artists and buy some sweet earrings while bobbing your head to the sounds of DJ Frances Jaye. Nurse a delicious beverage from Checkered Past Winery or Opening Bell Coffee. Rinse. Repeat.
AS IS — Rural Realism
Grace Museum
102 Cypress St., Abilene
Opens Saturday
When was the last time you saw a good, solid, people-less rural landscape? It’s been too long, hasn’t it? Make a trip to Abilene this Saturday for the opening of AS IS, a collection of contemporary paintings from the rural realism genre. Never intentionally nostalgic or sentimental, these works stir all the senses, evoking memory, pleasure, isolation, longing, regret, loss, acceptance and the all too unavoidable passage of time. As it turns out, a painting of a tumbleweed-laden lonely highway can rile up as many emotions as a Botticelli. Maybe more.
courtesy Botanical Research Institute of Texas
Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT)
1700 University Drive, Fort Worth
Opens 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday
View the world through outdoorsy artists’ eyes and go see Hightailing It, a wide-ranging exhibition featuring artworks drawn from the holdings of three long-established metroplex galleries (namely Afterimage Gallery, David Dike Fine Art and William Campbell Contemporary Art). Landscape vistas created by several generations of well-travelled artists are on view, ranging from super realistic images to semi-representational abstraction, along with intimate works that capture sweeping, nature-infested panoramas.
