Last Thursday I attended the third-Thursday CADD Happy Hour. CADD is the association of Contemporary Art Dealers of Dallas, a group that includes some of the best galleries in town. CADD hosts regular free and low-cost events to introduce current art to new collectors. I highly recommend getting involved. Last Thursday’s happy hour was jointly hosted by Cris Worley Fine Art and Holly Johnson Fine Art.
My favorite artist from this show is Ruben Nieto. Ruben adored comic books as a kid and has begun to incorporate some of that imagery into his paintings. The paintings are a fusion of intensely colorful, swirled backgrounds with abstractions of such characters as Popeye, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, etc. Nieto gave a short artist’s talk about his working process and how Lichtenstein had been an influence on his work. Don’t get your mind set on broadly outlined cartoons with benday dot patterns, though. Nieto’s approach is fresh and his work much less graphic than Lichtenstein.
The shows are open now. Take some time and go see them. Levee street and the nearby neighborhood have become a gathering spot for good contemporary galleries. Great way to spend a Saturday afternoon…
Brenda
