People's Art Show @ CSU 10/25 The 18th People's Art Show at Cleveland State University's Art Gallery is a visual cacophony of color and styles, attitudes and opinions. This is an unjuried show, so everything from beautifully rendered paintings and labored over pencil drawings to student art projects and angry political statements splattered violently are there to take in.

Some noteworthy examples are Kim Thorpe's oil on canvas abstract paintings. The canvas is a large, unmounted piece of cloth and when encountering her painting called Fantasy Islands, the loose piece of canvas feels like a treasure map, the painting on it looks like on abstracted view from the sky of paradise islands, rich blues and greens swirl to meet the misty, golden islands. Michael Pinter's oil on plaster pieces are solid, irregular strips of color, outlined with solid or stitched-looking lines. The color themes in each of his pieces are unusual, but very comfortable. A sculptured work by Diane Casto has a spider's web, bejeweled with pale green-and clear-glass beads stretched across a piece of driftwood. The effect is a delicate mix of the human touch and the natural world.

Because the show is not juried, there is a variety content. Some of the pieces are extremely violent, some may be offensive because of in-your-face sexuality and irreverent religious depictions.

Some of the pieces are for sale and some are not. The prices range from very affordable to professional collector's rates. The show is a good gage of what is going on here and now. There is political commentary and quilting, amateurish painted abstractions and professional photography, as well as sculpture and much, much more. The exhibit runs through December 4th in the Cleveland State University Art Gallery, 2307 Chester Avenue. Visit the CSU Art Gallery online at http://www.csuohio.edu/artgallery.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Carol Drummond carolATdrummondesign.com
(:divend:)