Not many contemporary artists embrace Remington and Russell for inspiration. Holly Hein Brooks and Bryson Brooks do. The young San Antonio painters' "Westerns" depict cowboys ropin' dogies and such - without any trace of irony. Holly, a former equestrian rider, lays the foundation, sketching the bones of an image, often from photographs.
Not many artist couples - from Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner on down - actually paint the same painting. The Brooks, who live and work in what was once an industrial freezer space at the Blue Star arts complex, truly collaborate.
The inaugural "Multiples" show, featuring works in a wide range of media by some of the region's most accomplished and respected artists, is well worth the drive.
Within Multiples, the aptly titled exhibition, the David Shelton Gallery has collaborated with several artists to create multiple works. The gesture seems to have been returned tenfold. Multiples delivers to the viewer a body of work united by craftsmanship, that delves into the distinctly modern while maintaining direct ties to the classical. As the viewer moves from one piece to the next, each body of work successfully adds to the exhibition a new dimension rooted in the individual artist's distinct sense of style. Shortly thereafter, this plethora of individuality proceeds to collide into an interesting, and well thought out exhibition.