Exhibit Review: Marci Crawford-Harnden / Norman Kary / Steven Seinberg

by Laura Seewoester

Craighead-Green Gallery has a three artist show running through Nov. 24, featuring Marci Crawford-Harnden, Norman Kary and Steven Seinberg.

Marci Crawford-Harnden's work consists of spooky yet whimsical representations of trees and foliage in mainly earth tones. She uses an interesting painting technique that mimic that of watercolors or even microbial matter squished between two glass slides. The paintings at first appear to be abstract, however the subject takes form as the viewer takes a step back to examine the work. The thin tree trunks and branches reach out like fingers making the trees look ghostlike and haunted. Crawford-Harnden plays with deep shadows and highlights, giving her paintings a unique and somewhat eerie, shadowy beauty. The use of harsh shadows and a strong back light turns a simple and common object into a spectacular image.

Norman Kary uses everyday objects to construct his little surreal sculptures. He mainly uses small, worn toys that are built up and balance in different ways. All of his pieces in the "Dream Series" are also balanced on a small rod that rests on a little pillow. The pieces are quizzical and fun and inspire the viewer to really examine why Kary placed the objects where he did. Kary seems inspired by the dreamworld and bring it into tactile life and seems to question how random everyday objects find themselves in your dreams. Kary's work is inherently nonsensical, yet he strives to maintain a sense of balance in each piece. (His work oddly makes me think of A)Yossarian trying to make sense of his surroundings in Catch-22 and B) someone spinning plates on sticks to Khachaturian's Sabre Dance)

The final artist in the show contains works by Steven Seinberg. His works are mostly layers of paint covered in a whitewash featuring a big black splotch. The paintings are all abstract, and the different layers create depth all surrounding the big black void. The paintings are pretty standard abstracts that focus on the blending of color (or lack thereof) and the connection of where one ends and the other begins. The only thing slightly interesting about his pieces are "hidden messages" that add an element of mystique, if only because the messages are (for the most part) indecipherable. The pieces lend themselves to interpretation on the part of the viewer, but don't offer much substance to think about.