New York Times: A Show of Small Works, and a Group Sampler

New York Times: “A Show of Small Works, and a Group Sampler”:http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/09/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/09artsnj.html

Many of the pieces here are skillful and clever. A few are fabulous, combining interesting subject matter and independent thought. Beth Gilfilen’s intricate color-coded collage made of paint swatches from the hardware store is especially impressive; Marco Muñoz’s ethereal still-life photographs from paper negatives are also lovely.

There are a handful of standouts among the many paintings. Joe Waks hunts down amateur landscape paintings in thrift stores, junk shops and yard sales, then paints McDonald’s restaurant signs into them. Finally, he stamps them with his name, claiming them as his own. The paintings are hideous, but the idea is genuinely intriguing.