From Jan Vermeer to Agnes Martin to Tom Friedman, artists of all kinds have shown over the centuries that pieces do not have to be bold and brash to capture viewers’ attention.
Subtlety, delicacy and grace work just as well.
This truism undergirds an unprepossessing and in many ways modest exhibition continuing through Feb. 4 at the Ironton Gallery, a laudably independent-minded if often underappreciated art space just off Brighton Boulevard.
Aptly titled “Marking Three Paths,” the show features a trio of artists – Tonia Bonnell, Jennifer Bowes and Bill McDonald – who create two- and three-dimensional abstractions that draw inspiration directly or indirectly from the landscape.
Perhaps more important, all three engage in labor-intensive, even obsessive mark-making that encompasses, in this case, engraved plates, incised wood and indented collagraphs.
There are no grand statements. No attempts to change the course of art history. No sociopolitical agendas. Just three artists pursuing beauty with a keenly refined sense of craftsmanship.
The result is a quiet, reflective and unusually compelling exhibition. It is enhanced by a sensitive installation that plays up the subtle interrelationships among the works and capitalizes on the simple elegance of the compact, L-shaped room.
The most delicate artistic statements come from Bonnell, a printmaker who completed her master of fine arts degree at the University of Alberta in Edmonton in March. She soon moved to Denver and is a welcome addition to the local scene.
In an ethereal series of five original prints titled “Syncopated Movements,” Bonnell uses hundreds of tiny engraved lines – none more than a half-inch long – to build semi-abstract compositions that poetically evoke the sky in a handful of its infinitely diverse moods.
These range from an airy, faintly articulated view in “Variation 2” to a darker, tempestuous yet still graceful composition in “Variation 4,” which incorporates an extraordinarily nuanced use of etching to help achieve a darker mood.
Adding complexity and depth to these prints is Bonnell’s use of chine collé. In each piece, she has affixed a sheet (or two layered sheets) of translucent Japanese paper – printed in some cases on both sides – inside a sized indentation in a larger sheet of etching paper.
Pursuing a very different vein of printmaking yet achieving similarly engaging results is Bowes, who also earned her master of fine arts degree from the University of Alberta. She teaches at the Grande Prairie Regional College in the Canadian province.
In an innovative variation on collagraphy, she fabricates printing blocks that consist of knotty, roughly woven fabric with gridlike patterns. By applying ink to these fabric sections and placing them in a press, she produces abstract images vaguely echoing furrowed fields.
Given this unorthodox process, these prints, such as “Slipping From Thought,” have an unexpected look, with the bumpy, irregular blocks creating unusual surface effects and variegated textures.
Along with a small section of her collagraphs, Bowes is also displaying the stiffened fabric blocks she has used to make them, transforming these functional objects into striking wall sculptures in their own regard.
Rounding out the exhibition are wood wall sculptures by McDonald, a longtime Denver artist who has exhibited at many of the city’s cooperative galleries and helped found the Sliding Door Gallery last year.
Using a power saw, he cuts dozens of incisions into the surface of subtly toned and painted wood blocks. Graceful abstract works result, such as “Rift,” a long, two-part horizontal selection. If these pieces have a flaw, it is their verging at times on being too pretty.
Ironton likes to buck trends and avoid the obvious, and this approach has paid off handsomely again.
Fine arts critic Kyle MacMillan can be reached at 303-820-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost.com.
“Marking Three Paths”
THROUGH FEB. 4|Exhibition of original prints and wall sculpture by Tonia Bonnell, Jennifer Bowes and Bill McDonald|Ironton Gallery, 3636 Chestnut Place|Free|10 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays (303-297-8626 or irontonstudios.com)
