In 2006, the Denver Public Library mounted a large-scale exhibition with about 75 paintings, drawings and other works spanning nearly the entirety of Mel Strawn’s six-decade career.
The flawed yet still valuable offering brought renewed attention to the Salida artist, who taught at the University of Denver from 1969 to 1985. Although he could be inconsistent, Strawn managed to produce many strong, mostly abstract pieces.
To mark his 80th birthday, the Sandra Phillips Gallery, 744 Santa Fe Drive, is offering a smaller, more focused exhibition, with five of his paintings and an assortment of his less frequently seen drawings.
Strawn’s work reached its maturity in the 1980s, when he created a series of first-rate canvases offering a hard-edged take on the pattern and decoration movement. Several fine examples are on view, including “Series Last” (1985), an oil on canvas measuring 45 by 53 inches.
The exhibition runs through Nov. 28. Free. A public reception is set for 5 to 7 p.m. today. 303-573-5969 or thesand- . Kyle MacMillan
