As part of the second Absolut Vision tie-in that many River North galleries participate in, the Gwenda Jay Gallery offers several simultaneous exhibitions this month: the concrete sculptures and concrete/pigment painting installations of Hawaiian-born RANDALL SHIROMA, who resides in California; new work from local painters KATIE DOWLING and JILL SCHULTZ; and, upstairs, floral pastels by NANCY KING MERTZ that are part of an ongoing exhibit by gallery artists. Schultz, who has often incorporated the landscapes she has seen on her travels to Italy and Mexico, now uses them as backdrops for her nude figures. The mix of her Renaissance-style females in settings lush with atmosphere and color is surreal and slightly disconcerting. Dowling is inspired by minimalist geometry but goes a step beyond in her small canvases by adding impastoed brush strokes and sometimes carving into the oil paint and wax her thick circles and grids. Mertz’s florals on cloth make viewers think they’ve just stepped into a wonderfully busy flower shop where tables are filled end-to-end with urns, vases and flowers. Her scenes may be a bit decorative and busy, but on a hot summer day they are pure pleasure. The exhibit continues at Jay’s new gallery at 704 N. Wells St. through Aug. 20.
Appropriately for summer, when many people travel and send letters and postcards to friends and family, the Aron Packer Gallery has mounted a stamp and coin show. The range is great — from anonymous folk artists who, for example, incorporated stamp or coin materials in decoupage cutting boards to the sophisticated and beautiful stamps made by Joseph Fontana, which depict such celebrities as Elvis Presley, Al Capone, TV’s former Mod Squad group and also include envelopes postmarked from Graceland and La Habana, Cuba. Other works in the show that appeal are Mykl Ruffin’s elegant sleek “tower” of 1,234 tiny stamps titled “Flight”; J.S.G. Boggs’ trompe l’oeil bills, which could be mistaken for real currency except for the colors and writing; William Cordova’s mixed-media postcards of balloons, teacups, treehouses. Least appealing: some pornographic stamps, which seem out of place and even silly. The show continues at 1579 N. Milwaukee Ave., Suite 205, through Aug. 9.
The annual show of high-school student prints at Anchor Graphics, a nonprofit print center, is worth seeing. Many of the students have only recently tried their hand at art; others are repeat attendees, whose creativity and budding skills are evident. David Jiles’ untitled drawing reveals his understanding of the still life as subject matter. Sophel Vann’s “Love Lin Blues’ is a succinct reduction relief print that combines abstract images and words. Monica Barrar’s untitled drypoint is also a sophisticated and realistic rendition of houses and trees. The show also points out the importance of Anchor as a gathering place for students, many of whom otherwise might not be exposed to art and its healthy creative avenues. Classes this past year were funded and sponsored by Gallery 37, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s community-based programs and The Marwen Foundation. The show continues through Aug. 30 at 119 W. Hubbard St.