Sketches

Lauri Lynnxe Murphy and Andy Miller. As much as any place in town, + Gallery promotes conceptual art, even though it isn't so easy to sell. For its current shows, + has paired longtime denizen of Denver's contemporary scene Lauri Lynnxe Murphy with another cutting-edge notable, Andy Miller. Murphy is debuting a new body of work that not only represents a stylistic break, but is in a different medium, too. She has been doing mixed-media works on panels assembled into grids; in the new pieces, she creates organic shapes out of plastic and then scatters them across the walls. Murphy calls this series "Clusterf**ck." Miller is best known for installations, but for this show he's done individual wall pieces using various materials, including steel, neon, horsehair and artificial pearls. They are Miller's very latest efforts and were finished right before the show opened. In addition, there is a display of works by artists who are represented by + and were selected for the Western edition of New American Paintings, a juried exhibition catalogue. The group includes Karen McClanahan and Jenny Morgan. All shows through January 14 at + Gallery, 2350 Lawrence Street, 303-296-0927. Reviewed January 5.

Nowhere. Ten years ago, David Zimmer was one of the hottest young kids on Denver's alternative scene; he even got a piece into the Denver Art Museum. Today Zimmer is much less well known, though not exactly forgotten. He moved away late in 1998 and fell out of the local exhibition scene. It's been nine years since he had a solo here, which makes Nowhere a welcome reminder of just how good he is. Though all of the works are new, several touch on concerns from Zimmer's earlier pieces. There are the scientific-looking cabinets -- some with preserved insects in them -- that hark back to his Pirate days, as well as a wall-mounted installation of backlit photos in acrylic cylinders that relate to the piece shown at the DAM. The utter standouts, however, are not these self-referential retro pieces, but his newest efforts: miniature tabletop installations, some of which have tiny LCD monitors and soundtracks, sort of like a Bill Viola for the mantel. Through January 21 at Artyard Contemporary Sculpture, 1251 South Pearl Street, 303-777-3219. Reviewed January 5.

Revealing the Muse and Colorado Innovators. Hugh Grant, founder and director of the Kirkland Museum on Capitol Hill, curated both Revealing the Muse and Colorado Innovators at the Lakewood Heritage Center using pieces borrowed from his institution's permanent collection. The Kirkland Museum has an impressive assemblage that includes paintings by Kirkland himself, work by other Colorado artists and an extensive group of decorative arts. Colorado Innovators provides a survey of mid-twentieth-century artists working in Denver. Most of the objects included have either never been exhibited or haven't been seen in living memory. Revealing the Muse is a Vance Kirkland retrospective that begins with his work from the 1930s and ends with pieces done right before his death in 1981. I think it could be argued that surrealism was Kirkland's most important influence, and one of his most important innovations was the mixing of oil paint and water poured onto the surfaces of his pieces. Beginning in the 1950s, this mixture led to some of his greatest paintings ever. Through February 10 at the Radius Gallery, Lakewood Heritage Center, 801 South Yarrow Street, Lakewood, 303-987-7850. Reviewed September 8.

Tracy Felix, et al. Well-known Denver-area artist Tracy Felix is the subject of this self-titled show at William Havu Gallery, the artist's longtime representative. Felix has a special interest in the art history of Colorado and New Mexico, and in many ways, his idiosyncratic style is a reaction to his research. Classic Felix paintings feature meticulously painted mountain scenes that are marginally realistic and complete with seas of simplified trees, conventionalized peaks and cotton-candy clouds. In addition, he's been doing cubistic versions that are even more abstract. Both the classic paintings and the cubistic ones are neo-transcendental. This is Felix's first show in years, and the first in memory without his wife, Sushe Felix. Also on display are ceramic sculptures in the form of abstracted boats by Margaret Haydon -- who lives in Boulder but teaches at the University of Wyoming -- and hyper-realistic landscapes of local scenes in drawings by Denver artist Michael Burrows. Through February 11 at the William Havu Gallery, 1040 Cherokee Street, 303-893-2360.

Wyoming Expeditions. Gallery Roach is named for the late Otto Roach, a prominent commercial photographer in mid-twentieth century Denver. His lab, Roach Photography, earned a fine reputation for photo finishing. Dutch Walla, who became Roach's associate more than fifty years ago, now owns both the gallery and the lab. Wyoming Expeditions features Roach's photos of Wyoming from the 1940s through the 1960s. They're done in black and white, with Roach capturing many famous scenes, including such remarkable Yellowstone National Park subjects as the surrealistic Jupiter Terrace and the majestic falls at Yellowstone's Grand Canyon. Roach repeatedly visited nearby Wyoming to take photos, so he was able to supplement the well-known Yellowstone attractions with shots of unknown backcountry views. Surely the standout is a gigantic mural measuring seven feet by ten feet. And if the tremendous size of the photomural were not enough of an accomplishment, the entire thing has been hand-tinted! Through January 27 at Gallery Roach, 860 Broadway, 303-839-5202. Reviewed December 8.