Dale Chisman. Since Dale Chisman is among the greatest abstract painters who ever plied their trade in Colorado, this show is unquestionably one of the most significant of the year. Recent Paintings by Dale Chisman is also a rare chance to see his work in depth, as it has been three long years since his last in-town solo, which was also at Rule. Chisman was born and raised in Denver and earned his BFA and MFA at CU in Boulder, but he also studied in London and elsewhere. For fifteen years, he lived in New York, where he became involved with that city's cutting-edge art scene. A little over twenty years ago, he returned to Denver. The paintings at Rule, all of them done in 2007 and 2008, are stylistically a continuation of his previous painterly interests while simultaneously covering new ground. They are notably airier and more atmospheric than his earlier efforts, and many incorporate linear elements, often a horizontal line that's meant to be a metaphor for the landscape — but we'll have to take Chisman's word for that. Through June 28 at Rule Gallery, 227 Broadway, 303-777-9473, www.rulegallery.com.
Clyfford Still Unveiled. A master and pioneer of mid-twentieth-century abstract expressionism, painter Clyfford Still was something of an eccentric in the artist-as-egomaniac stripe. His antisocial behavior led to a situation where 94 percent of his artworks remained together after he died — a staggeringly complete chronicle of his oeuvre that is now owned by the City of Denver. As a planned Clyfford Still Museum won't be completed until 2010, the institution's founding director, Dean Sobel, decided to preview a baker's dozen of Still's creations at the Denver Art Museum. Sobel uses the very small show to lay out most of the artist's career and stylistic development. Still worked his way from regionalism to surrealism, then wound up developing abstract expressionism with one of the greatest abstract paintings imaginable, "1944 N No. 1" — and the rest is art history. Through June 30 at the Denver Art Museum, 100 West 14th Avenue Parkway, 720-865-5000. Reviewed July 26, 2007.
Galo Galecio. When the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center's permanent collection was being moved back from storage after renovations and additions to the building last year, curator Tariana Navas-Nieves came across a portfolio of prints by Ecuadorian artist Galo Galecio still in its original case. One on Ecuador's most important modernists, Galecio did these wood engravings in the 1940s, and they were acquired by the CSFAC soon after. As so often happens, the prints were immediately stored and never displayed at the CSFAC — until now. Galecio, who studied in Mexico with Diego Rivera, was a Latin-American proponent of surrealism; much of the imagery he employs is disquieting or disturbing, like a big eyeball anchoring one composition, or the figure that seems to be built from severed limbs in another — the only unifying element being the suggestion of a lush jungle in the background. The show is in the Manley Gallery on the ground floor of the new wing. Through August 31 at the Colorado Springs Fine Art Center, 30 West Dale Street, Colorado Springs, 719-634-5581, www.csfineartscenter.org.
Patrick Porter. East Colfax Avenue is definitely on the way up. From downtown to Monaco Parkway, storefronts are being spiffed up, shops and restaurants are opening, and people are starting to fill the formerly seedy sidewalks. Several hipster businesses are now mixed in with the dry cleaning plant and the pet groomer, including Ism Gallery. The place is a cross between a commercial operation and an alternative space. It was opened four years ago by budding artist Craig Thomas, who also uses it as his studio. The current show, Patrick Porter: Soopermart Grand Opening, is very uneven, but there are some pieces that really hit their marks. Porter, who grew up in Bailey, is a recognized musician with a number of CDs to his credit, and a published poet with several volumes to his name. And although he's long been interested in painting, this is only his second solo. Porter's paintings have a manic, expressionist character, as though a child had done them in the midst of a headbanging tantrum. Through July 5 at Ism, 3229 East Colfax Avenue, 303-322-6460, www.ismgalleryart.com. Reviewed May 29.
