HOME IS WHERE THE ART IS
@
UNIVERSITY PARK GALLERY

2170 S. Josephine St.

The floors of Cat Martinez's home at 2170 S. Josephine Street cushion the feet with creamy oriental carpets. The walls are warm wood. Her house, also known as University Park Gallery of Fine Art, may not give a viewer a bracing experience-- at least not this month-- but it's a comfortable place to relax, sip some coffee blended by the Hopi, and view some strong pieces. As Martinez says, "It's really invited people in."

Martinez and her husband are collectors who've decided to open their home, and their vision, to Denver. "This is a very large house," she said. "One day we were sitting in the living room and thinking, 'How will we ever get this filled with art? '"

This month, the entire first floor is filled with Southwestern-influenced painting and photography. One room is devoted to the oils of Renee Rowe, known primarily for her direction of the Merrill Johnson Gallery. Another room is filled with photography Lara Usinowicz took in Mexico; the front lobby displays Susan de Santis's watercolor Western landscapes.

The strongest of the latter, Bed & Breakfast in Taos, shows good use of light. The walls, wooden pillars, and sign in the painting fairly glow. Another, Ghost Ranch Garden, captures the feathery quality of dry grasses. Usinowicz's photography also captures light, sometimes on buildings, such as on the milky, stained walls of the Casa de la Moneda. The bulk of her work, however, reflects her background in photojournalism, creating little vignettes out of an old man in front of an orange wall, or a child riding a tricycle in a courtyard.

"I actually spent seven months travelling in Mexico. I started in Baja, took the ferry to the mainland and meandered my way into central Mexico without an itinerary. The photos represent my vision of Mexico; each is a small piece of my vision," Usinowicz said.

Her favorite shot, Nice Melons, shows the back of the pickup truck with three watermelons and a decal of Jessica Rabbit on the back window. "I was drawn in by the intense color of the watermelons," she said, "and then I saw the decal."

Rowe's works range from landscapes to studies of students on benches. The most captivating ones are the tiniest, such as the Bellingham Dock series and On the Canal. She conveys energy in these small canvases, showing the closefitting feel of urban waterscapes.

Although the overall feel of this month's show was very Western, Martinez does not select on the basis of theme. Rather, she groups pieces that she feels would go well together; her last show featured contemporary sculpture. University Park's next show will go up April 7, featuring the metal sculpture of Joe Medclif. --Kate Williamson