Jennifer Davis: Through the Looking Glass

An insecure-looking girl hugs herself as a giant pink orb hangs over her head. A creature plays with dolls, its skull popped open to release red vines that reach beyond the painting. A boy extends his arms above his head, reaching for a colorfully pastel school bus as if he were underwater. These images may sound creepy or unsettling, but Jennifer Davis paints with a generous dash of whimsy and a wink and nod to the fantastical. It's no mistake that "Through the Looking Glass" features so many images of animals and people with things hanging over or emerging from their open heads; rather than paint the outside world, Davis prefers to explore the mind: our insecurities, fears, and emotions. What results are pastel paintings and images that have emerged from Davis's sherbet-hued dreamscape.
June 20-Aug. 16, 2008