The kingdom Animalia takes the spotlight in an online-only exhibition at www.abendgallery.com. From domestic pets to elusive wild creatures, the subjects are as diverse as the artists in this group show.
Artists include 3rd Version (Ben Patterson), Morgan Cameron, Christopher Clark, Marina Dieul, Thorgrimur Einarsson, Diego Glazer, Austin Howlett, Deb Komitor, Lindsey Kustusch, Calvin Lai, Claudia Griesbach-Martucci, Patrick Maxcy, Susan McDonnell, Yuko Montgomery, Patrick Nevins, Kirsten Savage, Brian Sostrom, Corina St. Martin, Christy Stallop, Shawn Sullivan, Sophy Tuttle and Jess Wathen.
Deb Komitor, Hidden Secrets, oil on cradleboard, 20 x 24"
Abend Gallery’s associate director Samantha Manion-Chavez says, “The cute and docile meet the fearsome predator in this exhibition.”
McDonnell says her paintings often express her affinity for night creatures. “Being a night owl myself, I included a lizard in the painting, an animal usually only seen in the daylight.” The artist lives in Minnesota where nature is abundant as is access to dark skies. The storybook feel of her realist animal paintings comes from her love of Beatrix Potter and Lewis Carroll. 
Diego Glazer, Shadow’s Edge, oil on canvas, 60 x 72"
Like McDonnell, Komitor paints benevolent wild animals. Owls and foxes figure heavily in her forest paintings, totemic spirits who reign over the forest. Look closer and you might see hummingbirds whispering to the owls and foxes. Komitor says the inspiration for Hidden Secrets came from her own recent emotional state. “I was feeling detached from my true self,” she says. “Lightness and joy were getting buried under the weight of the world.” Partially hidden in the foliage, the fox is afraid to come out and perform his protective role. He is counterbalanced by the hummingbird who Komitor says represents universal joy. 
Susan McDonnell, Night Owls, oil on panel, 24 x 18"
Austin-based painter Stallop goes full-on whimsy with her portraits of grackles. Often considered pests, these ubiquitous black birds are a source of humor for Stallop. “They are pushy, aggressive, funny,” she says. “Add to that their awkward movements while flashing iridescent blue, purple and bronze feathers and you have a very entertaining bird.” Stallop amplifies the birds’ natural goofiness and adorns them with cigarettes, luchador masks, bandanas and eyeglasses.
Figurative painter Dieul also puts animals in unusual poses. A master of the trompe-l’oeil style, Dieul creates vignettes in which cats, mice, birds, and even a raccoon peek through window frames. 
Marina Dieul, Le Festin, oil on canvas, 10½ x 6"
Meanwhile, Glazer takes a straightforward approach to wildlife painting. In Shadow’s Edge, a cougar is captured as himself. Picking his way among the red rocks of a Southwestern landscape, the cat is momentarily distracted by the blur of a bumblebee. “The fleeting effect of light at this time of day makes the colors look rich,” Glazer says. “While the rocks and vegetation might seem highly detailed at a distance, they have actually been resolved through the use of various paint textures.” Glazer most often paints figures and landscapes. He started out studying art in Querétaro, Mexico, where he was raised and earned a degree from the Instituto Allende, in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and then moved to Florence, Italy, where he completed a three-year program at the Angel Academy of Art.
In all, Manion-Chavez says the pieces in Animalia are “inspired by the symbiosis of all nature…The work accesses the artists’ wild, untamed visions of fauna and transposes them into the virtual gallery.” —
Abend Gallery 1261 Delaware Street, Suite 2 • Denver, CO 80204 • (303) 355-0950 • www.abendgallery.com
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