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Review: Of Paris and southern Illinois at Philip Slein

This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Feb. 10, 2011 - Jamie Adams' For "Paris Dream'n" at the Philip Slein Gallery, local artist and Washington University professor Jamie Adams has gathered a sampling of drawings, paintings and studies from his "jeannie" series.

Adams has invented characters and settings that combine autobiographical details, art historical references, and -- most important -- inspiration from the American actress Jean Seberg and her role in Jean-Luc Godard's classic 1960 film "Breathless."

The works also show off Adams' considerable range of technical skills, from sleek, high-finish grisaille oil painting to ink drawings worthy of the old masters. Adams has developed something truly original with this series. It ought to bring him the kind of attention in St. Louis that he enjoys in other cities.

Mel Watkin's "Trunk Show," curated by Dana Turkovic, presents a generous yet discriminating selection of Watkin's recent drawings on graph paper.

Watkin closely studies plants and trees growing in southern Illinois and translates them into surreal flora-fauna hybrids that look like the products of fevered dreams. The graph paper lends them the veneer of authority, as does Watkin's steady hand and eye for detail; but like all Watkin's works, these drawings are rich in beauty and humor as well, indications of the breadth and intensity of her imagination.

Ivy Cooper, a professor at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, is the Beacon art critic. 

Ivy Cooper
Ivy Cooper is the Beacon visual arts reviewer and a professor of art at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.