This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, June 1, 2011 - "Take 4" at PSTL Gallery is a tidy show of work by four of St. Louis' best artists.
Greg Edmondson's untitled construction of pencil, tape and vellum looks like a blueprint sprung to life. The smudgy fingerprints and haphazard taping tell the tale of the work's making; it's an interesting hybrid of drawing, sculpture, and design.
Juan William Chavez presents two altered photographs from his "Drawing Space" collection, focusing on the theme of mortality in the film "Blade Runner." Using charcoal powder he artificially distresses the photos, which look like relics from a future past.
Jamie Kreher's large print on vinyl includes the repeated image of doors leading to an abandoned store in a scene that's visually beautiful and forlorn at once.
Brett Williams' "Blur 1" and "Blur 2" are videos with sound, one presented on a monitor and another fitted under a grate in the floor. The video's colorful patterns remain just beyond recognition, and the grate piece, in particular, evokes the mystery of what lurks under the floorboards.
Ivy Cooper, a professor at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, is the Beacon art critic.