At The 806, a newly opened coffee shop/lounge/cafe at 2816 S.W. Sixth Ave., paintings by Mardy Lemmons are on display. He is an artist who over a number of years has intently gone his own way.
I've respected his way, but it also confuses me. Some of his paintings are representational, others abstract. Carefully modeled three-dimensionality appears in some, while others are quite flat. And then, in regard to the subject he's best known for, the nude (mostly female), he seems intent on contradicting sexiness.
"Bad Habit," for example, makes an initial impression as sensual exposure. Its subject appears to be biting her nails - a "bad habit" - but maybe that also has something to do with her nakedness.
Vulnerability is another factor to consider: the apparent vulnerability of the figure, but also our own susceptibility to mixed feelings. Is physicality a burden, or opportunity? It's a painting with "attitude" - seemingly very different from "IV," which at first appears to be a large abstraction manipulating nuances of closely related tones until the medical IV comes into focus. Learning that the inspiration for this came from the artist's tenure in a hospital bed adds another dimension of attitude.
Which seemingly has no place in the three abstract paintings in The 806's back room, which combine into a successful triptych.
There, Lemmons' assertion that "They're all about composition" seems appropriate.
But then there's "Progress Restrained," in which the upper torso of a male nude appears on cut-apart metal sheets mounted on metal lath, an image combining muscular power with material deconstruction. It's strong in its handling of the medium, but feelings generated by looking at it at length pulled me strongly into the realm of "attitude."
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