Art Scene

Paintings by Scooter LaForge at Antoine Proulx Design Studio: As far as turnoffs go, self-absorbed pretension is right up there with stained teeth and halitosis. And sadly, our own arts scene is rampant with artists who take themselves too seriously. But Scooter LaForge is the equivalent to teeth bleach and a bottle of mouthwash, as evidenced by his zany and hilarious paintings. His humorously morbid approach to subject matter that ranges from popular Hollywood icons to everyday urban scenes reflects the ease with which he approaches art. His intentionally immature and splotchy painting style works because the silly visual quality is part of the joke. But this isn’t a simple gag; the subject matter — which is often depressing in its own right — is expertly turned into fodder for a hearty, inappropriate laugh. Admission is free and art will be rotated as sold at 3320 N. 44th St. in Phoenix. Call 602-952-1580 or visit www.antoineproulx.com.

"An Infinite Series of Accidental Events" by Matt Mays at Brio Fine Arts Center: There’s no crime in resurrecting an art movement in contemporary work. But you’d better make sure it’s done well. Matt Mays has the formula for abstract expressionism: thick blobs of paint squirted and squished onto the surface of large canvases. But unfortunately for Mays, he’s not bringing anything new to the wall. What he is bringing exhibits a juvenile sense of color, balance, and concept. The color scheme is completely bipolar — earthy browns next to fluorescent yellow — all against the taupe canvas. There’s nothing wrong with clashing colors, but this work doesn’t pull off an edgy or daring vibe. It’s just ugly. Then he moves away from the whole idea of “accidental event” by purposefully manipulating the mounds of paint, scribbling and scratching features into the globs. The shapes become animals or fish as he carves out a mouth and adds a couple of eyeballs. It’s tough to tell what he was going for here and it seems inconsistent with the whole theme. A series of accidental events? That’s one excuse. Admission is free. The show runs through September 28 at 8340 E. Raintree Dr., C-6, Scottsdale. Call 480-941-8310 or visit www.briofinearts.com

"On the Ball" at Sky Harbor Airport Terminal 4, Level 3 Gallery: With millions of travelers cruising through Sky Harbor every year, the art displays surely need to approach crowd-pleasing topics. And what’s more crowd-pleasing than American sports? After all, they cause spectators to scream their brains out with passion on a regular basis. Most of this show is what one would expect — paintings and sculpture of people doing sporty things. There are two artists that really outshine the rest. Keith Stanton has a pretty rad photography trick in which he sets up a scene in miniature and shoots with a macro lens, creating the illusion of true-to-life scale. The photos are convincing at first glance, but because of their bright colors and miniature-model quality, they have a surrealistic edge. The other artist worth your time is Denise Currier, who basically paints with fabric. It’s safe to assume that this woman has made some kickass quilts in her time, as evidenced by the stellar construction of pieced fabrics combined with gorgeous decorative stitching. She creates beautiful plush scenes of golf course landscapes. Admission is free. The show runs through March 30 at 3400 E. Sky Harbor Blvd. Call 602-273-2105 or visit phoenix.gov/skyharborairport.

"My Favorite Year" at the Mill Avenue Post Office: Mill Avenue is one of the best pedestrian-friendly streets in the Valley, especially if you’re looking to rest your eyes on pretty things. Typically, those attractive things take the form of drunken young folk, but the display windows of the post office on Fifth Street have some good-looking art that’s worth a peek. Kenneth Richardson’s works are always a joy — meticulously rendered figures of characters one might see throughout the city, painted over collaged paper and all on top of a found street sign. Melanie Travis’ acrylic paintings have an impeccably sharp pop-art style. Most notable is a work that shows the top half of Smurfette’s head, her eyes peeking over the bottom edge of the canvas. Richardson and Travis emerge as the more desirable artists shown, but their relation to the theme isn’t strong. An impressive collaboration by Logan Bellew and Kristin Metzger may not be as mature, but it’s obvious they were aiming to explore the theme. These two recent high school graduates created a multimedia piece inspired by the artists’ collective experience of rejection, both in personal matters and from their recent applications to universities. An elevated platform covered with moss supports a large tree made from coils and tangles of bent wire. Quiet, contemplative photographs hang from the wires. Below the mossy platform is a floor littered with plastic tubing that curls among blue polished rocks. The tubing is stuffed with blue paper that has excerpts from rejection letters printed on them. Admission is free. Through October 17 at the Mill Avenue Post Office, 500 S. Mill Ave, Tempe. 480-967-2001. www.tempe.gov/arts/exhibitions.