This exhibition is full of sumptuous textures, elegant details, and surfaces that are not what they seem.

Much of the work has a three dimensional quality, from freestanding sculptures by Nin McQuillen, Janos Enyedi, and Jerry Meatyard to Joyce Scalzo's porcelain wall pieces and Irina Moldovan's deeply textured gold leaf paintings. Akiko Kotani's silk stitched works appear flat from afar, but closer inspection reveals a beautifully tactile stitched design on highly textured hand woven silk fabric, and Michael Crabb's paintings are all about depth, with numerous layers revealed through his unusual painting technique.

Joyce Scalzo's porcelain sculptures defy gravity, with thin layers that ripple and fold, they look more like paper than clay. The surface of Janos Enyedi's sculpture maquettes is breathtaking, but viewers are always taken aback when they realize the objects are made of paper and Illustration board, not the Corten steel that they mimic.

Many of the works are small in scale. All are elegant, thoughtful, contemplative pieces with richly layers surfaces, delicate nuances, and a certain peaceful balance.
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REVIEW
Well Balanced: Petit Four
by Maggie Duffy
Tampa Bay Times
Dec 20, 2018

"The Leslie Curran Gallery’s physical space is great for displaying a wide variety of art, colorful or stark, minimal or complex, large-scale or miniature. It’s not a large space, but the combination of light that pours in from the front windowpane and its crisp white walls make it feel airy. The team there is talented not only at curation but also at displaying work in a way that never feels crowded. The current exhibition, Petit Four, is a testament to how beautifully a mix of textures, surfaces and scale can be shown all at once.

During the holiday season, the inclination can be to pack in as much work as possible, but with “Petit Four,” just seven artists were selected. Many of the works are small in scale, gifts for an art lover. Even against the white walls, Joyce Scalzo’s creamy porcelain wall sculptures make a statement in delicacy, resembling folded paper. In the center of the gallery, Janos Enyedi’s sculpture maquettes look like his large-scale, richly patinated industrial metal sculptures, yet they’re paper. Speaking of maquettes, a number were discovered in the studio of the late sculptor Jerry Meatyard. Cleaned up, they look meant to be paired with Akiko Kotani’s elegant silk stitched “drawings,” pictured. Michael Crabb’s abstract paintings arranged with his graphite and ink drawings is a delicious juxtaposition. Nin McQuillen’s minimalist sculptures remind us why less is more, while Irina Moldova’s grids of rich color and gold leaf make the case for extravagance."