Animal companions are
an important part in the lives of many people and James Rieck captures that
concept perfectly in his latest show entitled Emotional Support. For this show, Rieck presents several paintings
each with its own vibrant color scheme reminiscent of 1960s pop art that depict
cats and dogs with their human companions. The human subjects are women
portrayed with their furry friends in different rooms of their homes. One
cheerful work entitled Buttery depicts
a woman wearing a bright yellow blouse cuddling her fluffy, light brown dog
against her chest with amid a backdrop of white wallpaper and yellow flowers.
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| Buttery (2019) by James Rieck |
Another image entitled Master Bedroom has a turquoise color
scheme and features a woman laughing joyously as she cuddles with her bulldog
on her bed. Two similar images that depict the same black and white cat include
Powder Room with a blue color scheme
depicting a woman with a blonde bob haircut holding her beloved pet as she
stands on the shaggy rug of her bathroom which Rieck captures with great
detail. A similar feline appears in Sun
Room which has a green color scheme and depicts a woman holding her cat as
she strolls dreamily through the room.
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| Powder Room (2019) by James Rieck |
Also on display are
three smaller, oval-shaped paintings like Daisy,
Coco, and Rocky depicting women holding their dogs and Snowball featuring a woman holding her fluffy, white Persian cat.
In each of these works, you can see the sheer happiness on these women’s faces
that can only come with furry companionship.
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| Snowball (2019) by James Rieck |
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| Daisy (2019) by James Rieck |
At the Lyons Wier Gallery,
542 W. 24th St., through June 1st. The gallery is open Tues.—Sat. from 11
a.m.—6 p.m.
