'Emotional Support' by James Rieck

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.

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.

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.

Snowball (2019) by James Rieck

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.