Atelier 17

Twenty degrees? Snowstorm? Add some skin piercing wind and I couldn't think of a better way to turn a quarter of a century old.

Gallivanting downtown, I crossed the street to campus for a return visit to the Palmer Museum of Art. I was the only guest aside from the khaki pants wearing, student-age security guards pacing shuffled circles through the gallery with obvious boredom.

But one exhibition was worth seeing, featuring work from the printmaking studio known as Atelier 17.

Squid under Pier

Much of the work portrayed similar features and techniques; harsh markings, bold forms, and crazy lines spiraling out from the abstracted subject within.

Practicing engraving and intaglio, some of the artists used a method to block the color in certain sections of their design, revealing the very fibers of the paper beneath which causes a great contrast in color, light and shadow, as well as a play on depth in the final image.

To sum up with one word: Brilliant.