The Wondercommon

I had the wonderful opportunity to see Keith Puccinelli discuss his work at Otis College of Art and Design this Saturday. There are times when you see a body of work and make an assumption about the artist and this was definitely the case for me. The eccentric nature and dark humor of the exhibition had me imagining an artist that was anything but a somewhat shy middle-aged guy wearing khaki's, smart brown shoes and a comfortable black fleece pull-over. But alas I must admit, that I know better than to make such assumptions (Knowing that some could of course say the same thing about me and my art, as of course one can not judge a book by its cover.) and once Keith spoke I knew that this certainly was his work and why. In discussing his work Keith showed his humor and his seriousness and how both intertwined in his work. A sense of superb craft and full-fledged and never ending curiosity seemed to be the main stays of his artistic practice while his ideas dealt with issues of his own personal health and morality as well as the present war and its issues. An awareness of current political issues and an isolation into nature for materials and reflection both equally existed in his work. The infusion of humor, albeit dark, kept the work fresh and approachable, as did the range of imagery and techniques shown in the Wondercommon. Its definitely a show to see again and again.