Crafty Work

I really wanted to like Joan Snyder's new work on display at Betty Cunningham Gallery. Snyder has been painting for 35 years and she seems to doggedly follow her own personal muse. I like the "painting" part of these works; it's the mixed media element that I could do without. Seeds, twigs, rosebuds, and papier mache are glued onto the linen canvas and painted over. Unfortunately, this is a little too "arts and crafts" for me. Ponds are a motif here, and even these get the crafty treatment of bunched-up burlap creating the pond's edge. Fortunately, the mixed media doesn't come across in these reproductions. (Images via Betty Cunningham gallery)