Extraordinary Leaded Glass

A A A Comments By Marya Summers Thursday, Dec 20 2007

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Art is not only illuminating; sometimes, it's illuminated. This is certainly true of "Extraordinary Leaded Glass," an exhibit of the work of the late Jackson Hall. You can't really think of leaded, stained glass without thinking of windows — whether religious imagery glowing in churches or Frank Lloyd Wright's luminous geometric art in housing masterpieces. Though Hall's works often contain mystical themes and geometric lines, he doesn't do windows! On display in light boxes are a tarot series, the queens and aces of each suit as well as a few others. Displayed on stands are some graceful floral still lifes. These, while two-dimensional like their windows counterparts, evoke art deco and Tiffany design. The artist also has created free-standing bifold screens that can be set on table tops. Bruce in the City is a hinged diptych where the left panel uses a palette of oranges and blues to render a chiseled figure (with leaded nipples) against an angular city skyline, and the right panel is simply clear square panes of glass. Though the table-top sculpture is not heralded in the exhibit title, Hall's neon and Plexi interpretations of South Beach buildings, such as 11 Ocean Dr. and 21 Ocean Dr., echo the simple yet graceful lines of the buildings' art deco design. Hall's work is featured among the gallery's mélange of contemporary art. (Through December 30 at Art Expressions, 1438 NE 26th St., Fort Lauderdale. Call 954-537-9000.)

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