Everyday Objects

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More About

• Stephanie Jaffe Werner
• Patti Blau
• Nolan Haan
• Ernest Hemingway
• Visual Arts

"Everyday Objects" speaks to the subject matter of three artists, but their exhibit is anything but common. Stephanie Jaffe Werner creates dioramas framed in candy wrappers for dolls dressed in clothes the Miami artist has made from still more brightly colored confectionery packaging. From these objects of childhood whimsy, she has a little fun, playing with words. M&M becomes S&M. The brown wrappers make the perfect garb for dominatrix dolls on a field of "fun" size, yellow peanut M&M bags. Fruity Mike & Ike? Yup, a couple of gay guys — one in a dress and the other in a long jacket of the multicolored packaging — whose diorama is an elaborate stage. Nolan Haan demonstrates that creative block can be wonderful if you just reconceptualize it. He found his inspiration in cinder-block walls, the subject of each of his paintings — each with its own intelligence. Graffiti Isn't What It Used to Be, for instance, juxtaposes images of peeling graffiti with an even older form of free public art — cave painting — on a field of what appears to be concrete block. A Short Story by Ernest Hemingway uses the author's six-word story — "For Sale Baby Shoes (Never Worn)" — as a sign on a wall shadowed by palm fronds. The Fort Lauderdale artist's photorealistic approach creates depth and visual texture even where the acrylic-painted stretched silk is smooth to the touch. Finally, Patti Blau's gouache on paper views vintage domesticity with a skewed perspective as she renders colorful home interiors from the '50s and '60s. (Through January 27 at Meyerhoefer Gallery, 608 Lucerne Ave., Lake Worth. Call 561-533-5332.)