Beyond dynamic

While JayJay kicks off the year celebrating modernism, its first show of 2006 is very much about movement—so much that it can be dizzying. Scultpure by Chico native Roger Berry and paintings and monotypes by Susan Keizer make an energetic coupling of work, on display until February 25. Berry uses Corten steel or bronze to fashion his larger-than-life, constructivist-inspired scultpures. But it’s beyond just a play on shadows and light. It’s more about line and form, which you really sense, taking in Berry’s long, elegantly distorted bands of metal from all angles. Obviously, building constraints limit the display of Berry’s other monolithic works, like “Clover.” The 18-foot-by-20-foot sculpture, located in rural Yolo County off Highway 113, throws a rusty arc into the azure sky.

Keizer’s abstracts move past being dynamic. They border on the frenzied, as in “Monday/Friday 9A,” her monotype on chine-collé. Swatches of blue and red swirl with energy. You can see where a dry brush has left individual, minute lines, all united in movement. Other areas feature a whirling little tornado cloud, like the funnels that kick up dust on a windy valley day, threatening to grow and consume everything in their path. In a curious juxtaposition of organic, weather-induced spheres and manmade ones, croquet or bocce balls take a place in several of Keizer’s pieces.

But wait; there’s more. Across the parking lot from the main gallery at 5520 Elvas Avenue, a 2,000-square-foot annex features the work of 15 artists from the gallery’s stable. It allows a taste of previous shows, in case you missed them. For more information, call (919) 453-2999.