Review: Maegan Kauffman

University of Oklahoma student Maegan Kauffman opened an exhibit of paintings, charcoal drawings and ceramics last Thursday at the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center Gallery. I missed the opening, but I made it by the exhibit on Friday while I was out visiting other openings.

Kauffman draws/paints the human form, and her smaller works, rife with subtle detail, are quite stunning. The larger pieces, by comparison, seem to lack the painstaking detail that make the smaller works so riveting, and so they fall short.

Some of the standout pieces, in my opinion, include the charcoal drawings "At a Gaze," which I considered Kauffman's best portrait; "Lust" and "Wet," both of which were fine drawings of hands; and the painting "Grieving."

The larger silhouettes almost seemed hurried or rushed. I think, had Kauffman incorporated the detail that she did in her smaller works, the paintings would have been quite impressive. It also appeared as though Kauffman is more comfortable working with charcoal than she is oil or acrylic paint.

Her ceramic works, which include bowls, vases, cups and mugs, are also quite beautiful and so reasonably priced that, by the time I made it to the gallery, only a day after the show opened, most had already been purchased.

The exhibit runs through the month of February at 621 E. Fourth St. Gallery hours are Monday-Saturday, 3-9pm.