"Long Way She Wave"

Marco Villegas pays tribute to a legendary Japanese printmaker

Comments (0) By Nick Paul Thursday, Jul 22 2010

In the last few years, legendary Japanese printmaker Katsushika Hokusai has joined Salvador Dalí and M.C. Escher on the list of artists whose work is most likely to adorn college dorm rooms. His highly energized prints of rampant waves have that kind of instant coolness. Houston artist Marco Villegas pays tribute to Hokusai with “Long Way She Wave,” his series of latex-on-canvas works at Art League Houston. But while his idol’s representations of the ocean were synergistically colorful, Villegas’s are all black and white. The swirling black splotches are organized in rows and go through cycles of getting larger and smaller across the Art League’s walls, supposedly emulating the actual look of rolling waves. (Hokusai was never this conceptual.) 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. Through August 20. 1953 Montrose. For information, call 713-523-9530 or visit www.artleaguehouston.com. Free.

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CORRECTION: Marco Villegas' work for "Long Way She Wave" is not acrylic on canvas, but rather marker drawings on the gallery walls.
July 22-Aug. 20, 2010