Like a kindergartner, Donald Baechler always seems like he's painting with a brush that's way too big. But the artist somehow manages to channel the "childlike" without getting hokey, and he's offering up his appealingly lumpy work at McClain Gallery with "Donald Baechler: Sculptures and Paintings."
His series of flower paintings, crudely rendered black silhouettes on gloppy grounds, are nice but get a little repetitive.
The real standouts in the show are Baechler's absurdly flat bronze sculptures.
A misshapen teacup sprouts roughly formed tulips when viewed from the front, but when you walk to the side, the work practically disappears. It's a really witty piece.
There's a wonderful consistency between the paintings and the sculptures - the 3D works look like they were cut straight from the artist's canvases.
Through April 30. 2242 Richmond Avenue, 713-520-9988.
