As she made clear in her review, Art Attack arts writer Meredith Deliso liked Lillian Warren's "Wait with Me," our suggestion for a visit on Friday.
Warren's paintings show people in a variety of poses, all of them seemingly waiting. One's looking at his watch, another's standing with his arms crossed, others are fiddling with their cell phones. All of them are passive and idle, as if on hold. Adding to the sense of inactivity is the fact that some paintings seem incomplete. The people are outlined in faint black lines, with only some of their body parts colored in with vague, watercolor-like washes.
Deliso wrote: "It's hard not to enjoy this work. It's so human and familiar and contemporary in a "the way we live now" kind of sense. Warren perfectly captures that sense of isolation you can feel while in a crowd of people. And in the faces of the people just staring off into space, there's this haunting, depressing sense of counting the seconds and waiting for the inevitable passage of time, however long that might be."
See "Wait with Me" 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, noon to 5 p.m. Saturdays. The exhibit continues through September 29. Lawndale Art Center, 4912 Main. For information, visit the center's Web site or call 713‑528‑5858.
Throwback orchestra Mercury has a unique but dedicated approach to performance in that it seeks not only to bring period pieces to an ever-expanding audience, but to play those pieces on period-specific instruments in an effort to more fully realize the composer's original vision. Mercury is performing Blazing Baroque, a celebration of one of the most accessible periods of classical music, on Saturday at Miller Outdoor Theatre.
The program, featuring Jonathan Godfrey on violin, will showcase concertos from the likes of Antonio Vivaldi and Arcangelo Corelli, and will also include some more obscure works by Pietro Locatelli. Locatelli is a fairly mysterious artist often seen as the bridge between Corelli and Vivaldi who is best known for the L'arte del violino, a collection of pieces that -allow talented violinists plenty of room in the capricci to solo and shine. Mercury will be performing Concerto No. 1 in D Major from that work.
Leading the orchestra will be conductor Antoine Plante, who along with Godfrey, Ana Treviño-Godfrey and Lori Muratta, founded what was then a small chamber orchestra known as Mercury Baroque. The size of the orchestra has grown over the last 12 years, and so has its scope. No longer limited to just baroque-era music, the group recently changed its name to Mercury -- The Orchestra Redefined. Whatever it's called, the group remains one of our favorites when it comes to classical music.
See Mercury on Saturday at 8 p.m. at Miller Outdoor Theatre, 6000 Hermann Park Dr. For information, visit the orchestra's Web site or call 713-533-0080.
On Sunday, dog lovers are invited to G Gallery's "Dog Park," a show exclusively made up of artistic representations of man's (and woman's) best friend. The mediums include sculpture, photography and painting. One of our favorites is the neon green close-up seen above, though we're also partial to one that shows a lovely woman in an evening gown taking her wild-eyed, psycho dog for a walk on a grassy green hill. There are even some bizarre collage works, including a sad-looking dachshund with an Olympic skier's body and the caption, "Put a little variety in your dog's life."
"Dog Park" has an opening reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday. Both humans and well-behaved canines are welcomed to the opening. If you haven't got a pooch of your own, you can pick one up at the opening, where rescue dogs will be up for adoption. Regular viewing hours are noon to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays through September 30. 301 E. 11th St. For information, visit the gallery's Web site or call 713-869-4770.
Jef with One F contributed to this post.