Artist/curator Matthew Deleget saw current work by abstract artists Henry Brown, Douglas Melini, Gilbert Hsiao and Terry Haggerty, and something clicked. Although each of the four artists were working independently, Deleget saw a connection between their pattern-based work. He saw ย“Machine Learning,ย” the newest exhibit at Gallery Sonja Roesch, which showcases reductive art.

Donย’t know what ย“reductive artย” is? ย“Reductive art is similar to minimal art ย… itย’s taking everything to its bare essence, just color or line or pattern,ย” says Ariane Roesch, assistant gallery director. One example of this ย“bare essenceย” attitude is Revolver II, a painting on a round canvas. Bright-red, white, green, orange and black lines run from the outer edge to a center point where they meet and bend back, running to the outer edge again.

Roesch says the term ย“machine learningย” was coined by curator Matthew Deleget. ย“Machine learning is about machines recognizing patterns in the environment and reacting intelligently to that,ย” she says. ย“These four painters work with patternsย…[Deleget]ย’s the one who tied them together, but the four artists were not thinking about a single concept. Still, their work has a surprising cohesiveness to it. I think itย’s very accessible. Itย’s bright colors. People relate to the colors and the patterns. You can see the work that went into the painting. Itย’s a very accessible show on many levels.ย” 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Through May 3. 2309 Caroline. For information, 713-659-5424 or visit www.gallerysonjaroesch.com. Free.

Tuesdays-Saturdays, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Starts: March 8. Continues through May 3, 2008

This article appears in Mar 13-19, 2008.