Large heads top body of new work

Large heads and other curious endeavors are not genetic experiments gone awry. Juneau artists Nikki Morris and Patrick Ripp have spent the past two years preparing a body of work to showcase in an exhibit they're calling "Large heads and Other Curious Endeavors." About 18 of their paintings will be featured at the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council gallery this month, including oversized portraits and landscapes conjured from dreams and travels.

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"We've both done these really big portraits," Morris said. "I have one and Patrick has two. Mine is 36 by 36 (inches)."

In addition, the two artists will display abstracts and landscapes. Morris said her landscapes are not from the great outdoors but from her imagination.

"For me painting is a lot about the exploration of color," she said. "(A landscape) is a framework to base the color on. So I'm not so concerned about perspective or things like that."

"Large Heads and Other Curious Endeavors"

Paintings by Patrick Ripp and Nikki Morris

Opening reception: 4:30-6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4.

Exhibit: through Oct. 25.

Where: Juneau Arts and Humanities Council gallery,

206 North Franklin St.

Morris and Ripp have been friends since both started painting in 1996. They paint together a few Sunday mornings each month, comparing notes and exchanging suggestions. Two years ago they set a goal to create a body of work for a gallery show.

"It was kind of a dare," she said.

Ripp is a physical therapist by profession. Out of personal interest he began studying French at the University of Alaska Southeast in the mid-1990s. He took a drawing class from Jane Terzis on a whim and fell in love with making art. He continued studying French, painting and drawing at UAS and eventually moved to France for a year.

"I lived in France from 1999 to 2000," Ripp said. "My intention was to study art and produce a lot of art. I wasn't that productive, but I took in a lot of art."

Ripp's landscapes are based on his travels to Europe. He does many in a pointillist style, applying small dots or strokes of color so that from a distance they blend together. Last spring he went to Sweden and Denmark, and his most recently completed painting was inspired by a photograph he took last spring near the border of Spain and Portugal.

Morris also studied art at UAS and earned a bachelors of fine arts degree with an emphasis in sculpture and ceramics. Her painting took off after she graduated.

Many of her sculptures are in the wearable art category and the arts council show will feature about a half-dozen hats - the "curious endeavors" portion of the exhibit. She's created a number of hats over the past 10 years as costume pieces for Perseverance Theatre productions, including a pheasant-bedecked number for the current show, "Dirty Blonde."

Morris said the two artists' paintings are complementary for a joint show because both produce vivid, colorful work.

"We both enjoy texture in our painting, that's a common theme," Ripp said.

The opening reception for "Large Heads and Other Curious Endeavors" is Friday evening. The arts council gallery is also open to visitors weekday afternoons.

Riley Woodford can be reached at rileyw@juneauempire.com.