Jeff Tabor experiments with watercolors at Backstage Gallery

By Felicia Menard
HippoPress.com

Be prepared not to like the imagery in "Monhegan Island and New England Landscapes."

It is shocking, frenetic, expressionistic, and uneven. At first glance, the watercolors are the least resolved of Jeff Tabor's paintings on exhibit at the Backstage Gallery in Derry.

Until you get to the oil paintings. Is Tabor illustrating the myth of the male genius as he stabs at his canvases? Or is he a prolific artist who experiments with many styles of painting? His scenes of Monhegan Island read as angry Caribbean seascapes. Angry Caribbean-now that's a paradox.

Perhaps Tabor is just messing with us. Within many paintings, he proves he can paint moodily and ethereally. Then in the same painting, he adds a frothy, textured icing on a wave that spoils the painting. At times, he retains the frenzy of a young Jackson Pollock but with the deliberate brushwork of a Joan Mitchell.

That being said, the more time I spent with the paintings, the more I liked them.

His large-scale works bring out the ferocity of the ocean. Two small-scale paintings of dusky mountains and evergreens hang behind the grand salon's chandelier. Although the best and most consistent work in the show, they need to be reframed. The complex, dimensional frames steal the thunder from the artwork.

The real star of the show is the gallery, which is situated in the Adams Memorial Opera House. The building was built in 1903. Two and a half years ago, it was nearing demolition. Artist/owner Christine Miller renovated the gallery space retaining all of the charm from the turn of the century.

"Monhegan Island and New England Landscapes" by Jeff Tabor at The Backstage Gallery of Fine Art, 29 West Broadway, Derry, through April 12. Call 432-1884 for more information. A reception for the artist takes place on Saturday, March 1 from 3 to 6 pm.

Felicia Menard can be reached at hippo@hippopress.com