Art Reviews

Artists connect the dots for their unique creations

Invented by Detroit artists Stephen Goodfellow and Lowell Boileau, Micropointillism is a bit like painting in the dark. By spraying specific blocked-off areas of a canvas with primary colors-yellow, then red and blue -the artists create their images. But the process of blocking results in a murky haze of purplish-green over the entire surface. Using a garden hose and tap water, the artists wash off this layer of paint to magically reveal the picture underneath. Microscopic sprayed dots of red, yellow and blue fuse at a distance into Goodfellow images of contemporary cartoon-like myths or Boileau visions of the city today. The mix of paint can make several hundred different colors. The images have a printed quality, as though they were woven into the canvas.

Goodfellow and Boileau have taught a number of other local artists how to paint with the technique. This home-grown group, including Sandy Zenisek, Trischa Kniffen, Ricardo Maldonado, Brewster Luttrell, Denise Rankin, John Nagridge, Sandra Kassa, Irene Piazza, Lynn Sable and Margaret McGuinness, is showing just what can be done at the Michigan Gallery, 2661 Michigan Ave., Detroit, through Oct. 29. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

By Marsha Miro, Free Press Art Critic

Artist Margaret McGuinness uses a microscope to view display examples by Photos by Melanie Stengel Lowell Boileau.

Stephen Goodfellow looks at a display of his paintings.

Lowell Boileau washes off a painting in progress behind the Michigan Gallery.

A detail of a painting called "Power and Light" includes a magnified portion.

Part of "Snowman" by John Nagridge shown with a magnified portion.