What a wonderful trip upstate I had this weekend to see shows and artist-friends, even squeezing in a studio visit. Over the week I'll post images from my other stops, but I wanted to start with my first visit, at the Lockwood Gallery in Kingston, NY. On view are Garry Nichols, Susan Mastrangelo and Kevin Paulsen. In sheer quantity of wall space and exuberance, Garry's work took over, filling three rooms, including the lobby and external walls. His infinite imagination, emanating from his love and respect for his homeland, Tasmania, Australia, and his lack of respect for the hypocrisies of government and civilized society, ooze throughout his work. Painted on huge wall-size to small hand-size canvases - and even a weather vane - are a bravura of volumetric lines and movements of symbols, metaphors and foliage reminiscent of Tasmanian, mainland Australian, and aboriginal heritages. Kevin Paulsen's work of what appears as imaginary dream-stories that even include old sailing boats similar to those found in Garry's art, and Susan Mastrangelo 's collages of organic volumes and brilliant colors that subtly relate to the curved architecture of Garry's art make the entire galley exhibition a cohesive display of three very strong artists.