A very interesting thing about the new exhibition "Meadows Art Now" is the surprise of scale - between my expectations of scale from seeing the images of the works and the reality of the actual pieces.

The invitation images were Susan Barnett's "Adrift" , Du Chau's "Fern Leaf II" and Mary Vernon's "Still Life with Dictator."

Susan Barnett, "Adrift", 2008, Oil on canvas

Du Chau, "Fern Leaf II", 2007, Porcelain

Mary Vernon, "Still Life with Dictator", 2008, Oil on Masonite

In my mind, Barnett's painting was 14 feet wide.
Here it is in person:

Susan Barnett, "Adrift", 2008, Oil on canvas, 15" x  42"

Du Chau's piece also seemed epic in scale.. massive, heavy and monolithic.  But in reality, it is oddly small and intimate:

Du Chau, "Fern Leaf II", 2007, Porcelain, 116" x 14" x 2.5"

Mary Vernon's paiinting I also imagined large scale (is there a trend here in my visualization?): an 8' square painting with life-size figures.   It also is not:

Mary Vernon, "Still Life with Dictator", 2008, Oil on Masonite, 30" x 30"

The conclusion to this experience is good and valuable: each piece is BETTER than I had imagined it from photographs:  quirkier, smarter, more immediate and more compelling.

Art in person is a good thing.