We’ve always known ink-and-paper man Nick Howard to be a pretty well-adjusted guy. He’s smiley. Works at a cheese shop. Good customer service. (And not just with the fromage; last time we bought a drawing from him, he put us on a generously protracted lay-away plan.)
His artwork, though? It could maybe use an Adderall prescription. It’s not just his motifs, though they have been known to creep folks out. Howard draws, almost exclusively, hairy, Tremors-style worm creatures and hoards of sinister, faceless bald men wearing black surgical masks. Also disturbing: Howard renders these motifs in cramped, fastidious detail, oftentimes with a lunatic’s eye toward the infinite. Each worm follicle is combed a different way, each bald man’s head cocked at a different angle.
So this weekend, Howard stars as one half of a two-man show at Rosalux entitled—appropriately enough—”Habitual Nature (Over and Over).” Who’s the other guy? Joel Starkey. We’ve yet to see him show in person, but a quick survey of his online portfolio looks very, very cool. Guy’s got a command of the pen and a firm-handed, tattoo-artist’s sense of detail. But he also seems capable of wil’ing out with some scribbles and some free-from color—as evidenced by his very charming Tumblr page.
Oh, and did we mention the two have collaborated on some kind of sculpture?
We’re excited. To a neurotic, looping degree.
“Habitual Nature (Over and Over)”
Opening Reception Friday, August 3
7–11 p.m.
Rosalux Gallery, 1400 Van Buren St. NE, #195, Mpls.
rosaluxart.org
