There is more than one trick at One Trick Pony

There’s more than one trick at One Trick Pony!

Immediately when you enter this lovely restaurant, you look to the right and see eight wonderful works of art.The pieces near the front window have beautiful natural lighting. The subject matter of this collection certainly has diversity. Included are abstracts, landscapes, still lives, portraits, and animal paintings. There are no controversial subject matters nor any piece that seems to generate much conversation at all. Most of the subject matter has been done before so the connection and aim seem to be skill and technique. And if this were the case, then it is certainly displayed in the two wonderful abstract pieces of the venue, Midnight Madness by Jeanette Van Der Veen and Desire by Molly Axe.

Midnight Madness is an acrylic painting done in a rich midnight blue/black with a complimentary orange along the focal point line. In the center is a burst of light blue and purple paint that really brings the painting alive. It adds contrast and visual interest. I would say it is masterfully done!  Both are intriguing and move you to feel. Maybe calm, maybe excited, curious, awe inspired, it will change for every viewer, but isn't that the true beauty of abstract art? You open yourself up to it, allowing your eye to slowly roll over the whole thing, and let it sway your emotions freely. If you look at it long enough, it will most surely remind you of something, a time, event, or emotion. Latch on to that feeling and silently thank the artist for allowing you to escape to another memory, even if just for a moment.

Desire by Molly Axe is a monochromatic acrylic painting in a black frame. At first glance I immediately thought of calming blue waters and tranquility. Upon closer examination I read the title, and observed a little longer. The artist cleverly put the lightest and brightest blue in the center of the canvas. So although the floral petals lead your eye outside of the painting, the highlighted center grabs it right back again. The best work makes you look at it. If not you walk right by, or in the case of art, it goes in one eye and out the other.

The most striking contribution is Poppies by Julie McLellan. It is a complex piece is composed of seventeen canvases of all different shapes and sizes. The flowers on this artwork jump out at you, not because the canvas is raised, but because the color of the flowers are so brilliantly contrasted by the green back ground and light blue highlights. The split complimentary color scheme is very pleasing to the eye. The unique combination of the assortment of canvases will spark you curiosity enough to walk at least ten feet in each direction, just to see the painting shift! This stunning piece is reminiscent of those iconic paintings of poppies by Claude Monet, and the vivid brush marks of Vinvent van Gogh. 

Mona Jean by Robyn Bomhof, is a parody of da Vinci's Mona Lisa. Although I appreciate the connection to art history and enjoy the painting technique used on this piece, variations and parodies of the painting are not uncommon. 

The remaining pieces are Sunny Geraniums by Rose Ellis, a masterfully done depiction of a flowers sunny day in oil, Lake Michigan Twilight, by Bunny Terwee, which hits home to all of us lake shore dwellers."....Open?" by Linda Hopkins is a lovely watercolor of an abandoned store front.  And last but certainly not least, the odd ball of the bunch Blatypus by Tim Pospisil. He has combined a bat and a platypus in extreme detail swooping through the air after a butterfly. It is highly technical and beautifully done.   

      Overall, One Trick Pony is a pleasant, quiet setting to enjoy great food and fantastic art.