Mirage, the group show featuring Adeline Burton, Forest Henn, Lily Leigh S, Marlee White, Megan Thayer, and Natalie Starks, feels like a dream. The mix of styles gives the show a chaotic, frenzied energy. The sensation is wistful—full of longing—and a hint of nostalgia runs through the works. Mirage is a show that slips away just as you get close to it.

Natalie Starks
*Ghost Stories*
Oil on canvas
48” x 60"

Burton's work consists of softened figures positioned awkwardly, caught in relatable moments. The pieces are intimate & vulnerable. They have a voyeuristic feeling—like the viewer stumbled into the figure’s private life.

Adeline Burton
*The Calm*
Oil on Canvas
30"x40"

Henn’s mixed media pieces are frenetic and raw. Text, color, and line crash into each other, forming tense, angsty images. The work has a neurotic quality that contributes an edgy aesthetic to the group.

Forest Henn
*End*
Mixed media on paper
10” x 12"

Leigh S’s and Starks’ landscape work is moody and surreal, centering on quiet scenes in familiar locations: bedrooms, gas stations, and nearby woods. Both artists excel at drawing attention to the mundane. The subjects of White and Burton’s work could easily reside in the 1914 series or be a presence in Ghost Stories.

Lily Leigh S.
*Old World*
Oil on canvas
40” x 60"

White has two pieces in the show, both in striking red hues that radiate heat. Each reminds the viewer of youthful summers spent with friends, wasting time on hot days and long nights. The warm colors evoke sepia polaroids. The feminine figures are at the edge of adolescence.

Marlee White
*My Supper*
Oil paint on canvas
40" x 60"

Thayer’s pop art pieces bring a playful element to the group; child-like imagery connects her work. Her bright, excited linework pops off black canvases to highlight beads and a cellphone-shaped compact. Lines on pink hearts remind viewers of folded paper, like a love note to your crush.

Meghan Thayer
*Love, Meghan*
Oil paint on canvas
44" x 34"

Several works in the show touch on things remembered: stories, toys, emotions. Taken together, the images feel like they are just outside the viewer’s reach. Detailed snapshots sit in context with blurred images and abstracted collages. The show leaves you thirsting for more. The meaning shifts beneath your feet as the audience draws their own conclusions. Mirage is deceptive, at first appearing disjointed then merging into something ephemeral and bittersweet.

See Mirage in the Hank & Dolly’s Gallery throughout the month of May.