When I get out to First Friday, I’m usually looking for something a little bit different. Don’t get me wrong, I love stopping in galleries like Artists’ House, and I stared for quite a while at Adam Vinson’s tiny realist oil painting “Pear and Marble” last Friday. However, as a photographer, I’m often drawn more strongly to three dimensional work, which is why the current exhibition at Wexler Gallery is one of my top picks this month, along with shows at Brave New Worlds and Gallery ML.

Roy Lichtenstein

Sydney Cash // William Morris

Brent Kee Young // David Trubridge

I found some interesting jewelry and glass sculptures on the ground floor at Wexler Gallery, including a dish set by Roy Lichtenstein, a hypnotizing light sculpture created by reflections and shadows by Sydney Cash, and this blown glass bird sculpture by William Morris.  However, my fancy was really tickled once I stepped up the stairs to the gallery’s second floor. I loved this delicate and sculptural glass chair by Brent Kee Young and was mesmerized by the lines created by David Trubridge’s Garden Bench.  One of the exhibits that just opened on Friday is Hideaki Miyamura‘s beautiful collection of ceramic vessels and sculptures that exemplify his uniquely iridescent and almost holographic style of glazing.

Hideaki Miyamura

Hideaki Miyamura

Next, for something a little different, I checked out “Sonic Generation” at Brave New Worlds which celebrates the 20th anniversary of Sonic the Hedgehog (and, of course, Tails!). I never had a video game console growing up, but I still managed to play the first world of Sonic about a million times and watched the cartoon every Saturday. There’s just something about that hedgehog and his blue mohawk-resembling spikes that is so badass! The show is small, but anyone in the Sonic Generation should take a few minutes to stop by, reminisce, and pick up a few affordable prints and posters. You can also download David Landis’s (FREE) papercraft pdf that gives you step by step instructions and all the graphics you need to create your own three dimensional Sonic fan art.

Kasey Tararuj

Glen Brogan // Chris Beaumont

David Landis

Finally, for something completely different, my final pick is the last body painting show at ML Gallery until the springtime. This space is one of only two in the world dedicated to body art painting and photography exclusively, and model JEM (*warning – site is NSFW!) was there on First Friday to model some body paint in the flesh.  I loved Nix Herrera‘s intricate airbrush stencil of a hundred dollar bill on a woman’s torso, and Lawren Alice‘s series of monarch butterfly inspired designs (photographed by Noah Musher) were bold, graphic, intriguing, and perfect to hang in your home.  The intersection of paint, body art, photography, and the human form represented by the artists showing at ML Gallery is visual feast not to be missed.   Actually, drooling is probably a more appropriate response.

Natasha Kudashkina // Lawren Alice

JEM.model painted by Lawren Alice

Mike Lynch // Nix Herrera

Hideaki Miyamura‘s ceramics are showing at Wexler Gallery until January 28, 2012.

Sonic Generation is showing at Brave New Worlds through the end of December.

Gallery ML‘s current body painting exhibition is showing through the end of December.

Written and photographed by Carina Giamerese: Contributing Writer, Side Arts.