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Art and craft

Lisa Williamson weaves traditional folk arts such as quilting into her mixed-media works and transforms them into something serious.

ST. PETERSBURG - Calling them quilts and screens is easy shorthand for the mixed-media works by Lisa Williamson at Florida Craftsmen Gallery. They certainly belong to the tradition of crafting that takes utilitarian objects to a higher level through skill and creativity. And their joie de vivre colors and bold shapes could even be considered decorative. But, delightful as they are, these are serious works.

A childhood in the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky gave Williamson an understanding of quilts and their multiple functions - to provide warmth and comfort, to tell a story or preserve a memory, to lighten sometimes hard lives.

For her handsewn wall hangings and sculptures made of painted wood and clay, she borrows from a host of references: Matisse, Haitian folk art, Brice Marden, Joan Miro, Miriam Shapiro . . . have I left anyone out?

The wall hangings are collages made of paint and fabric, angular shapes set against swirling bands of color and a dense layering of images, most with botanical motifs. Her sculptures use similar imagery and colors, cleverly composed, sometimes with totemlike clay beads topped with little heads also molded from clay. They elicit a smile and the urge to look closely.

Williamson also has created a small series of delicate watercolors mimicking the design of fabric handbags made by her friend, Nancy Barr. The handbags and paintings may be purchased separately but make a charming display when paired.

See this and many more new exhibitions at local galleries during the monthly Gallery Walk on Saturday, sponsored by the Downtown Arts Association.

Some highlights: A large group of small mixed media studies by Ron Reams, a popular local artist here in the 1980s who lived in England for almost two decades and has recently returned, is on view at Studio Encanto. Reams combines appropriated images with dense layers of paint to create works that are both precious and cerebral, some purely abstract. Studio Encanto also has a few of his larger paintings, but the mixed media works are far more interesting than his decorative landscapes.

Landscapes by Mark Rutkowski, all sea and sky with dramatic lighting that gives the paintings a soft-focus photographic effect, are new at 531 Central Fine Arts. Confident Gallery features work by Luis De La Lama and Guillermo Portieles. And Central Gallery is featuring photographs of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo from the collection of the late George Verdak.

For information about the Gallery Walk, call (727) 821-6767. All galleries listed below will be open 5:30 to 9:00 p.m.

The participating galleries are:

531 Central Fine Arts, 531 Central Ave.

Arts Center, 719 Central Ave.

ArtSpace, 10 Fifth St. N

Central Gallery, 475 Central Ave.

Confident Gallery, 695 Central Ave.

Crystal Mirage Gallery, 800 Second Ave. NE

T.W. Curtis Gallery, 331 16th St. N

Davidson Fine Art, 725 Central Ave.

EastWest Gallery, 529 Central Ave.

Florida Craftsmen, 501 Central Ave.

Gallery Enormous, 540 Central Ave.

Glass Canvas Gallery, 146 Second St. N

Lynn J. Merhige Gallery, 216 Fourth St. N

Jane Morris Studio & Gallery, 685 Central Ave.

M. Petty Photography Gallery, 538 Central Ave.

Red Cloud Indian Arts, 208 Beach Drive NE

Shapiro's at BayWalk, 185 Second Ave. N

Soho South Arts Complex, 2105 Central Ave.

Studio Encanto, 209 First St. NE

Studio Szabries, 2057 Central Ave.

Vladimir's Collection, 111 Second Ave. NE, No. 102.

"Lisa Williamson: The Painterly Garden" is at Florida Craftsmen, 501 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, through May 31. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Free. (727) 821-7391.