By Mary Voelz Chandler
Rocky Mountain News

November 11, 2005

Sarah McKenzie wrote recently to note that she has had a busy and productive year in her studio, since she is still very much a working artist while finishing a period teaching at the Cleveland Institute of Art and pondering a move back to the Denver area.

The proof of that can be seen, through Saturday, at Sandy Carson Gallery, in the paintings of "Constructions."

Before her move East, McKenzie began to earn a reputation for paintings that offered a hyper-realistic view of the ravages of sprawl, residential growth that was tearing up the metro area's countryside.

Now, she has moved inward, from the large works that offer an overview of site (though there are still a couple of those here, from the Aerial series) to the more individual and personal aspects of building a building - more specifically, a house. Construction 1, Construction 2, and Frame offer a bird's-eye view of the framing process, a complex mix of lines and perspective that show the extreme precision with which McKenzie works.

In the process, McKenzie has reached beyond creating almost photographic depictions of the land and man's mischief to find an abstracted reality. She says this is as much about constructing a painting as it is a building, and that goes to the heart of the matter in terms of the evolution of her work.

"Constructions" is paired with a selection of new floor pieces by Virginia Folkestad, whose "Stoppers," in concrete and steel and rope, appear to have flown out of giant bottles and landed in the gallery. As is consistent with Folkestad's sculptural pieces and installations, the workmanship is impeccable here.

The surprise is a work hanging in the back conference room area: River, of wire mesh and embroidery, acts like a virtual fountain, with the illusion of water streaming down the wall, chilly, if nicely stitched.

The gallery is at 760 Santa Fe Drive. Information: 303-573-8585.

Chandlerm@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-892-2677.