Inner and Outer Explorations

Intimate nudes and cosmic abstractions vie for attention in the two-person show at the Orlando Gallery in Sherman Oaks. Yet the twain never quite meet.

Merrilyn Duzy’s fleshy, figurative imagery and Norma Jean Squires’ small, abstract pieces coexist as gallery mates, engaged in a study in contrast.

Duzy calls her series of pastel nudes “Intimate Interiors.” The meaning could be open to more than one interpretation.

Nude and almost-nude female figures are caught in intimate spaces, such as boudoirs and bathrooms.

Their demeanor is introspective, whether preening, meditating or basking in sensual abandon within these private quarters.

Occasionally, Duzy calls on the use of mirrors, literally, to expand on the theme of reflection and to deepen the visual field.

The models, friends of the artist portrayed over several years, cover a range of female forms not always in sync with the American ideal of beauty.

Championing the sanctity of one’s body, regardless of its shape, is one of the social messages tucked into the works.

In Squires’ recent compositions, done in a colored pencil called prismacolor, abstract concepts and materials are juxtaposed in lively dialogues.

Amorphous explosions of color often combine with hard-edged geometric grids, suggesting an exploration of inner and outer space.

BE THERE

Merrilyn Duzy, “Intimate Interiors,” and Norma Jean Squires, “New Works on Paper,” through March at the Orlando Gallery, 14553 Ventura Blvd. in Sherman Oaks. Gallery hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday; (818) 789-6012.