Conjure: The Puppet Cycle: Paintings by Mary Kline-Misol

Kline-Misol’s puppet-populated still lifes use rich reds and blues to create an inviting air of mystery. There are elements reminiscent of Salvador Dali, of Hopi kachina dolls and New Orleans voodoo, of Pinocchio and gypsy fortunetellers. It is like wandering through the maze of twisty passages in some especially atmospheric antique shop, where beyond every turn of the corner is a jumble of images—say, a Buddha-head statue, a vase of dead flowers, and a cast-off marionette, as in Kline-Misol’s “The Alchemist”—that seem a little bit sinister and suggest tantalizing hints of stories whose beginnings you can only guess at.
Holzemer Gallery, 4810 Nicollet Ave. S., Minneapolis, (612) 824-0640, www.holzemergallery.com