Bruce Nygren

Who among us didn’t believe, just a little bit, that our toys led secret lives, either while we slept or when we’d left the house on a quiet Saturday afternoon? The toys in Nygren’s paintings leave the domestic sphere altogether, traveling to new places while fixed in a state of “objectness.” Rendered in rich hues, his oil-on-canvas still lifes and scenes of elephants flying over various rural landscapes are imbued with a sense of calm, beautiful absurdity. 3012 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-344-1700; www.flanders-art.com