Gallery Vision serves up tasty art with 'Raw'

Gallery Visio and artist Kevin McCoy know how to throw an art opening.

It was a packed gallery for the opening reception for Visio's one-man show "Raw." Local artist Kevin McCoy, a University of Missouri-St. Louis alumnus, was the solo artist for this show, the first of the new semester.

The sounds of music by DJ Needles wafted through the air as the mostly young crowd milled around the gallery, perusing McCoy's colorful graphic mixed media works while nibbling on cheese or fruit.

Besides the art on the walls, a limited number of DJ Needles' CDs with hand-printed cover art by Kevin McCoy were offered for sale.

In one corner of the gallery was an old newspaper vending machine, painted bright yellow. It was filled not with news but with unique t-shirts decorated with McCoy's original art.

The shirts were to be auctioned off as part of the art opening. Kevin McCoy's new t-shirt company, Fresh Produce Goods, produced the shirts.

Despite the mood setting music, the art on the walls was the real show.

McCoy's framed works used a mixed media approach with strong graphic art influence.

Works used brightly colored, often monochrome ink or acrylic paint on fiberboard, wood or canvas. Typically, they incorporated text as part of the design and the work's message.

There were twenty-six pieces in this one-man exhibit. Throughout the exhibit, bright colors played a prominent role in McCoy's works.

The themes of McCoy's works were urban, hip-hop, and often inspiring or even playful. Works like "Bad Habits and Other Delights" or "Big City Smokes" played with expectations.

Others, like "High off Art and Life," were positively, irresistibly exuberant. "Sneaker Freak" and "Viva la Hip Hop" showed the artist's playful side.

Works with titles like "Goons," "Coke," "Loyalty," "Fresh Ideas" and "High Fidelity" incorporated image, text and color to deliver an emotional message.

While McCoy's exhibit showed a strong preference for the positive, a few works were darker. Among these were the strong black and gray graphic of "Drugs Prohibited" and "Poverty Kills."

McCoy's wife Danielle, also an artist, selected the placement of the works in the exhibit, and also helped with various other behind the scenes aspects of the show, something McCoy, who attended the opening, was quick to note.

Sushi was not a subject for any pieces of art, but the title was derived from McCoy's use of "raw" basic materials.

Kevin McCoy is a 2004 graduate of the University's studio arts program.

McCoy's artistic training combines with a graphic design approach and photographic eye.

The result is certainly appealing and intriguing, an enjoyable and thoughtful program.

The exhibit by Kevin McCoy kicks off the eighth full season at Gallery Visio.

Gallery Visio is a student run gallery devoted to the works of UM-St. Louis students, faculty and alumni.

"Raw" runs through September 19 at Gallery Visio, which is located on the lower level of the Millennium Student Center, down the hall from the Nosh.

The gallery is open Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and exhibits are free and open to all.