Two exhibitions currently showing at the Groveland Gallery and Annex both feature landscapes, but they present strong contrasts in style, palette, and subject.

Michael Banning’s Corridor Views: Industrial Landscapes of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, in the main gallery, focuses on the structures that distinguish the urban scene (buildings, bridges, railroad tracks), in the natural settings that are prominent features of our cities: the Mississippi River, the lush canopy of trees. These oil paintings emphasize the grays and blues of the city in harmony with the greenery of nature, accented with reds and other more vibrant colors. Many of them seem almost photorealistic from a slight distance, revealing their precise brush strokes only upon close examination.

In the Annex, Larry Hofmann’s exhibition, New Paintings, employs a very muted, limited palette mostly comprising olive, tan, and gold, with a sky that is often cloudy and barely blue. The edges of these acrylics have a burned look, and the brushwork is painterly, impressionistic. The images appear to be remnants of the oak savannah — clusters of trees and shrubs in a prairie setting. The effect is dreamy and soothing.

Both shows are on display through April 11 at the Groveland Gallery, 25 Groveland Terrace, Minneapolis. 612/377-7800.
—SP

Landmark Brewery View, by Michael Banning