Animalian

Art historian Richard Axsom describes Terry Winters' printmaking style as "organic abstraction delineated with references to early biological life." In lay terms, this means: Winters' works brim with intriguing, ambiguous imagery. "Furrows" might depict a provocatively posed elephant; "Locus" appears to invent a hippo-python hybrid; and the spheres of "Morula" could be cells, spores or alien orbs. The identities of Winters' subjects aren't immediately apparent, but their vitality is unquestionable. By contrast, Creighton Michael's drawings seem straightforward. A piece called "Squiggle" contains hundreds of curlicues, with rope splices reinforcing the graphite waves. But it's easy to get lost in Michael's dense patterns, which hypnotize like concentric circles. His "Notation 998" evokes oceanic atmosphere with squid-tentacle lines and coral-reef texture, yet the red-black-and-white color scheme defies aquamarine expectations. Both artists open exhibitions today at the Belger Arts Center (2100 Walnut, 816-474-3250). The gallery opens at 10 a.m.; Michael hosts a gallery talk at 6 p.m. Belger Arts Center
Wednesdays-Fridays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Saturdays, 12-4 p.m. Starts: March 7. Continues through June 6, 2008