Teacher and her former students artistically inspire each other in ‘Kaleidoscope’

Thank you, from the bottom of their art.

"In others we find guide, mentor, friend, companion, compatriot, mirror and self. Mary Warner is all of these things to me."

Words and sentiment by Chad Brown, in one of eight written tributes by former art students of Mary Warner, in "Kaleidoscope: Visual Inspiration" at Springs Preserve's Big Springs Gallery.

"She is by far the most influential and positively shaping teacher I have known. She taught me to trust myself. I am forever grateful for having learned so much from her."

Affection is conveyed by artwork in "Kaleidoscope," which features the ex-students' creations along with that of their former teacher at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

"She has impacted so many students, a lot of whom are still living in Las Vegas and are working artists, so we thought it would be a great way to honor Mary and an interesting way to look at the art scene here," says Jessica Hougen, the gallery's assistant curator, about the salute to the professor of painting and graduate program coordinator of UNLV's College of Fine Arts.

Recently, the instructor received the annual Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts from the Nevada Arts Council. "The only thread is Mary and her influence," Hougen adds. "At first glance, it looks like there is no connection between the pieces, but as you go through, there is this weird kind of continuity just in the shapes and pieces and the color schemes and the feel and flow of the show."

That subtext may be present in what gallery officials call "a great example of the symbiotic relationship that develops between teacher and students." Stylistically, though, "Kaleidoscope" is, as its title suggests, a study in diversity, at least on the surface.

"Panoptic Liger," Michael Ogilvie's intriguing mixed media creation that uses satin brushed aluminum as a canvas, seemingly has little in common with his "Been So Blue Since My Baby Left Me." Acrylic on sculpted wood, it features a patterned tubular sculpture.

Both speak to Warner's affinity for genre-busting. "It's an independent relationship to authority, that I'm interested in underrated genres, things that are missed by the mainstream," Warner explains about an attitude she imparted to her students.

"I did a number of paintings on black velvet for quite a few years. It was considered that you couldn't make art on black velvet. I just find it interesting whenever the larger authority says, 'You can't do this.' Why would you say a kind of material can't be used?"

Ironically titled "Kiss," Daniel Samaniego's graphic on paper is a stark, death-pall drawing of what appears to be a female corpse, lips drawn tightly over her teeth, a protrusion rising from her head, surrounded by crystalline shards. Equally eerie, his "Us Watching You Watching Us" depicts vampire-ish goth guys -- blood dripping from fangs, spikes jutting out of one's skull -- staring menacingly at viewers.

"Mary always treated me as an equal, encouraging me to commit to my ideas, and draw and paint my little 19-year-old, bleeding-heart out," Samaniego writes in his tribute. "When I show up to work in my studio, my mind is still flooded with sound bites from the past -- Mary's formal instruction on what makes great drawing and painting great. But on a deeper level, I believe Mary instilled in me the confidence to make art I believe in."

As a collage, "Imprint" is an interesting patchwork of disparate items assembled by Aaron Sheppard, including a deflated balloon and cartoon panels mounted in painted blocks of wood. "(Mary) taught me to trust in my spontaneous brainstorm collaging," Sheppard says in his salute to Warner. "Though Mary and I now exchange studio visits as colleagues, I will always consider her a mentor."

Contributing "Supernaught" -- a mixed media on paper piece in which bursts of color in bits and pieces seemingly rain down upon the cutout of a shirtless hiker -- Danielle Kelly in her tribute to Warner recalls her first day of class in 2002.

"She can cut quite a figure, glamorous in her red glasses and flowing hair," Kelly writes. "She was completely absorbed in a painting on the first day of class. It is this complete and utter immersion into her work that I find most inspiring about Mary as a mentor and a friend. Work and life exist in a space of seamless connectivity."

Philosophically, this mentor instilled in her students an uncompromising sense of artistic integrity. "I don't want them to get moved by peer pressure or market pressures, because there are so many better ways to make money that you should be sure that you're doing what you want to do if you're going into art in a professional way," Warner says.

"Make your own place."

Contact reporter Steve Bornfeld at sbornfeld@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0256.