Tracey Harris' oil-based paintings of women display their many roles

"Contemporary Realism"
JRB Art at The Elms
2810 N. Walker
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays
Through July
528-6336, www.jrbartgallery.com
Daily, ongoing

Tracey Harris left Oklahoma as soon as she could. She was fed up with what she thought was a backward state with a lackluster art scene.

But she quickly discovered how wrong she was.

Harris returned in 2007 and discovered just how different Oklahoma had become.

"I was amazed by the art community and how incredibly strong it is. I was just shocked when I came back," she said. "I guess I was too young to realize what was going on."

Harris will now have her own part in the Oklahoma art scene, as her work is featured at JRB Art at The Elms, 2810 N. Walker, through the end of July. "Contemporary Realism" also features the work of James Smith, Eric Stevens and Leslie Lienau.

Harris' exhibited works are oil-based paintings of women who she felt exuded a playful-yet-determined feel.

"I like the vulnerability of women but also their strengths," she said. "It's kinda suggestive, but it just kinda shows the range that women have and what their strengths are."

Harris said she draws inspiration from her real-life experiences as a single mom, which she said is a constant struggle to maintain order by playing both a mother and father figure.

"You are expected to do all these things perfectly, and it doesn't work all the time," she said. "By showing all these things that have been placed on women, it's kinda empowering to see these images."

The gallery is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays. For more information, call 528-6336 or visit www.jrbartgallery.com. "?Adam Kemp

photo
Tracey Harris' "A Woman's Work Is Never Done" is part of the "Contemporary Realism" exhibit.

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