THE VANCOVER SUN, October 6, 1990

One-person shows probe beneath the viewer's first perceptions

By Ann Rosenberg
If (Vicky) Marshall endows the camper with symbolic meaning and the semblance of organic life, Joyce Woods performs similar magic on the formal dress and dancing shoes.

In Recent Works, her exhibition at Gallery Fifty-Six (56 Powell, to Oct. 13), this artist explores the realm of teenage romance and erotic fantasy. In Spring Flowers, one of several altarpiece-like paintings in the show, the central image is an elaborate tulle dress. This dress, which is situated at the very top centre of the canvas, is presented as a detail. The skirt is folded down over the bodice so that it resembles a flower. Flanking it on either side are tulips--one open and red; the other purple and closed. All three motifs are charged with sexual meaning. The empty dress, so richly and hotly painted, is the residue of a daydream that has vanished into the empty skies.

The exhibition also includes some smaller paintings of clothes on hangers and representations of shoes that complement the large scale pieces. These serve to suggest the small vanities and anxieties of the world of dating: What shall I wear? Does it match? Will he like it?

A Cinderella pump fabricated by the artist from shards of automobile glass is illuminated from underneath by a concealed light. This icon speaks of beauty and danger. It's surrounded by a picture frame and set, like a saint's relic, on a cloth-draped podium.

In other pieces where frilly party clothes are central, fluttering birds, Niagara Falls lamps and ceramic poodles with flashing eyes create an aura of sensuality and mystery. Woods recognizes the lure of romance but knows the pitfalls of false illusions. It's also clear from her works that she's enjoyed the act of painting (particularily the sheer materials) and the art of composition.