Matthew Rogers shows a trio of large, adjoining works on paper, collectively titled Plutocrats Lost in the Wilderness. Looking slightly like animation cells, the pieces feature barren landscapes inhabited by ghostly, colorless figures. In the first, a stiffly postured man seen from behind faces a desolate patch of land. The second includes a man, possibly the same one, facing the viewer, complete with wrinkles and pained expression. By the third piece, the landscape has become hellishly orange. One figure has his mouth agape, while another looks downward sorrowfully. It's worth remembering that the word 'plutocrats' is in the title, which refers to wealthy people who control the government. The figures, with their business suits, cowboy hats and thinning hair, are likely Enron/Halliburton/Bush Administration types. Perhaps Rogers is illustrating what many would like to see - ruthless men who seemingly operate without conscience, abandoned to a place where they can only reflect on their actions.

Meryl Press combines thinly applied oil paint with aggressive markings and drips, often contrasting busy surfaces with blank paper. Forms suggestive of plants and clouds, combined with predominantly earthy tones, push the paintings in the general direction of abstracted landscape. While there are areas of color and form that please the eye, the work might benefit from something to anchor the imagery that threatens to float away. Loosely painted, with forms intertwining lazily, Press' work begins to explore the possibilities of abstraction.

Four paintings by Christine Ponelle also grapple with the subject of landscape. The Garden is populated with oddly proportioned birds, humans, and a funky creature with male genitalia. Several figures in the lower right aim guns toward a body of water, where a human head has risen above the surface. Is a metaphor for man overtaking nature involved? Hard to say, but the ambiguity of the landscape is fairly effective. Trees toward the top of the piece are drawn boldly, leaving foliage, creatures, and humans swimming in a curious mix of detail and color washes.

The impact that many of the twenty-plus works by Alice Gould have is diminished, due to their distance from the viewer. Adobe Books is indeed a functioning bookstore, and most artists wind up installing work above tall shelves of books. In Gould's case, this is particularly unfortunate, because the predominantly small pieces require closer inspection. As for the work itself, there is a lot going on. Sometimes it creeps into Abstract Expressionist territory, all thick paint and aggressive brushstrokes. When this approach is combined with an assortment of stuck-on items, there is usually too much visual information to make sense of. She is at her best with works like March/April, which is built largely on areas of white. Here, the collaged items are given some breathing room, and the different elements begin to work as a whole.

Starting with the floor, which has been dusted with clay and limestone, Joe Frank Byrnes transforms the backroom with a busy installation of mostly sculptural elements. Blocks of cut clay are everywhere, serving as pedestals and short walls. It's not hard to miss the sexual themes in the work, which includes phalluses, vaginas, and a sculpture that looks like a Venus of Willendorf-type fertility symbol. Beyond this, though, what comes through is a sense of the artist's obsession with materials that have historical resonance. Limestone, marble, and gold are just some of the media used by Byrnes, who also works as a goldsmith and musician. Adding another layer to the installation, a solo recording of improvised music he has made plays in the backroom. Accordion, cello, xylophone and percussion are among the instruments in the mix.

Viewable only from a front window of the bookstore, Jeff Pringle shows a handmade sword suspended by two pieces of wood. Using iron ore that he collected from a beach to make steel, he has skipped the process of purchasing a key material from a supplier. While the presentation of the sword points only to its craftsmanship, Pringle does share Byrnes' interest in time-honored materials, which likely explains his inclusion in the show.

Nite Idyll opened July 21st and is up through August.

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