Skin, Sky, Feathers, stones and new Ways To Make Art

Maggie Taylor and Jerry Uelsmann are photographers whose work, for lack of a better term, has a surrealistic feel. Their images, on view at

The Hotchkiss School's Tremaine Gallery, are odd, juxtaposed, haunting; the works have an emotional impact thats hard to describe. In Uelsmann's gorgeously printed black-and-whites, the meaning of the pictures may not be clear, but the details that make up the whole are achingly precise in detail. The skin on an elderly hand, the texture of a draped velvet curtain, the sheen of a bird's feather are rendered perfectly. In "untitled, an ornate picture frame serves as an opening for an inlet of waves from an ocean, over which hovers a boat in the sky. Who knows what it "means" - in this case, the artist doesn't even give us a title of a clue - but I'd defy anyone to argue that it's not a beautiful and haunting photograph. And what it might mean could generate an hour's good conversation.

Alongside Uelsmann's black-and-whites are Taylor's more playful color images, which put Victorian-era figures against lumious backdrops to create evocative, dreamlike pieces that, like Uelsmann's, beg discussion. (Uelsmann, who assembles his images from multiple negatives, says his work is "intrinsically linked to the darkroom"; Taylor's work is digitally generated). In "Fragile," an androgynous looking Victorian girl pulls up the top of her head, which is attached to a long string; puffy white clouds fly out from what appears to be a head full of blue sky and clouds. In "Garden," the lower portions of three men, decked in 19th-century garb, stick up from a perfectly tended green lawn, like three big plants, while in the distance a precisely clipped hedge merges into a mauve and pale blue sky. A robin perches on one man's booted foot. These pictures are endlessly puzzling and delightful fun; while Uelsmann's seem to suggest more about the artist, Taylor's work challenges the viewer to wonder about the subject. Who is this man, and why is a tree growing out of his head?

Taylor and Uelsmann, who are from Gainesville, FL, are married. It must be one interesting household. The two will lecture sometime in the spring at Hotchkiss (the date has yet to be selected). That would be an event not to be missed. Through March 7. Hours: Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sunday, noon-4 p.m. www.hotchkiss.org. Tel: 860-435-4423.

Elsewhere, around and about:

The

White Gallery in Lakeville continues its winter group show through Friday, Feb. 29, and will close for the month of March, when it will be open by appointment only. Hours: Wednesday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. www.thewhitegalleryart.com. Tel.:860-435-1029. At Argazzi Art in Lakeville, the winter group show remains on view through March. Hours: Friday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Tel.: 860-435-8222. www.argazziart.com. Jenny Hansell's photos are on view at the Sharon Historical Society through March 28. Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 1-4 p.m. Tel.: 860-364-5688. The iO Gallery in Cornwall Bridge shows outsider art and regional insiders; 131 Kent Road. Hours: Thursday-Monday, noon-5 p.m. www.the outsidersart.com. Tel.: 860-672-6631.

In Kent, the

Ober Gallery 's group show including Allen Blagden and Milton Resnick remains up until March 2. Hours: Wednesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. wwwobergallery.com. Tel.: 860-927-5030. Last chance to see an interesting group show at the nearby Morrison Gallery , 8 Old Barn Rd., featuring Alexander Liberman, Eric Sloane, Chris Armstrong and others. Works by David Michael Kennedy are at the Warner Gallery at the Millbrook School in Millbrook, NY., through Feb. 29. Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat. 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Tel.: 845-677-8261, ext. 166.