NYC is at full bloom with quite a few very strong gallery exhibitions right now. Over the next few days I'll post some highlights from shows I saw in Chelsea last weekend. For starters is Bill Jensen at Cheim & Read, through April 23. Jensen has been around for a long time, yet still continues to explore, reinvent and surprise. These incredibly painterly and dynamic paintings, with layers of color amidst quieter layers of atmosphere, suggest the root of human energy with their evocations of figures running, forming or perhaps unforming into another world where anything can happen. Apparently, Jensen has been immersed in Eastern religions, philosophy and poetry for a long time, but except for the recurring double yin/yang symbol found in a number of paintings, I doubt I would have thought the quiet meditative practices from the Far East were the beginnings of this work. Perhaps it's the complete absorption, the tension between opposites pulling and balancing each other, and of course the yin/yang symbol that point to his indebtedness. Whatever his inspiration, the paintings have a courage and force that hits deep and stays in the gut. Thanks Carol Diamond for your always insightful accompaniment as we journeyed through the wonders of Jensen's (and other artists') art.