Steven Harvey has paired works on paper by Kyle Staver and June Leaf – artist of such different generations – in a show that beautifully demonstrates these artists’ kindred spirits of humanity, courage, invention, and the love of drawing, while of course also highlighting their many differences. June Leaf, now in her 90’s, continues to experiment, push beyond a comfort zone, make oxymoronic but completely convincing connections between her figures and supporting details, and constantly ask psychologically existential questions. As a youth she studied dance, and this sense of movement permeates her art, either as actual movement in many of her sculptures, or the illusion of, or reference to, movement in much of the 2-dimensional work now on display. Beginning with no pre-determined process or conscious aim, Leaf follows her instinctive muse, expressing the intangible with very tangible figures and objects. These figures, floating in a world of air, have a lyrical poetry about them, a transcendence to magical fantasies about our prosaic world. Kyle Staver also works instinctively, and exudes tremendous courage to go beyond the expected, but unlike Leaf, Staver begins with a story, often a well-known mythological story, and remains true to a sense of narrative throughout her process. But Kyle is not imprisoned by the myth. Like Leaf, Kyle allows the art process to lead to unknown journeys, to bring new elements to the original narration, “taking,” as she says, “the universal and telling you about my stake in it.…” To find these new stories, Kyle draws, makes watercolors, experiments in multi-media, and so the work on view, though completed works of art, also are explorations for her larger paintings. Made with strong and determined lines, tones and color, Kyle’s drawings are those of a dynamic novelist with nods mythology and to her – and our – personal worlds. The exhibition remains up through June 30 at Steven Harvey Fine Art Projects. To see all photos, as well as past reviews, please go to Instagram link in bio at @entropvisions or my website: www.alicezinnes.com/entropvisions--blog-