VENTURA COUNTY WEEKEND : Patients’ Works Pack Visual Punch

Some of the more refreshing art shown in the county comes out of the Camarillo State Hospital art therapy program, led by Jack Cheney and Leslie Hara. Students in the program can often marshal creative energies and personal imagery in new, unorthodox ways.

Following a recent exhibition in Sacramento, Cheney and Hara have taken a sampling of artistic goods into a public space for all to see, in the administration building of the Ventura County Government Center. Although limited in scope compared to the group shows, it packs a visual punch.

Diversity of expression rules. Kim’s (first names only here) subject in “Senorita Margarita” has an exaggerated, cartoonish persona, contrasting the fragmented, almost mosaic-like surface of Jane’s “Woman.” Larry’s “Inside Out” is an angst-filled splash of abstract expressionistic intensity, while Kerry’s innocent “Childhood Fantasy” seems to take Edward Hicks’ “Peaceable Kingdom” as its formal model. Connie’s “Three Faces” nestles its subject in a bristling red background.

Sometimes crude technique contributes to the raw energy of the imagery. The bold, simple heads in Dennis’ “Inner Conflict” seem to symbolize opposing forces, while the sinuous red figures on green generate a strange, sexual atmosphere in the same artist’s “Fatal Attraction.” Also in the show are examples of photography and mask-making, two relatively new additions to the curriculum.

What we’ve come to expect from this program is the unexpected, and there’s no lack of that fragile quality here.

* Art exhibit from Camarillo State Hospital, through Feb. 21 at the Ventura County Government Center, 800 S. Victoria Ave. in Ventura; 654-3963.