Josef Bajus's "Junk Mail/Curved Circle" at Buffalo Arts Studio.

In the current exhibition at Buffalo Arts Studio, artists Josef Bajus and Kurt Treeby have both introduced unexpected bodies of work. While neither artist has changed their general disposition or take on the world, each has further revealed exactly what makes them tick to their audience.

Bajus is well known locally as a fiber artist, working largely in paper and staples on minimalist fields, usually in black or white. With his exhibit, “Curved Circle,” the artist takes on the printed image and issues of environmentalism. Kurt Treeby is a younger artist who has not yet shown his work as frequently as Bajus. However, over the past five years Treeby has been steadily working on labor-intensive paintings of meticulous still lifes, eye charts, and games in his studio space at Buffalo Arts Studio. Treeby’s exhibit, “Floor to Ceiling,” will come as a surprise to anyone who has watched his progress in the studio up to this point as he has now turned the tables—creating a latch hook rugs of all things!

Josef Bajus came to Buffalo from the Czech Republic several years ago to lead the fiber art department at Buffalo State College. Working primarily in paper, the artist cuts, folds and weaves just as one would with more traditional fabrics of the genre. Looking at this show, and knowing Bajus is a recent immigrant, one has to wonder if he was totally overwhelmed by the sheer bulk of junk mail received as a resident of the United States. In “Junk Mail/ Curved Circle” Bajus creates lovely arcs mounted on the wall made out of torn and folded scraps from the recycling bin. Unbelievable and inspiring, this piece reminds us that something beautiful can be made from anything.

Bajus transforms recycled paper and views of the Ozone from the Internet into beautiful manifestations of the ill effects propagated by the environmental intrusions of human kind. A small homage to Hurricane Katrina—in the form of a centrifuge made from tar paper that looks a bit like the top of a volcano—sits quietly at the center of the gallery.

The artist’s most graceful works are two layered wall hangings made with postcard images of Ocean City and Atlantic City from 1905. Each destination is captured in its heyday. Printed on interfacing that is layered about 10 sheets deep, the artist cuts into the layers, to create a kind of shaggy weaving. The transparency of the fabric allows images to show through.

A detail of Kurt Treeby's latch hook rendition of Picasso's "Guernica."

Kurt Treeby’s latch hook rug of Pablo Picasso’s “Guernica” (a depiction of death, bull fights and the crucifixion) brings the master to the floor (literally). The rug is 11–by–30 feet and nearly fills the floor of Buffalo Arts Studio’s back gallery. For “Floor to Ceiling” Treeby spent two years and ten days hooking this rug in his living room, translating the massive painting onto a grid surface and compulsively making this large low art version of one of the most talked about masterpieces in art history. Kurt Treeby’s devotion to this project is both mystifying and fabulous. The project seems nearly insane, as one could easily have the same image made into a rug by any number of textile producing / rug making companies. Yet that is the beauty of this piece — its insanity.

The finished piece is quite becoming—one really wants to roll on it, to lounge in front of a fireplace on the black, grey, white and blue shades of its shag. So is the artist laughing at the Picasso or admiring it?

Treeby continues his work in this new, laborious medium with “Sistine Suite” which includes several small panels of Michelangelo’s work for the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. With this piece, the artist brings the ceiling of the famed church to the walls of the warehouse gallery space. “The Fall and the Expulsion” shows Adam and Eve leaving the Garden of Eden in 1970s acrylic yarn colors. Pixilated by the grid of the latch hook, the painting reflects contemporary technology. “And here is yet another way to bring great art into your home!” you might say. Certainly it is a witty contemporary comment on the contradictions of our society, as well as a statement about Treeby’s devotion to his work.

Both exhibits continue through March 25.

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