Claire Oliver Gallery is proud to open our 2008 – 2009 season with Kerfuffles: new works by Phyllis Bramson. During her thirty years of studio practice, Bramson has created a provocative body of work dealing with sexual desire in a witty, lighthearted and sometimes self conscious manner. In Kerfuffles, there is a definite seat change; Bramson’s new paintings question subjective values. More conceptually based, these works present rebus-like constellations of small pictures or portions thereof, which combined read as small installations. These new works are more measured in appearance and concentrated in color than pervious bodies of work; they rely less on opulence, nostalgia or fairy tale; they are miniaturized notions of a troubled world. Despite the more somber palette, Bramson still employs collage, resulting in the welcome presence of her unmistakable hand.