Nestled in the creative hub of 25th Street, Mercury 20 gallery displayed the works of Leah Korican, Laura Malone and Jill McLennan at the most recent Oakland First Fridays event. Working in the realm between figurative and representational, these artists are intertwined in their focus on environments. Between nature’s retaking of developed land, the human body’s emotional background and natural renderings to depict the wilting of important political vocabulary, these three collections are stylized with skill — confident and clear in every message.
From the sidewalk, Leah Korican’s titular piece of her exhibit “These Truths” is visible. Hanging in three triangles at a staggering 96 inches by 70 inches, Korican renders the outline of lace doilies and marks of resonant words on watercolor paper with stencils and airbrushed effects. Cut out of the paper is the refrain “We hold these Truths,” while words that are being erased from the nation’s vocabulary are depicted in faint yet noticeable marks. “Water conservation,” “white privilege,” “trauma” and “transgender” are among the disappearing statements.
Echoing patterns of nature and the removal of paper in her other hung pieces, Korican cuts leaf-shaped eyelets from her large paper works. With heavy emphasis on color and loose pattern through application of paint, she renders figures floating upside down in a seeming bubble of flowing, bubbling marks. Her surface of choice — watercolor paper — shows its curve as a result of the artist’s work; the craft of figurative representation, and the human effect on natural elements, is clear in both her subject matter and techniques.
Just around the gallery wall, Laura Malone’s figurative paintings of “The Shimmering Self” are a mesmerizing glance into human movement, emotion and the act of modelling itself. Works such as “Penelope, Times Three” (2020) were crafted using live nude models online, where Malone became fascinated by their movements between poses. These models’ humanity, in the way she displays their lack of stagnance, is emphasized through colorful streaks of oil paint, intertwined and nearly growing upon each other as they creep up onto the model’s skin. Her marks are mirrors of natural life — green brush lines become ivy and vines.
Malone’s paintings are larger than the body itself. Colors swirl in abstract marks around the human figure, yet their hues, seeping into the portrait of her models themselves, become a part of the body. In her work, environment informs emotion. “April, Stepping Out” (2020) shows a model glancing down at her legs, but its real effect is that of her disappearance into the loose marks and deep reds beneath. Natural elements such as fire and coals light up the imagination on this canvas. What informs such a depiction — is it her personal state, or the artist’s impression?
Jill McLennan’s printmaking and multimedia work makes its home in “Ancestral Pathways” at the back of Mercury 20. Rendering nearby scenes of West Oakland and car lots by the freeway, her works feel familiar not just in physical subject but also in its techniques. “Coyotes in West Oakland” (2025) shows a glowing yellow ground and sky, with white shipping cranes in the background; nevertheless, coyotes start their migratory march into this space.
“12th St. view from Bart” (2023) depicts its titled subject matter in a myriad of techniques. McLennan uses photographs of the under-freeway space in Oakland placed among her ink-drawn lines and watercolor hues on its wood panel. She applies variations of paper, including colored, deconstructed pulp to depict tree brush, as well as patterned pieces to render the sky and chain link fences. The legacy of human presence is clear here, with old cars and metal structures — yet a colored, playful hand imbues these spaces with a natural glow. In McLennan’s other pieces, too, animals wander into urban spaces — made with real leaves, photographs and watercolor-rendered coyotes atop the hills of San Francisco. Through her work, the environment is reclaimed.
“These Truths,” “The Shimmering Self” and “Ancestral Pathways” are three artists displayed in their distinct senses about self and surroundings. Working in unique and skilled techniques, Korican, McLennan and Malone seem to understand the possibilities of resonance — as embodied humans, residents of the Bay and citizens of an ever-changing world.