Doug Coffin and Douglas Black at Ellsworth Gallery

Doug Coffin’s Potawatomi and Creek heritage and the craftsmanship of the pow wow costumes and art created by the tribes that surrounded him as a boy inspired him to become an artist. The glass-sphere acrylic paintings and large-scale sculptures he’s known for reflect that influence. A former designer of stage art in the fields of fashion, opera, and musical performances, artist Douglas Black, who lives in Japan, transitioned to ceramics. The exhibition D1 & D2: Re-Connection is a joint show of works by both artists, who’ve fostered a decades-long relationship. Over the years, Coffin, Black’s godfather, detected the influence of his own artistic aesthetics in the work of Black, although thousands of miles separated them. After Black visited Santa Fe in 2019 to see Coffin’s previous show at Ellsworth Gallery, the two artists began exploring the possibilities for a collaborative exhibit. The show is currently on view and ends on Aug. 22.

-Michael Abatemarco, Pasatiempo

Ikarasu's Cosmic Dream

Douglas Black, Ikarasu’s Cosmic Dream (2021), ceramic and gold lusters