Springtime Follies: Alex Kuno

It is a strange compulsion that motivates local artist Alex Kuno to draw children, wide-eyed and morose with some mysterious story to tell, one that is no doubt unpleasant. These characters and their terrible secrets are the central focus of Kuno’s work, an ever-changing story that he refers to as The Miscreants of Tiny Town. His paintings weave tales of carnage that make Grimms fairy tales look candy coated, but the lyrical execution can’t help remind you of your favorite bedtime story illustrations. Kuno’s children roam in landscapes that have broken free of their rectangular constraints and given way to more naturalistic forms. No matter how vivid or gleeful the violence may seem in his work, these images are also satirical jabs at those universal fears from childhood that reflect our very natural tendency toward savagery.