I thought the MFA show as a whole was - for lack of a better word - okay. There were works that stood out to me and some not so much in a good way. The work in the first room to the left when you walk in really did not appeal to me and the paintings on the far back wall just left me with questions. I did not get them at all. The ones in the back kind of bothered me, especially the scribbles in pencil to the right of the canvasses. I in no way consider that art. It doesn’t seem to be any kind of method or technique applied. They’re just scribble paintings. I don’t knock anyone’s art because, as they say "to each his own", but I was completely left in the dark concerning these works.
Caitlyn Booth’s Night Park painting stood out to me because I am creating Night Paintings that are quite similar. Guerra’s work was interesting. I walk past his studio often and he’s ALWAYS there! He literally never takes a day off. He’s always wearing those big old earphones and doing something that makes him look busy, but when I look in I’m like, “What the heck is this guy doing? What kind of art is that?” His stuff is really different, but he just seems so passionate about it. I guess it doesn’t really matter what others think about it, he enjoys it and that’s all that matters, and that’s fine with me. [but I wonder what he listens to on those earphones. I’ve never seen him without them!] However, I actually did like his work in the show. It’s not something that I would usually be attracted to, but it’s interesting to say the least. I was really fond of the colors and the texture. They make you want to touch them. I also like the way that they were displayed. They were on the ceiling, on the floor, suspended in the air… it was like some sort of invasion!
Then there was Eileen Behnke’s work. They just speak for themselves. I related most to her than any other artist whose works were on display; mostly because I am usually doing something that involves portraiture. It looks like she painted them from photographs and that’s something that I sometimes do as well. I like “Rage” the most because of the woman’s expression. The artist also uses a palette full of color, which makes her paintings interesting to look at. I love it when artists pull colors out of skin tone that aren’t really there. It makes the work more dynamic and appealing. 
The most alluring works in my opinion were Betsy Vanlagen’s photographs. They were utterly amazing! They were very exciting and unusual. Someone found out her name (since there weren’t any labels by her work) so I decided to Google her and she has a site that I recommend everyone visit. Her work is very distinct and pronounced. There’s a lot of energy in each photograph and they’re just so unique and fun. I like the photographs in which she plays with light or puts the model in front of a black backdrop. This adds dimension and highlights the model and the props she sometimes uses.
Overall I would give the MFA show a B-/C+
Don't forget to visit this site. It's impressive!
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