The title of the grand opening show in February 2006 for NavtaSchulz Gallery said it all: "Fresh Paint: New Work, New Artists, New Gallery."

Jodi Navta and Ryan Schultz's dose of "freshness" is just what the West Loop art scene needs. Drawing from the successful first-gallery in Princeton, Wisconsin, Navta and Schulz already know what they're doing. But as a young, married couple, the duo possesses the imagination to take the kind of chances that makes gallery-going an exciting venture. Located four blocks beyond the West Loop art district on Lake Street, venturing further west afforded the gallery an expansive two-level space.

With cement floors still intact, a lounging room with a sofa upstairs and a smiling face behind the front desk, the gallery boasts a refreshing down-to-earth level of comfort and accessibility. Navta and Schulz have figured how to fuse this physical comfort with artistic sophistication. Included in the 17 artists represented are two in particular to watch: up-and-coming painters Jonathan Stein, whose colorful and abstract works of "biomorphic unrealities" delight the senses, and Keer Tanchak, who re-imagines Baroque paintings on metal surfaces.

Centerstage Reviewer: Joanne Hinkel