Las Vegas Weekly

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Centuries of drawing have proven that graphite hardly compares to the intricate detail of metal point. Though excruciatingly tedious and error-prone for those who haven’t the patience to control the permanent marks, it’s a beautiful and intricate art, responsible for many a Leonardo da Vinci drawing, along with work by Jan van Eyck. Still, convenience caused many artists to move on. That makes Trajectories, featuring the metal point drawings of artist Dennis Angel, quite a treat. Crisp, sharp and clean, the still-life drawings—piping, cloth, hardware—made from silver, gold and copper on paper, demonstrate the attributes of this centuries-old style. Angel, a professor of painting and drawing at the College of Southern Nevada, appreciates the historical perspective of metal point; he says he’s also drawn to the delicacy of tone and luminosity and the contrast between an antique process and contemporary iconography. And, of course, there is its “unforgiving nature.”