Darrel Morris has been extended at lyonsweirgallery until December 18th, even though (not surprising) most of the work on view may already be sold.

Much of the exhibition consists of small works on paper, some with heartbreakingly-sensitive short texts, and many of these same images are duplicated in works whose medium is embroidery and fiber applique.

The gallery site has a short description of the artist's background.

Morris, who teaches at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, was raised in rural Kentucky amongst people who made quilts and braided rugs out of necessity. This work served as an introduction to the use of sewing as an expressive and artistic medium.

In a series of small-scale works (generally no more than five by seven inches), Morris embroiders scenes from his boyhood and other’s. He then appliqués the embroidery onto fabric cut from clothing, most often his own. This choice of materials and approach places the work itself within a social structure while generating an edgy awkwardness.

Often utilizing a raw but self-deprecating sense of humor, Morris creates complex commentaries on social inequities and lopsided power struggles. Despite the somber topics, however, Morris’ elaborately and colorfully embroidered images of men and boys – rendered like characters in comic strips – result in narratives which are powerful and humorous, if often forlorn.