Clifford Bailey's The American at Ovvio Arte

It may seem contrived to claim as influences Klimt, Toulouse-Lautrec, Mad magazine and Walt Disney, as artist Clifford Bailey does in his bio, but after you see his oil paintings, it makes perfect sense. Bailey's playful portraits simultaneously revere and poke fun at their subjects: long-necked musicians, socialites, card players and other denizens of a Roaring '20s-inspired universe where drinks flow, cigarettes smolder, aristocrats scowl and women strike poses. Though topically lighthearted, the paintings are aesthetically refined and pleasing to the eye. It's not groundbreaking work, but think of him as the visual art equivalent of a great jazz musician who's molded a decades-old vernacular into a nonetheless unique voice. And if Pixar ever does The Great Gatsby, Bailey's got the storyboards all lined up.

Saturdays, Sundays, 12-4 p.m. Starts: Dec. 13. Continues through Dec. 21, 2008