Mark Larson: Painted Bowls and Furniture

Opening Friday: Anyone can slap a coat of paint on a piece of furniture or a wooden bowl, but nobody adds the polish of Mark Larson to such projects. The veteran Minneapolis painter brings a designer's eye and original wit to his clever adaptations of classic art to modern furniture and tableware. Larson and furniture designer Dan Cramer are partnering on a new venture in which Larson paints the door panels of modernist cabinets, and the seats and backs of chairs designed by Cramer. His designs range from a Southwest cliff that glows like amber, to a fragment of a famous sculpture, or a shimmering veil of abstract paint. Art mavens may spy a familiar eyelid or lip on this haunting cupboard front, but most people would be hard-pressed to cite the source of Larson's inspirations, which range from ancient mosaics to Michelangelo to Mark Rothko to a perfect apple. (Artist reception 6-9 p.m. Fri. Free. Three Rooms, 3505 Galleria, France Av. S. at 70th St., Edina. 952-926-1774.)

Mary Abbe