Animal instinct Catching the "Infinite" at Door 463 BY MAGGIE KNOWLES

I just finished reading The Life of Pi. I won’t spill any of the plot for those of you, like myself, who wait until the paperback version appears on the shelf at Longfellow Books, except to say some of the book takes place in a zoo. Zoos are a thorn in the sides of some who claim that the animals stare sadly from behind bars while people attempt to lure them closer with hot dogs and cotton candy. But the popularity of zoos probably originates from the simple fact that one can see a huge variety of animals in one place. In the art world, this concept is harnessed through group shows, a convenient way to see a lot of art in one place. The brand-new Door 463, located in the art-unlikely Deering Center, hosts as its first show "...Infinite," where several artists let their art roam cage-free through the end of June.

In a zoo, the animals range from the everyday to the exotic, the mysterious to the overt. No different here. Let’s ease our way in with Jodi Thomas’s water photographs. Mounted on a restored antique door, the pictures hang like happy sloths from a tree. They smile softly like a photo album of a long-past summer in Maine, catching glimpses of "what was" before hopping in the packed car and starting the long journey back to school and the other life. Her water studies grasp an elegant and expiring moment; that second of hairline movement across the top of the water before it restores itself to quiet. Prior to photographing landscapes, Thomas’s passion was nudes, which is apparent here in her attention to surface light and texture.

Another animal that loves surface light is a seal — taking any chance to climb atop a hot rock and nap under the sweet sun. Amy Bartlett must have been musing over a similar thought when she created her works. Sexy-wet acrylic paintings bask in their own heat, dripping with color that beads and runs like water down a seal’s back. "Flesh, Rose Surface Study #12" is an erotic piece whose colors stir like lovers rolling in the sand, handfuls of each other swirling with the light and temperature that surrounds them.

Most zoos have an area that appeals to kids and Caroline Parello’s funky animal paintings bounce off the wall with child-like zest. A "Purple Panda," "Blue Monkey," and "Rainbow Octopus" are a few of the animals that giggle and spy at you from the wall. These are so fun and fabulous — if you need to decorate a nursery, these swirly, whimsical paintings will create the perfect petting zoo. Also for the kiddies: Art Camp. For select weeks during the summer, Door 463 will offer lessons in printmaking, book art, collage, and mask making. Each week with end with a Friday art opening for the young artists.

If you ask anyone what their favorite animal to watch is, chances are they will light up and say, "Oh, the monkeys." How can they not remind us of how simple and fun life used to be? Monkeys also like to hide, causing you to lean in, squint, and try to find them in the branches; Holly Karolkowski’s found-object collages are the same way. These little window boxes invite you to discover all the treasures packed inside. My favorite, "Noveau Pink," is home to a sassy little mouse that has dragged a pearl button and domino back to her abode to brighten up the place.

Giraffes have much appeal at the zoo because it seems impossible that those necks don’t collapse like a Gerbera daisy stem. Sculpture shares this quest to outdo nature. Robin Puleio’s "Clamp Creature" is an awkward beast fashioned from clamps, screws, and some parts I can’t begin to identify. But there he stands, proud and stoic, his head thrown back to catch mouthfuls of fresh rain.

I can never leave a zoo without staring in awe at the big cats. Books of poetry can be written on the designs of their fur and giant yawns. This feeling is most captured in the geometric paintings of Laurie Rothrock, especially "Passages II," where the broken pieces scat out of the way as the mother tiger marches through in search for food.

As evening falls and the animals ready for bed, a hush falls over the space, save for the occasional bird call. It’s a humble time, when animals seem no different than people as they wash, eat, and lick their children to sleep. Michael Fraser’s "Winter at Holiday Point" is this lullaby. The moon sheds just enough light to make out the silhouettes of the trees and the lovely sheen of the snow. Haunting as a loon call, this work is as cold as it is seductive.

There are many others at Door 463 worth stopping by to see, and even though it is against the rules to feed the animals, I’m sure the artists wouldn’t complain.

Maggie Knowles can be reached at margaretknowles@yahoo.com.

"...Infinite" shows at Door 463, in Portland, through June 30. Call (207) 318-1760.