Claes Gabriel (Claes is pronounced “Clays”) makes bright-colored totemic shapes from stretched canvas over wood armatures.  The works show the artist’s attention to detail in crafting and painting.  The artist, who was born in Port au Prince, Haiti in 1977  is not making “black art” but rather painting his feelings, he says.  He’s the son of a famous Haitian artist, Jacques Gabriel, and yes, he was named after Claes Oldenburg.  Claes came to the US in 1989 and studied at Maryland Institute College of Art (BFA 1999) and while right now he’s in Philadelphia, his long-range plans involve living in Europe.