Plus Gallery has a new exhibition installed called "Excellencies" that features exceptional new works by select artists in the main exhibition space, coalescing into a greater view of what's hot at Plus with recent selections from the stable and some new surprises on both the 1st and second floors. Here's a quick rundown of what's on tap and why you should come visit now:

Fans of Susan Meyer's highly involved, beautiful installation works from the last decade need to consider "Ojo Caliente" or "Hot Springs," both the perfect distillation of her utopian concepts into a compact sculpture, suitable for all environments.

Tsehai Johnson has installed "Spill #4" in one corner of the gallery, a visual masterpiece of domestic fluidity and dynamic shadowplay.

Peter Illig's latest painting "Blue Spark" carries his signature style forward in a very exciting rendition of our technology obsessed society.  Peter comments on his latest painting in a youtube clip you can view at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3dbenN8JOo

Frank T. Martinez new painting is a major departure into the figurative realm, taking on the subject of youth and its many subtle complexities.

Dave Yust makes a heroic return with a new painting that simply dazzles.  "Chromaxiologic - Inclusion with 5 catenary curves VII" continues the artists long-term focus on cantenary curves and their relationship to our natural world.  Hear him talk about the effects of gravity on his latest and future works, not to mention the color pink in a short video discussion at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCf9hA1tHTY

Jenny Morgan's "I am but one small instrument" may be one of her greatest paintings to date, fans of her work should definitely make the trek over to see one of the largest paintings by the artist on view in Denver in the last three years.

Karen McClanahan graces us with four brand new small-scale panels that push her dramatic juxtaposition of color and spatial form, continuing her legacy as one of the best painters to come out of Denver this century.  She has also brought three unique "cigar-box" works that show how effective she can be on all scales, these are absolute treasures and very affordable as well.

Kate Petley's latest body of work is her strongest to date, her latest "At that time" finds her pushing in a ultra-contemporary framework that is complex in its execution yet resoundling soothing in its visual effect.

Bill Amundson's "Joe Joe Pop" will delight anyone perplexed with the political landscape of the last decade, kicking off a new series of "American Dickheads" the artist is now developing.  His "Worried man with happy cam" further riffs on the extraordinary times we live in and how they effect the national psyche, continuing Bill's string of excellent self-portraits.

Mike Whiting's latest "Skull" is just a small-scale sheer delight, delivering another minimal form with high-impact and great presence.

Finally, Riva Sweetrocket delivers a rare "one-off" painting, though explicitly tied to the visual motifs of her most recent body of work.  "Preserve" is a sophisticated painting exuding the artist's highly nuanced subtlety and symbolic virtuosity.  To hear Riva talk about her work and the recent painting visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kqRcNexLoM

Upstairs we are introducing artwork by three exceptional new artists:

Austin Parkhill is not the next Jenny Morgan, but he's certainly exudes the same raw talent and understanding of the human form that is already causing jaws to drop in the presence of his work.  His paintings promote a signature "Snap-shot" style that are impressive in scale as well as technical virtuosity, we expect great things for him stemming from his inclusion in the second iteration of the Outwin Boochever Portaiture Competition currently on view at the National Gallery in Washington DC.

Nick Museilian is another highly skilled painter who melds intellectual sophistication with visual panache.  We are featuring two paintings from his "Little Nietzsche" series that simulate an alternate universe where Playmobile characters act out heroic scenes straight from Zarathustra.

Last, but not least, we just brought in one of Allie Pohl's ultra-now "Ideal Woman" sculptures, a touchable form that allows the viewer to size themselves up to society's conclusive ideals of femininity.  This young artist has taken Denver by storm, her recent thesis exhibition at Hinterland one of the most ambitious installations since Colin Livingston's "The Big Idea" here at Plus.

We encourage everyone to make some new discoveries, and highly encourage acquisitions by these and the rest of the terrific artists in the Plus Gallery stable.