The second you walk into the Kittery Art Association you're going to notice a few things on the wall that are quite different than you'd typically see there. Straying from tradition and getting huge with things is the rule of the downstairs as you step in.It was nearly startling. I hadn't expected the explosion of color and energy that I was in store for. Gigantic, surreal, abstract, and mixed media giants are covering the walls. Steven Mutch's work is a surprise for sure, and would be in any gallery. Some pieces have texture added to them with the addition of extra canvas. It results in some puckered, raised ridges. Other textures include mesh that has been painted over, dripped paint, money, and other found objects. Perhaps Mutch's work is better viewed when you know his method. On his Web site, he refers to art as an acronym standing for "A Random Thought." "I meditate in front of one of my ample blank canvasses," he says, "when my mind is as blank as I can make it, I attack the canvas with an explosion of color." As the paintings develop and he covers his canvas with paint and texture, he let's only the work he's done so far on that canvas inform the progression of the work and its outcome.

When you know this about Mutch's compositions they take on an improvised quality- like jazz, to make a musical comparison. Some parts are unexpected, others are slightly underdeveloped, and still other parts of the canvas have been worked over and over.

This would be well and fine if there were some fluidity to his ideas. Impulsiveness doesn't require hastiness. His quest to evoke an emotional response from the viewer happens in particular moments of his paintings, but the overall composition doesn't strike or move.

A haphazard brushstroke lives side by side with a tonally articulated nude in "Eva in the New Garden." The rushed elements don't necessarily give a sense of urgency, but rather a sense of chaos, which might be enjoyable to some.Along these lines, there are some ideas that beg more exploration or context, like the highly enjoyable moment in "Supernatural Childbirth" where a serpent head's teeth are skillfully represented by drips of white paint.

Some pieces are more organized however. His splatter paintings contain the same paint colors, linking them all and highlighting the slightly different energy of each.

Oh, and one more thing. I was puzzled by "Z," an oil on linen piece. Gravity has no effect on this woman's breasts, which isn't the disturbing part. Like others of his pieces, it's as though he didn't really work on the body in its entirety.

The face down to the neck seems like a different woman's upper body parts, and as you go on down, her posture is submissive. Maybe it's brave. I definitely think it's not eliciting the sort of emotional reaction that was intended. As a female, I'm always feeling dissected by advertising images. It's an odd feeling to see such idealism in a painting by a man who is fascinated by and who returns often to the female form.

I liked the party skeletons best. I hope you go see what I mean. "Cosmo" and "007" are speakin' my language.

Also on display are some interesting pieces by Peter and Polly Moak. Polly's acrylic pieces "Blueprint I" and "Blueprint II" are detailed and seem as though they were time consuming.

Don't miss this show. It'll make you think.Ann Bryant thinks Jack Huber is watching over us, and was so glad to have known him. Ask questions or tell stories at beagoodegg@gmail.com.

WHAT STEVEN MUTCH WITH PETER & POLLY MOAK WHEN through Jan. 28, WHERE Kittery Art Association Gallery, 8 Coleman Ave., Kittery, Point, Maine CONTACT (207) 451-9384, www.kitteryartassociation.org, www.mutchfineart.com