David Bates is an extremely prolific young painter. During the past few years he has produced a constant stream of work, with annual one-person shows in New York, Houston, and Dallas (his hometown). In Dallas, however, Bates has shown only graphic work in recent years, and his new paintings on view here prompted some fresh thoughts on the work.

Bates’ pictures of cowboys and “barb-que” stands might seem exotic outside this region, but in Dallas such sights are infinitely familiar, and in nearby Louisiana or Arkansas Bates’ swampy fishing scenes ring true. Although the work does not always suffer