Unexpected pleasures at the Port of Call
Strategically placed surprises meet the casual visitor on the first trip around the Gallery at Port of Call in Warwick...a secondary exhibit, consisting of papier-mâché sculptures by Lillian Alberti. The artist calls her work "Character Dolls," but they are not the kind of doll you would give to a child. There are only five pieces in this collection. We wish there were more.

These "dolls" are quite adult, although two of them are inspired by nursery rhymes. "Happily Ever After," inspired from "Hey Diddle Diddle," presents the dish running away with the spoon. In another sculpture, an eggheaded little man sits on top of a wall in "Before the Fall." He is obviously Humpty Dumpty, and in this piece the artist displays a humorous visual aside. There is a small crack in the figure's head, a pre-existing condition, so to speak.

As a common theme, the slant the artist has given all of these images is that of caricature, where certain features are exaggerated to enhance the character of the subject. One would have to harken back to the heyday of marionette makers Bil and Cora Baird to witness this kind of stark and captivating imagery.
-March 17, 2005
Times Herald-Record
Middletown, New York