Darren Waterston at Cantor Art Center

Those readers who are unfamiliar with the works of Darren Waterston should head over to his website (darrenwaterston.com) for a glimpse into his luminous “organic/abstract” world. Both subtly macabre and transcendentally illuminating, Waterston is a master at painting both powerful, force-of-nature oils as well as delicate, melancholy watercolors. In between stints at blue chip galleries, Waterston has most recently completed a stunning Victorian mourning themed installation at Cantor Art Center at Stanford University entitled “Splendid Grief: Darren Waterston and the Afterlife of Leland Stanford Jr.” This show is an homage to the death of the teen-aged Leland Jr (died 1884), son of Leland and Jane Stanford, who subsequently devoted part of their fortune to establishing the Stanford University in his honor. The show is up through June 5th.