I used to live in Washington, DC -- it seems a couple lifetimes ago, now. Washington can be pretty boring because so many people are rather full of themselves. And I worked with lots of lawyers, who, while very bright, could be very stiff and awkward.
But there was solace in art. So many museums, most of them free, and the galleries! A good number of the art galleries in Washington were in the Dupont Circle area and easy for me to walk to. Some Friday nights, galleries had a common opening so you could gallery hop, meet artists, and then have a meal at a nearby cafe. Ah, civilization!
My favorite gallery was Gallery K, owned by my friends, Komei Wachi and Marc Moyens. It was a "discovery" gallery, specializing in new artists -- and most of the work was not expensive. How I loved to visit Marc and Komei and learn to look at art. And I began to collect. I thought tonight I could pretend it was a Friday night opening and share a few pieces with you. They are not, strictly speaking, decorative. I prefer something that makes me think. Because I think a good painting or drawing is like poetry for the wall...
Please pardon my lousy photography. Pictures below the orange doodle...
"Werewolf Caught in a Weak Sunlight" by Robert A. Nelson, 1989
This was one of the first pieces I bought, a little drawing by Robert A. Nelson. He is said by some to be one of the best drafts men in America. But boy, does he have a wicked sense of humor. I understand he is living in Oregon now -- and he must be in his 90s.
I like this piece as as a reminder that things are not strictly black and white and that even what we find monstrous has another side. I don't know if the photo is clear enough to see but the werewolf's front leg, falling under the sun, is a human hand. Written in the drawings of the paws in the foreground are the dates of each werewolf's death and at whose hand.
I got to meet Robert A. Nelson once and told him I had bought this piece -- and he said he wouldn't have pegged me for one who would go for heavy art. Perhaps appearances are deceiving?
If you are interested, Oregon Public Broadcasting's "Art Beat" did a segment on Robert A. Nelson which you can find here.
"The Scene" by Jo Rango
Jo Rango paints pretty surreal stuff. Komei told me that people give her little toys that she arranges on a table and then just goes into a dream about them when she paints. In this case, the "scene" is (in my opinion) Washington. I always thought the gassy figure on the right was Newt Gingrich. What do you think?
Here is some more of her work.
"The Artist, His Work, With Young Curators (Pros)" by Joe Shannon, 1993-4
Komei told me that Joe Shannon is one of the best painters in Washington -- and it is probably true. But a lot of his work is very tough viewing. He often paints himself into the picture (he is the bald man with the glasses on the left) and he also often puts skulls into the composition. This I believe harkens back to the Dutch masters who used to put such reminders of mortality into their rich still life paintings. Anyway, this painting was the first in a series that Joe Shannon did about people looking at art -- and I like this painting as a deliciously malicious view of critics. Raw, sexy, funny, and sometimes weirdly classical, that is Joe Shannon.
"Gift Doll" by Jody Mussoff
Most of Jodi Mussoff's work is in colored pencil. This is a rare oil painting. But like her drawings, each of the faces in this work are a version of herself. Perhaps this is why her work speaks so well to women. I love her stuff. Komei used to arrange her shows with Robert A. Nelson, each artist having a floor of the gallery, and they were among my favorite shows.
You can see some of Jody Mussoff's colored pencil work here.
Got any favorite contemporary artists or galleries? Come in, make yourself comfortable -- and since this is a pseudo gallery opening, you will find virtual wine, ginger ale, and pretzels on the sideboard.
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