Confirmed

The U.S. Senate voted to confirm President Obama's appointments to chair the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Rocco Landesman, a Broadway producer noted for award-winning productions like Angels in America, Big River and The Producers, was confirmed as the new chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. For twenty years, Landesman has been the president of Jujamcyn Theaters, New York's third largest theater owner.

Jim Leach was also confirmed as the next chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Leach is a former Republican congressman from Iowa and is a professor at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

Artists' Websites: Jason John

I've just discovered the work of Pennsylvania artist Jason John at the Andrea Pollan juried show at the Target Gallery in Alexandria, Virginia and I was very impressed by John's piece in that very strong show full of gems.

Jason John, Conversation of a Paranormal Event, Oil on Board
And it is not only the amazing technical virtuosity of this hyper-realist artist, but also the intelligent composition and the way that the concept and idea is delivered by John's skilled brushwork. Look at the subtle way that the "paranormal" in the work (in this case the floating balloons) is introduced... we almost miss it as we're enchanted by the brilliant twist of the child's wrist and the terrestial look in the man's face.

Visit his website here.

Factory Statistics

My recent post on the issues facing the Torpedo Factory has been getting a lot of attention. My good friend Margaret Huddy (and a superbly talented artist) pops in with some very enlightening stats and also lets us know that "Mr. Pope got Joan Aldrich's name wrong. I wondered why I had never heard of her. Her correct name is Joan Ulrich and she does have a studio on the first floor. She is a ceramic artist."

Here are some statistics on lease-holding TF artists.

There are currently 143 leaseholders. Of them only 18 are original artists. In the 20 years between 1974 and 1994, 600 artists have been leaseholders. From 1993 to 1003, 113 lease-holding artists left. From 2004 to 2009 33 leaseholding artists left and 41 new artists were added.

From 2007 to 2008, nine more artists became leaseholders. Only 10 artists on the waiting list of juried artists are actually wanting to have studio in the art center. Many of the rest live as far away as Washington state and California. They keep their name on the list "just in case" they ever move back (one is 85, so I doubt she will, but you never know).

We do the best we can to attract new artists for our annual jury but many people find the idea of working in the public eye very daunting. One artist who sublet from me left after three weeks. She said she felt like a monkey in a zoo.

Art Worth the Trip: Ann Arbor’s Art Fair x 4

By Robin Tierney

You can expect an optical deluge at any city art fair. Ann Arbor, Michigan, combines four fairs into one mid-July 1,200-artist ‘palooza, so you really have to pace yourself.

Doing so, I had energy to find love at first sight three times at the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, at the far end of my route. Billed “The Original,” the 50-year-old event is also the first juried outdoor art event.

First crush: the meticulous, sensitive portraits of animals in the wild and amusing hand-tinted illustrations that seemed plucked from vintage books. Brief titles such as “Battle of the Naked Bunnies” trigger musings about possible plot lines. Ann Arbor native David Bigelow studied printmaking and drawing nearby at the University of Michigan. Now living in Ozark, Missouri, he captures the overlooked details of life and lives, and especially in his drawings turns humor into a tool.

Animals, vegetables (carrots abound), and minerals convey thoughts on human foibles. David cares that people get his ideas and often solicits onlookers’ reactions.

He got mine, and in return I learned how he re-purposed “the worst paper” by “working with what was there instead of trying to impose my will.” He tore the edges and used the large surfaces to draw achingly detailed large beings, such as this elephant [show pictures]. While taking a photo of his rhino etching, I adopted David’s ethos and tried to make the reflections of fair passersby work. See what you think.

“They are good for your eyes,” smiles Bigelow about his work. A good reason to visit dbigelowstudio.com.

Next, I walked back to the 17th century. With his breath-stopping etchings, Grant Silverstein could have passed as a contemporary of Rembrandt. For 30 years, the Mansfield, Pa.-based artist has sought to preserve “a way of looking at things that is still valuable.” He tells the La Fontaine fable behind “The ears of a hare”: after a lion banned horned animals from his kingdom, a rabbit concludes from a shadow that his ears could get him into deep trouble.

Another Difficult Kiss. Intaglio Etching by Grant Silverstein
“Another Difficult Kiss” started as a tiny study of two figures. Silverstein then made it the center of a large-scale village scene complete with fiddler cycling in a wheeled hammock, an element inspired by a contraption spotted during his own travels. Savor Silverstein’s etched allegories, nudes and landscapes at GrantSilverstein.com.

“Classical alien, mystic surrealism” is how Michael Madzo describes his oeuvre. I’d seen his work at Zenith Gallery in D.C.; he has been at this for 20 years. He layers paper and paint, cuts apart perfectly good paintings, reassembles the pieces, and stitches them back together using a sewing machine. Rather than build the image in the brain or in sketches, Madzo pieces by intuition. “It’s like assembling a jigsaw puzzle without the reference pictures.”

The process is akin to how memory and consciousness work, he says. “We’re always adding pieces to a collage of experiences from every day. We start each day in a new country and as a new person.”

There’s a hint of Marc Chagall, but the content, spirit and subterfuge are pure Madzo.

If you visit Ann Arbor before the 2010 Art Fair, check out the University of Michigan Museum of Art. Reopened March 28 after completion of a new wing, it features an impressive collection, including a warrior sculpted from detonated AK-47s. Catch “Warhol Snapshots” between Aug. 23 and Nov. 1.

Mellema on Target Gallery

This review by Kevin Mellema has really intrigued me and because of it I dropped by Alexandria's Target Gallery (inside the Torpedo Factory, first floor) last weekend to see the show.

To say that I was blown away, as impressed by a gallery group show as I have been in many years, does not even begin to cover how good this show is. It is juried by my good friend Andrea Pollan and I know that Andrea must have been as impressed as I was by the really high quality and intriguing, innovative work by the national and international artists that she selected.

These are nearly all "new" artists in the sense that most of them are not from around the region, and their work is a breath of fresh air on a rather mundane subject/focus for the show. More on the show itself, from my point of view later, but if you can, get yourself to Target and see this show.

And for my fellow dealers: take the time to go see this show, there are 3-4 diamonds in there ready for prime time.

This show reaffirms what I have been thinking for a long time: Target Gallery is easily the leading edge gallery in Alexandria, and I dare say in the region, and sort of the seed for what the Factory itself needs to do (in part) to re-invent/re-vitalize itself.

Read the Mellema review here; mine will be up soonest.

Wind Wasp-aided

Just back from an encounter with an underground nest of wasps or hornets while out in the woods.

Bad news: three very painful stings.

Good news: new world record set in the 200 meter dash uphill.

Bad news: the International Association of Athletics Federation does not recognize world record times set when the runner is being chased by a cloud of angry insects.

Opportunity for Artists and Curators

International Deadline: September 1, 2009

1708 Gallery in Richmond, VA is seeking exhibition proposals from artists and curators for its 2011 exhibition season. 1708 Gallery is a non-profit arts organization founded by artists in 1978. Their mission is to present exceptional new art. Artists and curators may submit proposals for single or group shows of all media.

Download complete Prospectus here or call 804/643-1708, or write:

1708 Gallery
Exhibitions and Programming Committee
P.O. Box 12520
Richmond, VA 23241

Torpedo Factory Changes Proposed

"As its name suggests, the Torpedo Factory originally was used to construct bombs. But after World War II, the building was used for everything from storing dinosaur bones to Nazi war documents. In the 1970s, the Torpedo Factory was transformed into an art center where visitors could watch artisans in their studios and purchase original works. But Alexandria Councilman Rob Krupicka and others are calling for changes to the art center -- longer hours, movie showings, maybe a coffeehouse or wine bar. Other ideas? Lifting the ban on the sale of art reproductions and establishing term limits for the studios to encourage artist turnover."

Listen to Michael Pope on WAMU here (scroll down) and he also has an article in the Alexandria Gazette here.

A SENSE OF uncertainty is palpable among the artists at the Torpedo Factory, and opinions range from those who would like to see major changes to those who would prefer for things to stay the same. Whatever changes are suggested, many say the discussion has been driven by a sense that the Torpedo Factory just isn’t as exciting as it should be.

"You won’t find much particularly edgy work here," said Joan Aldrich, who has a studio on the first floor. "If we see ourselves as a premiere art center, we should have some work here that’s new — that’s perhaps by definition offensive to some people."

I am told by separate sources that the articles and the WAMU report contained a few inaccuracies that somewhat upset Councilman Krupicka, who is a supporter of the Factory.

What do I think about all this? This is a very complex situation, with many different angles and approaches, and deserves some thoughts on the subject(s) from a variety of perspectives. In fact, I submit that from a variety of senses and sensibilities and experiences.

I could submit an opinion from the Campello who is an artist, another different one from the Campello who is an art critic, another one from the Campello who is an art dealer, one more from the Campello who is an art collector and yet another one from the perspective of an arts marketeer.

No one at the Torpedo Factory has asked my opinion, and they do have some sort of task force working on ideas to re-invent that amazing place, but I want to express some opinions and start a public dialogue here for anyone else who has something to say on the subject.

After all, the Torpedo Factory was and is a labor of love by a visionary few who took out truckloads of garbage out of an abandoned building and converted it into one of the great art center locations in the nation and the key to the entire revitalization of Old Town Alexandria. The city and the region owes a lot beyond just artistic output to the artists of the Factory, and the $3 million dollars a year that the city of Alexandria spends in subsidizing the Factory has been repaid a thousandth fold over the decades, not only is peripheral income associated with the Factory, but also in the immeasurable way in which the TF kindled and started a complete urban renewal in Old Town Alexandria a few decades back.

So the first thing that comes to my mind is that the bulk of the decision should be made by the Torpedo Factory artists themselves, and although I don't know who is in this "task force", I suspect that it is driven by the Torpedo Factory Artists Association (TFAA) members.

But with all due respect to many of my good friends in the TFAA, they also need to be careful that in their zeal to do a good thing, they become too myopic about their own environment and lack an outside view and sanity checker.

Most (not all) artists often make fatal assumptions when it comes to the business of art, and it seems to me that what makes a significant ingredient in this TF re-invention soup, is the business of running the TF as a complex tapestry of things.

That includes artistic presence, focus, business approach, artist turnover, genres, medias, diversity of businesses within the TF, etc.

"Some more divisive recommendations being floated would allow commercial reproduction prints to be sold and create term limits that would bring in a younger set of artists to the building," writes Pope in the Gazette.

Let's examine the issue of reproductions.

First of all a lesson in the misuse of the word "print".

One word that has been hijacked from the art lexicon by the art merchants is the word "print".

A print is a woodcut, or a linocut, or an intaglio etching, etc. It is created by the print maker, from beginning to printmaking. Anything else is a reproduction.

So if the original is a watercolor, or an oil, etc. and then you get digital copies of it, or four color separations, etc. all of those are reproductions of the original. However, it's hard to sell something when you describe it as a reproduction, and thus why dealers and artists alike describe their reproductions are "prints".

Giclees is a modern artsy way to describe a reproduction. Giclee is the French word for "spray" or "spurt." It describes the Iris burst printers originally used to make the beautiful new digital reproductions that started appearing in the art world around 15 years ago.

Nothing pisses off a print maker faster than hearing a reproduction called a print.

Currently Section II of the TF Bylaws state in (D) that:

"Work created at the Art Center must be original as defined by Standards and Practices For Arts and Crafts in the House Rules. Such work is not to be competitive with local merchants."

So the TF artists are not supposed to be selling reproductions of their artwork from their studios, and I understand that the membership will request to the Board of Directors that this section be deleted and thus allow artists to sell reproductions of their work.

I'm torn a little by this.

On one hand, in theory it gives the general public an opportunity to acquire a signed reproduction of an original work, and in theory that cheaper more affordable art commodity offers the artist a new avenue of income. Those who can't afford the original buy a signed poster reproduction, usually described as a "limited edition, signed and numbered print".

Nearly everyone else does it, and locally in the Greater DC region, one of the top art galleries is also become nationally well-known as the print maker to the art stars, and in the last few years nearly all galleries, both regional and national now offer more affordable reproductions limited editions of their pricier, more popular artists.

I have done it myself in the past with some of my larger, more expensive original drawings.

On the other hand, allowing selling of reproductions does in some sense dilute the sense of art as an original commodity. And then we start getting into the 21st century argument of what is an "original" in digital artwork, and what about photographers with multiple editions, and photographers with open editions, and even true print makers who once they sell out of the original set of prints, decide to dig out the original plate and pump out a second set of prints or a second edition.

See how complicated this got really quick? Nothing in life is really simple.

But the artists have apparently already voted and will soon request that they be allowed to sell reproductions, so in this case, my opinions and the issues have been overtaken by events (OBE) as they say in military lingo.

Although the Board still has to vote on it, I think. But let's file that for now.

What about bringing in a "younger set of artists" to the building?

For their own sake, I hope they mean "younger" to really mean in terms of artistic development and not just age. Otherwise expect lawsuits from the gray-haired artist who just finished his/her MFA at MICA at age 60.

But this idea does have some merit and deserves some critical thinking.

I am and have been for years a great supporter of the TF and its presence, but in my opinion their Achilles heel is in fact their greatest paradox in a sense, and it is their artistic refreshment rate. If it wasn't for the terrific job that the Target Gallery (on the first floor of the TF) does with their national calls for artists, we'd rarely see a new name at the Factory.

Paradox because one of the greatest assets of the Factory is the continuous presence of some of their power artists such as Rosemary Feit Covey, BJ Anderson, Susan Makara and others. But because the turnover rate of artists retiring or leaving is so rare and slow, it takes a long time for a studio to become available, and new artists show up almost always through complex process of studio subletting, temporary subleasing, etc. Many of the artist tenants have been there since the very first day that the TF opened its doors to the public (in fact I curated a show of their work a few years ago).

Achilles heel because it is very difficult for a "new" artist to get a permanent space at the Factory. Once a year, the Torpedo Factory puts out a call for artists who wish to be considered for a studio space. Generally about 70-80 applicants enter the annual jury process and about six or seven are accepted. But "accepted" doesn't mean that they get a space; rather it sort of means that they are in line for when a space becomes available.

Every time that I post the TF's call for artists (there's a fee involved), I get a flurry of emails from artists complaining about the process.

This needs new thinking and a new approach, for I am on the side of those who opine that new blood is always good for any artistic community endeavor.

As with any group effort, I am pretty sure that about 5% of the artist members of the Factory do 95% of the actual communal work to keep the Factory working. That 95% will be the, however, the most vocal opposed to any change that may put some studio space in jeopardy.

It has to happen.

Not that it will result in immediate improvement, nor in the way that the art critics around this town view the TF (traditional artwork only, whatever that means). Don't expect Jessica Dawson or Blake Gopnik or any most of the art bloggers to suddenly put the TF in the same perspective as the Mattress Factory in Pittsburgh or the Painted Bride in Philly, etc.

Even if Andrea Fraser decided to do her new naked nude museum/art center sex video at the TF or Shepard Fairey decided to move his studio to the TF tomorrow (and got accepted), the galvanized minds of many would be hard to convince that "change" has come to Old Town Alexandria's first among equals.

But slowly and surely it would work, and here and there a new, "young" artist would push some of the traditional and well-known buttons that get artists and their art instant notoriety and press: sex, nudity, anti-Christian art, bodily fluids, flag desecration, anti-President, anti-Israel, pro-some anti-American dictator, etc. Some if not most of that is hackneyed recycled art in new wrapping, but among the set of "younger" artists would almost certainly be those with new ideas and new concepts and new vitality and energy, which after all is the essence of what I think the Factory thinks it needs.

And a warning to the politicians who subsidize the TF: be careful what you wish for. With new artists and new ideas will come some of what I described above, and then what will happen (as it always does) is that the ugly hand of censorship will rise and the politicians will get involved and demand censorship or the $3M yearly subsidy goes away.

This will of course, bring instant worldwide press to the TF: "Torpedo Factory artist censored by Alexandria Town Council!" the headlines will shout.

But enough nonsense; how can the TF refresh their artists base on a more regular schedule/rotation?

The easiest way would be to make a certain number of studios available on a resident base, so that visiting artists could have the studio space for a year or two and then rotate (maybe they already do this, I'm not sure). Some of these residencies should be made available to recent MFA graduates, perhaps some should be made available to genres currently not represented at the Factory, such as the 60-year-old genre of video art.

Perhaps another, and harsher way would be to have an established procedure where current artists are re-examined on a yearly or biannual, or whatever time frame to re-evaluate their performance and artistic qualifications for having a permanent presence at the Factory. In a sense like the academic community does for their tenure track faculty.

Produce or be gone, or in this case, show us what you are doing, other than painting the same painting over and over again and selling it off to the tourists.

Awright, awright... so I've rambled enough and only touched the surface of this complex issue; expect more as I dig out more information and more ideas. This is the surface of the artberg and some of the above ideas and perceptions may be off base, but they're my opinion... so far. I'd like to hear your opinions and constructive criticism. Send me an email (to lenny@lennycampello.com) and I will publish them here and start some sort of dialogue.

To the TFAA: I will also gladly ramble in person with any/all of you if you want my input ad hoc as it comes across.

More later... stay tuned.

Technology things I don't like

I am really bugged by what happens when you accidentally hit a button or something on your phone and an alluring female voice says to you: "Say a command..."

First Friday Openings Tonight in DC

Today is the first Friday of August and thus usually time for the openings and extended hours of the Dupont Circle area galleries. Openings are generally from 6-8PM, but make sure to check their websites for the correct times or call your favorite gallery, as some of them close for August.

Julie Niskanen, Illusionary Reflection, mezzotint.
The 12th Annual National Small Works, juried by my good friend Jane Haslem, Director of Jane Haslem Gallery will be at Washington Printmakers Gallery and it is always one of the top juried shows on my list each year in the DC region and a great place to see what printmakers around the country are doing. Their reception is from 5-8PM and there will be a juror's talk on Sunday, August 9 at 1PM.

Also check out Six in the Mix - "Selections by Renee Stout" at Hillyer Art Space from 6-9PM.

Wanna go to an opening in DC this Saturday?

"Almost Surely, Almost Everywhere," an exhibition including the works of Echo Eggebrecht, Ken Fandell, Mike Iacovone & Billy Friebele, open this Saturday, August 8th, from 7-9pm at Hamiltonian Gallery.

Wanna go to an arts reception in Lorton this Sunday?

The Awards Reception for the Workhouse Arts Center’s First Juried Photographic Competition is this Sunday August 9th from 2-4pm. Juror Ann Shumard, Curator of Photographs at the National Portrait Gallery selected 64 of the 219 images submitted by 75 photographers from around the country for this show. The Workhouse Arts Center is just off 95S 9601 Ox Road Lorton, VA, twenty minutes from DC.

And this fall the Workhouse Arts Center will present Poetic Art: a benefit for the Yellow Ribbon Fund. YRF is a non- profit organization created in early 2005 to assist our wounded troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, and their families, while they recuperate at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center.

The exhibition on the second floor of Gallery W16 at the Workhouse Arts Center will feature both professional and amateur poets and artists working in collaboration to produce Poetic Art. The work of art will inspire the poet’s words, or the poem will inspire the artist’s creation. The exhibition will be open to the public Oct. 21 - Nov. 20, 2009. An opening reception October 25th, will feature a reading of some of the submitted poems.

The exhibition will feature both invited and juried artists and poets.

All work must be for sale. Artists and Poets will retain all copyrights. LAF will take a 50% sales commission from sold work. The artists/poets will establish a single price for their combined work and determine the division between themselves of sales proceeds. Artists/poets are encouraged to donate a part or all of their sales proceeds back to LAF & YRF.

A full color show catalog will feature the paired art and poem to be sold as part of the fundraiser. Each participating artist and poet will receive a copy of the Show Catalog. However, none of the proceeds from the sale of the Show Catalog will be paid to the artists/poets.

For more details and the prospectus, email martikirkpatrick@lortonarts.org.

Ann Liv Young Flavored Pork

Visitors at the small, experimental space PS122, which hosted a tribute show of video, dance and musical performances dedicated to rap artist Kanye West, were probably shocked when the hip hop star showed up at the event himself. But they were likely not as shocked as Kanye, as the night progressed, when performance artist Ann Liv Young came on stage, completely naked, and berated the rapper for his most recent album "808s & Heartbreak". And to add to the bizarre diatribe, while she was complaining that the CD was not his best work, Young rubbed barbecued pork onto her genitals, before eating it.

AN has the story here.

Annie in money troubles

Celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz may be better off declaring bankruptcy than battling a creditor suing her for breaching a contract related to a $24 million loan, bankruptcy experts said.

Art Capital Group, a New York-based company that makes loans using art as collateral, extended Leibovitz $22 million in September 2008 backed by the rights to her photographs and real estate in Manhattan and Rhinebeck, New York, court papers said. Three months later, she got $2 million more, according to a suit filed last week in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan.

The financing company sued Leibovitz, alleging she refused to cooperate in the sale of the copyrights to her photographs and won’t give real-estate agents access to her properties for sale. Leibovitz has to repay the loan with interest and other expenses by Sept. 8, according to the suit.

Read it in Bloomberg here.

John Grazier Magazine

The immensely talented DC artist John Grazier has self published a really good magazine about his art, quotes by individuals and collectors.  Grazier writes to me:

"Other artists might consider doing something similar to promote their work.  Publishing it is free!  I think the concept is great, and if someone wants a profit, they just take that option, pricing the publication above print on demand cost-- they will receive payment via paypal."

See the mag here... and yes, Grazier's work is spectacular!

What are we looking for?

More than 200 Times readers have responded to the question the chief art critic Michael Kimmelman poses in his latest Abroad column:

What exactly are we looking for when we roam around museums?

On a recent visit to the Louvre, Mr. Kimmelman observed that “almost nobody, over the course of that hour or two, paused before any object for as long as a full minute.” His conclusion: “Tourists now wander through museums, seeking to fulfill their lifetime’s art history requirement in a day, wondering whether it may now be the quantity of material they pass by rather than the quality of concentration they bring to what few things they choose to focus upon that determines whether they have ‘done’ the Louvre. It’s self-improvement on the fly.”

Julie Bloom in the NYT discusses the comments and their meaning. The comments have a few good points (lack of benches, etc.) but most are full of high handed snobbery and sadness. Read it here.

I'm confused

I'm not sure if this review by the WaPo's Chief Art Critic is a good one or not.

There's not much to see in two art projects now on view in Baltimore. That's why it's worth rushing out to get a look at them before they close in the next few weeks.

In fact my plebian mind fails to understand the bipolar nature of the points in the review, wondering from negative to positive to negative again, and ending in positive (I think), all the while while seeming to praise the actions of a former art curator heading to the fold of a mad South American dictator while rehashing traditional critical arrows at the heart of art and style as if they themselves were new. I think that Blake may be somewhat brilliant in the way that he managed to confuse me, but then again, I could be wrong. Prepare to be confused here.

For an equally brilliant counterpoint, Richard Whittaker interviews Jane Rosen:

Jane Rosen: I want to make work that you don't have to have a Master’s degree in Art History to understand. When I lived in St. Martin there was something about the quiet and the water. I became interested in fishing and met an elegant old black man, Mr. Anstley Yarde, who was very tall and thin and had a great presence. He taught me how to fish. You use a can and string. He’d get me at six o’clock in the morning and we’d get these snails. We’d sit on a rock and drop soda-can lines and just sit there. I never caught a fish but he’d catch them. He’d hear them...and I thought, this man has knowledge. And one day, we’re sitting on the rock and he asked me what kind of art I made. I knew Mr. Anstley Yarde would not understand the art I was making at that time, and I realized I wanted him to understand it. It raised that question: who and what does my art address? Who did I want to talk to and what did I want to talk about?

... Theorists will start talking and I’ll start thinking, "O God. I’m illiterate!" But in actual fact, I’m literate about another range of experience, a range they are not connected to. It’s simply not an issue for them!

Read the interview with Jane Rosen in Conversations here.

Patricia Di Bella at BlackRock

I have always thought that the BlackRock Center for the Arts in Germantown, MD has one of the most beautiful and dramatic gallery spaces in the region. With its impossibly tall gallery space, it opens itself to all kinds of great curatorial ideas. I am told that a new gallery director is coming to Black Rock soon, and hopefully the gallery will receive the attention to its web presence and curatorial care to the space itself, that it currently lacks.

Currently on exhibition are the paintings of Maryland artist Patricia Di Bella, whose large scale work, and uniformity of size give the viewer quite a good visual reception once one enters the large gallery space.

Curtain Falls by Patricia Di Bella
Di Bella's work is a swirl of frenzied theatrical activity and bedlam in a riot of strong brushwork and color impossibilities. In "Curtain Falls" (see above) we're greeted by an odd cast of characters in what I must assume is some sort of unusual narrative. But I am immediately drawn to the odd character on the lower right hand corner of the painting.

We see a female drummer, in dress and ample cleavage, messing around with the drum sticks and posing with them as horns. Is that Sly Stallone? Is it just me or does that face look like Rocky Balboa? Is it an accident of painting or has Di Bella put the Italian Stallion in there for a reason?

I'm not sure, but it certainly adds an unusual twist to this quizzical drama being played on not only on this canvas but also in most of the paintings. What is going on here? What is Di Bella showing us? Is that Bing Crosby crooning some mad song above Rocky? Why does he have wings in his fedora? Is that Monroe with a gag in the rear of the painting?


Running the Finale by Patricia Di Bella
Like any exhibition, some paintings are better than others, and in "Running The Finale" the artist has some issues with her technical facility as we note some issues with foreshortening and proportions. But even those are somewhat overcome by the interesting mayhem going on in the scene depicted on the canvas: it is another madhouse of actions and disturbing emotional ranges.


Sound Check, Teatro Diego by Patricia Di Bella
And it is this mayhem on canvas, with Marilyn Monroe being oddly referenced everywhere, that seems to be the unifying point in most of the work, with possibly the exception of "Sound Check, Teatro Diego," which appears to be a very intelligent homage to Diego Velázquez's "Las Meninas." A bravo to the artist for referencing what is (in my opinion) the greatest painting of Western civilization; it is not an easy task.

BlackRock Center for the Arts is located at 12901 Town Commons Drive, Germantown, Maryland 20874. Call them at 301.528.2260 for more info.

If you missed...

Tim Tate on "All Things Considered" on NPR, you can listen to the clip here.

Che Guevara drawing at auction

Ernesto "Che" Guevara de La Serna Lynch. Circa 1981. Pen and ink wash. 15.5 x 19.5 inches. By F. Lennox Campello
You can own the above Che Guevara drawing by yours truly by bidding for it here.

I created this drawing while a student at the University of Washington School of Art in Seattle, Washington and it is one of my hundreds of portraits of Guevara over the years.

This early original was acquired many years ago by a Texan collector and through the magic of the years and auctions, it is once again for sale. See and bid for it here.