Attainable Art at Nevin Kelly

Review by Katie Tuss

Attainable Art, the current show at the Nevin Kelly Gallery on U Street highlights "a mix of gallery artists and a couple of artists I just met," explained Deputy Gallery Director Julia Morelli.

Nevin Kelly Gallery prides itself on representing both Washington area based artists as well as international artists, mostly from Poland, who may be emerging or in mid-career. Attainable Art is specially priced for the holiday season with all pieces listed at under $1,200 and ready for the taking.

This provides area collectors with an unbeatable opportunity to acquire some of Nevin Kelly's finest for the tightest budgets, as well as the chance to discover new work all month long.

Sondra Arkin, who successfully curated the recent City Hall exhibition, has a number of inviting encaustics included in the show. Both small and large, Arkin’s works use bold pigments, abstract forms and grid structures. Her piece Revelation stands out as tactile and accessible, yet ordered and thoughtful. A variety of warm and cool colors are revealed after scraping away an opaque white ground offering an interesting contrast and contributing to the textural peaks and valleys of the piece.

Time of War Series is a departure from Ellyn Weiss’s cellular monoprints and oil paintings, and a refreshing translation of her signature painting style into etchings. The two pieces Trio Mourning with Bombs and Trio Mourning feature four burdened figures hunched over their expired companions. Marrying the fine lines of etching with subtle collage elements, these pieces are elegant and evocative.

"Cold Outside" by Molly Brose
Local artist Molly Brose makes her Washington gallery debut with a number of graceful watercolors. Brose’s choice of reflective paper allows for little paint absorption, which creates a magical luminosity when dry. This effect, when layered with Brose’s graphite drawings, makes pieces like Cold Outside stand out in content and technique.

Attainable Art is on display through December 31, 2006.