Say what?

"in America, there are no cats..."
- Papa Mousekewitz, c. 1986

"in Iran, there are no homosexuals..."
- Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, September 24, 2007

"in Cuba, there are no political prisoners..."
- Raul Castro, March 21, 2016

Affordable Art Fair New York

As we have been for the last decade, we'll be doing the Affordable Art Fair New York again this Spring (March 30 - April 3 at the Met Pavilion). Because of my recent medical issues, I won't be there, but the gallery will be well-represented by DMV artist Lori Katz and Chicago-based artists Lauren Levato Coyne and Rory Coyne.

We'll be in booth 1.54 on the first floor; if you'd like some free passes to the fair, please send me a note.

Selvedge
Lauren Levato Coyne
22x18 inches, Pencil on Watercolor Paper, c. 2015

Turning Seven
Rory Coyne
36x36 inches, Oil on canvas, c. 2013

Wall of Small Squares
Lori Katz
Ceramics, c. 2015

Cuban by ancestry...

Latest work - this is heading to a museum show...  the show focuses on immigrant artists to the DMV. In this piece, the embedded video component plays a video loop (6.5 minutes) covering my life so far, with a special focus on why my family had to leave the brutal world of the Castro Brothers' Workers Paradise in the 1960s. The small boy to the left is me (as a four year old) running around my grandfather's farm just outside of Guantanamo.

As I usually do, I've used the "cracks" on the background wall to (employing the Navy's Falcon Codes) double encrypt a background message... more on the show later...

"Cuban by Ancestry, But American by the Grace of God."
Charcoal and Conte and Embedded Video. 18x24 inches, circa 2016.

"Cuban by Ancestry, But American by the Grace of God."
Charcoal and Conte and Embedded Video. 18x24 inches, circa 2016.

"Cuban by Ancestry, But American by the Grace of God."
Charcoal and Conte and Embedded Video. 18x24 inches, circa 2016.

"Cuban by Ancestry, But American by the Grace of God."
Charcoal and Conte and Embedded Video. 18x24 inches, circa 2016.

Another example of WaPo suckosity...

Wanna another example of how the Washington Post really feels about the DMV visual art scene?

Mark Jenkins wrote this review (see https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/museums/in-the-galleries-three-artists-become-one/2016/03/16/e599d20a-e99b-11e5-a9ce-681055c7a05f_story.html)   of a super interesting show at Glen Echo, among others, but the Post chose to publish it solely online.

Fortunately, I have a direct line to the newspaper's new owner, and as soon as he bought the paper, I complained to him about the WaPo's history of diminishing coverage of the area's visual arts.  He told me to compile some samples and feed it to him and to two other folks that he has "working" the WaPo.

This Jenkins example will make the list.

Looking for a chance to hone your figure drawing skills?

Del Ray Artisans (DRA) offers a range of open life drawing sessions for just this purpose. Both nude and clothed models are featured. These sessions operate on a drop-in basis so there is no need to register in advance. Bring your supplies and join us at the gallery to draw or paint from our live models. We don't supply easels but you are welcome to bring your own if you want to use one.  Please no acrylics or oils; pastels, watercolor and ink are permissible. All skill levels are welcome.
 
The fee for each three-hour session is $10 for DRA members and $12 for non-members. Two-hour sessions are $8 for members and $10 for non-members.
 

Session Types­

Gesture Sessions (two hours)

These two-hour sessions are composed primarily of dynamic 1 to 5 minute poses.

 

Short/Long Pose Sessions (three hours)

The three-hour short/long pose sessions start with some short 1 to 5 minute warm-up poses and progressively move into longer poses lasting 10 to 45 minutes.

 

Long Pose Sessions (three hours)

These sessions are generally composed of two long poses with perhaps a few warm-ups at the start.

Upcoming Spring 2016 SessionsSessions feature nude models unless otherwise noted.

• Sunday, March 20, 9:30-11:30am, Gesture
• Wednesday, March April 23, 2:00-5:00pm, Short/Long
• Wednesday, March April 23, 6:30-9:30pm, Long
  
• Wednesday, April 6, 2:00-5:00pm, Short/Long
• Wednesday, April 6, 6:30-9:30pm, Long
• Wednesday, April 13, 6:30-9:30pm, Long
• Sunday, April 17, 9:30-11:30am, Gesture (clothed)
• Wednesday, April 20, 2:00-5:00pm, Short/Long (clothed) - The April 20th session will be FREE! Come early to get a spot!
  
• Wednesday, May 11, 2:00-5:00pm, Short/Long
• Wednesday, May 11, 6:30-9:30pm, Long
• Sunday, May 22, 9:30-11:30am, Gesture
• Wednesday, May 25, 2:00-5:00pm, Short/Long
• Wednesday, May 25, 6:30-9:30pm, Long
  
• Wednesday, June 8, 2:00-5:00pm, Short/Long
• Wednesday, June 8, 6:30-9:30pm, Long
• Sunday, June 19, 9:30-11:30am, Gesture (clothed)
• Wednesday, June 22, 2:00-5:00pm, Short/Long (clothed)
• Wednesday, June 22, 6:30-9:30pm, Long

If you have any questions, please contact Katherine Rand (Life Drawing Coordinator) at LifeDrawing@DelRayArtisans.org.

A letter from the new WPA Director

In the past 100 days, I have met with 100 DC-area artists. Not individually, but in groups. We've met in studio buildings, in bars, here at WPA's new gallery. I asked them lots of questions. I listened and took notes. It was a real wake-up call.

 

One of the things I heard time and again was that artists are fleeing our city. There are two principal reasons for this. First, DC has gotten too expensive, so they are moving to the Virginia and Maryland suburbs. Or they are migrating to Baltimore or Los Angeles. The point is, while the population of DC grows, its artist population shrinks.

 

The second reason artists are leaving is because there just aren't many opportunities left for them here. The Corcoran and a number of  important galleries have closed. The (e)merge art fair is on hiatus. Where are artists to exhibit? How can they sell?

 

These conversations underscored for me WPA's great responsibility to this community. It isn't enough for us to simply present exhibitions and events. We need to find ways to retain the existing talent so vividly in evidence in the Auction Gala Exhibition.

 

"But how?" you ask.

 

Well, one immediate way is to attend our Auction Gala on April 9  and buy some art. Proceeds from that event are split 50-50 between the artists and WPA. You can buy tickets here.

 

Beyond that, this is a much longer conversation that I look forward to having with you over the coming year. Stay tuned for more on this subject. In the meantime, let's celebrate and support the artists still in our midsts. I will see you at the Gala.

 

Yours,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Peter Nesbett, Executive Director

Airborne

Heading to Sedona, Arizona for some vortexin' and red-rockin'

Tonight: Colon, and Isabel, and Judy

Judy Jashinsky's "I'll Take You There" at Civilian will be an epic exhibition - no question about it! And then, there's this very cool angle to the show:

We dreamed of having this painting, "Columbus and Isabella in the Mosque in Cordoba", in the exhibition. But sold years ago, we couldn't find it. Judy went to great lengths to locate it and even worked with a private investigator to try to track it down.

On Friday we learned that the owner had passed away and it was going up at auction in VA the very next day! What are the odds? And today, it was delivered to the gallery!!! It is 84" x 96" and, because it wouldn't fit through the doors, was stretched on site. Welcome home painting! Thanks to Margaret Rubino! For finding it. And Bill Hill and HMB for bringing it to us in almost perfect shape!

More on the show here.

On View at Caos on F: March 15 - April 19, 2016
Opening Reception: Friday, March 18, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m
Artist Talk: Saturday, April 16 at 6:00 p.m
Location: 923 F St NW, Washington, DC 20004

Early peek

Early peek at a work in progress... it will have an embedded video focusing on a 6.5 minute overview of my life - it's for a museum show of art by immigrant artists - details later. The little boy on the left is me as a four year old running around my grandfather's farm outside Guantanamo.

To date or not to date

Jason Horejs is 100% wrong on this issue, but it is nonetheless a very interesting read and an eloquent defense of an indefensible issue.

Many of you who have been following me will know that I discourage artists from including dates on their artwork. Recently, I received the following email from the curator of a museum: Dear Jason, As a Museum Director, I vehemently disagree with not putting the date created on pieces of work in a portfolio. Why do you suggest that? It appears that the artist is hiding something. Sincerely, D.R. I responded: Dear D, Thank you for the email and the question. I come at the question from a marketing and sales standpoint, and from my perspective on the front lines of helping artists sell their work, I have only seen the dating of work as a negative.

I have plenty of empirical evidence to prove the opposite; many different instances, but the bottom line is this: for your 99% of the artists on the planet, it is the artwork, not anything else, that first hooks a potential collector. After that comes the perennial: it better be signed. Seldom does the date make a difference (for most artists' artwork encounter with a potential buyer) for an artist.

But, and this is a giant but, there are collectors that - once they have begun collecting an artist - are profoundly interested in early work, vintage, early work, even art school work. The "whys" are diverse, but they exist... and a date is a key validator in this case.

Case closed... read the piece here.

MFA first year and thesis exhibitions at AU

Wanna get a peek at what the next generation of DMV artists may look like?

When: April 2-20 and April 30-May 29

Where: American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center

AU’s Department of Art presents the work of current Master of Fine Art candidates. The multidisciplinary Studio Art program showcases an exciting range of emerging artist’s works in painting, sculpture, collage and material studies, photography and new media. 

The First Year MFA exhibition will run from April 2-20 and feature the work of Mills Brown, Aaron Eckstein, Yaroslav Koporulin, Jean Jinho Kim, Sarah Ellen Norman, Sarah O’Donoghue, Jen Noone, and Zarina Zuparkhodjaeva. 

The MFA Thesis exhibition will run from April 30-May 29 featuring Sara Caporaletti, Sarah Dale, Carey Francis, Jihee Kang, Jean Kim, Zack McGhin, Calli Moore, J. Moukarim, Samantha Sethi, and Katelyn Wood.