Last night was opening night for the four Canal Square Galleries in Georgetown. It was pretty good, with around three hundred people showing up over the three hour period.

Parish Gallery had a particularly interesting photography show, which featured some very arousing photographs by Alex Downs. It's rare to see an erotic photography show in Washington, and Downs manages to capture several highly sensual photographs of women while also investigating SM imagery.

We have a show of new figurative assemblages by Katie Dell Kaufman, who teaches at the Corcoran.

No matter how hard I try, I just don't get this guy and I now I am puzzled as well as to why the chief art critic of the New York Times Michael "Dia" Kimmelman, suddenly likes him so much.

Kimmelman writes that "Mr. Currin is among other things a latter-day Jeff Koons, trafficking in lowdown humor, heartless kitsch and ironic smut, while offering up dollops of finesse, beauty and brains. The combination is disorienting and, at its best, thrilling."

I'm disoriented by the review! Not in a million years would I have speculated that the same critical mind that loves the minimalist nothingness of most Dia:Beacon artists, would also find John Currin "thrilling."

If you like Currin - do you also like Lisa Yuskavage?

Live and learn.

Just back from gallery hopping around the Third Thursday downtown area galleries.

After the galleries, Kate and I enjoyed our favorite tapas at Jaleo. My favorite Spanish tapa is cazon, which is shark with Alioli. I just love it with that great bread that they serve in Jaleo. I fell in love with Cazon while I lived in Andalucia in the the 1980s. I also really liked "San Jacobo" tapas back then, but I have yet to find it in any of the area's Spanish restaurants.

Today was "Galleries" focus day in the Post and Jessica Dawson, like she does usually on the 3rd Thursday of the month, did a series of mini-reviews of several area galleries, including one vanity gallery. I've seen several of these shows and from the lot of six, my pick is Jeff Spaulding at G Fine Art.

Tomorrow I'll be at the Canal Square Galleries in Georgetown for the 3rd Friday openings from 6-9 PM.

In response to the whole issue of nude paintings causing a "controversy" in our Bethesda gallery, photographer Forrest MacCormack emails me a link to his favorite local nude in a public art collection.

Just like Forrest, I think that Ron Mueck's giant is a superb example of the diversity of the human body and the amazing range of emotions it can extract from us.

Opportunites:

Deadline December 19 - Juried Art Show and Auction to benefit The National Center for Children and Families.

This is a call for artists for a live and silent auction to be held March 13, 2004 at BAPA's Imagination Stage in Bethesda, MD. NCCF is a private, nonprofit agency with an 88-year commitment to serving families in the national capital area. NCCF's residential programs serve homeless families, victims of domestic violence, and vulnerable adolescents. Auction proceeds to be split 50/50 between artists and NCCF. For more information or to download submission guidelines, please visit their web site at www.nccf-cares.org. For questions, call 202-270-8822.

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Deadline January 15, 2004 - Liquitex Excellence in Art Award.
Awards totaling over $14,000 in cash and products will be given to artists demonstrating skill and creativity in the use of acrylic paints. Open to residents of US and Canada. Entries must be postmarked on or before January 15, 2004 and be received by January 26, 2004. Tel:
800-445-4278 or visit: www.liquitex.com.

Reminder: Today is the third Thursday of the month, and thus the Third Thursday extended hours by the downtown area galleries. See locations and details here.

And tomorrow is the third Friday of the month, and therefore the four Canal Square Galleries in Georgetown will have their new show openings from 6-9 PM. Openings are free and open to the public and catered by the Sea Catch Restaurant.

Last night the Channel 7 news at 6 PM had the story about the "controversy" caused by our current exhibit of Caroline Danforth and Scott Hutchison.

See the video of the newscast here.

It was a bit over dramatized with "battle lines" drawn over an exhibition that essentially features a lot of large female nudes. There were also some really ignorant comments by some of the "public" interviewed in the story. Some of the more eloquent responses (from the public) were never used.