Wanna do some body painting this Friday in DC?

Here's a party you won't want to miss! The closing of the annual 2009 Erotic Art Show at MOCA DC Gallery will begin at 6 pm on April 3 with very special contests for models and body painting enthusiasts and prizes totaling over $1,000 in value.

Models from Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, the District of Columbia, and as far away as Delaware and New Jersey will be on hand wearing the erotic costume of their choice. A panel of judges will select the top three costumes judged on both originality and erotic flare. First, second and third place winners in the model/costume competition will each be awarded an "in-studio," two-hour portfolio-building photoshoots with one of three of the best known DC-area fashion, glamour, and fine art photographers.

Each of the winners will also be awarded a one-hour make-up session with one of three top-notch professional make-up artists! MOCA DC is fortunate to have Jerry Harke of JR Harke Photography, Inc. (Annandale, VA), Mike Cary of Mike Cary Photography (Fredericksburg, VA), and John Korb from John Korb Photography (Fairfax, VA) donate two-hour photoshoots to the winners. And, the three top notch make-up artists are donating their services to the winners.

Winners of the body painting contests will be awarded a cash prize of $50 for the best body painting artist and $50 for the best human canvas.

MOCA DC is located at 1054 31st St. NW in Canal Square in Georgetown, Washington DC, right next to a few other galleries in the Canal Square complex. For details, email Dave Quammen at mocadc01@comcast.net or call 202.342.6230.

Barbaccia and others at Delaplaine

Joseph Barbaccia's "Resonance" opens Saturday, April 4th at the Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center's Side Gallery in Frederick, Maryland. The show goes through May 17, 2009.

Included are 12 mixed media sculptures created by Joseph Barbaccia, supported by a portrait of the artist holding one of his works by painter Margaret Dowell. Barbaccia and Dowell set an artistic mirror up to the creative personality by reflecting and revealing the artist through their own work, as well as through another artist’s eyes.

At the Center's Kline Gallery, don't miss Linda Plaisted's "The Arborist: Roots, Resilience and Rebirth" (through April 26). Plaisted "layers her original photographs of the trees of Frederick County with textures from her paintings and collected ephemera. The result is a painterly series of work that share a lucid quality illustrating the natural cycle of birth, growth, death and rebirth."

And at the Gardiner Gallery you must also see "States of Mind" by Diane Santarella (through April 26). This series of paintings explores "the graphic, visual experience of meditation, migraines, dreamscapes, and the organization of mental minutiae. Santerella works in mixed media on paper and canvas with a distinct mark that recalls Zen calligraphy and graffiti. The resulting paintings are quiet, complex and subtly challenging."

The Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center
40 South Carroll Street
Frederick, Maryland 21701

Reclaimed at Target

Reclaimed, an exhibition at Alexandria's Target Gallery focuses on everyday common objects that are reclaimed, recycled, reinterpreted and transformed into art.

From Marcel Duchamp’s “ready-mades” to Robert Rauschenberg’s “combines”, artists have been for years recycling and reclaiming everyday common objects and transforming them into something new and unique. This exhibition was open to all artists nationally and internationally to submit work that has been reclaimed and transformed into their own personal artistic statement. The jurors for this exhibition are gallery owners and collectors, a husband and wife team, my good friends Steven and Linda Krensky.

The exhibition opens on April 1 and goes through April 26, 2009. The opening reception is April 9, 6-8pm and there will be a gallery talk at 7pm.

Another art scam artist...

Body of her email (just as received) below:

Hello.
My name is faith i saw your profile today at (afonline.artistsspace.org) and i love it also became intrested in you,i will also like to know you more,and i want you to send an email directely to my email address so i can give you my picture for you to know whom i am.Here is my email address (faithmbia53@yahoo.co.uk) i believe we can move from here.my love distance or colour does not matter but love matters alot in life.i waiting to recive your lovely reply soon, Yours Love.
Miss faith

New head of PG County Arts Council

(Via Arts & Real Estate) I had heard that my good friend Lionell Thomas had a new job as the head of the Prince George's County Arts Council, but couldn't get the DC Arts Commission (where Lionell worked for many years) to confirm it, and couldn't find anything on the web until now.

Thomas will not only bring a wealth of expertise (much needed by the way) to that Arts Council, but something that money can't buy: energy and true enthusiasm to the arts and to the new job.

2008

I just handed all my 2008 tax paperwork to my CPA and it doesn't look pretty.

Surprisingly though, sales of my own artwork reached an all time high for me. I had not realized this until this week.

In 2008 I had one solo show (of my paintings) and participated in about half a dozen art fairs and about half a dozen group shows.

I seem to do really well in art fairs, where my work has always and consistently sold well in art fairs (although 2009 started with a bummer art fair).

Bottom line: in 2008 I managed to sell nearly 80 drawings! Nearly a third of these were sold in one New York fair.

Most of these were recent drawings, but I also sold a few older pieces to a collector and even several art school works.

2009 started roughly, but I've got some more art fairs already lined up, have work hanging currently in two shows, but I still need to work on a few gallery shows.

Portraitism

With challenging economic times persisting, people are spending more time at home and are looking for affordable luxuries. Portraiture, especially portraits of children is "The New Status Symbol", according to Boston Home Magazine

Absolutearts.com report here and Boston Home Mag's portraits here.