The Art Consultant Is In

Allison Marvin has made a career out of helping people do just that. She is the founder of Sightline, an art consulting business started in 2004. Marvin works with clients across the country, helping them navigate the art world and offering guidance on buying works for their homes and offices. She also leads tours of art spaces and introduces beginning and seasoned collectors to galleries and dealers.

... Marvin recently spoke to us from her home office about collecting, hanging and framing art, and where to go to find it in the first place.

Read the WaPo article on Marvin and her advice here.

Marvin has some really good solid advice, but I find it interesting that in listing the resources, and I know that newsprint space is an issue, that Marvin left out her own backyard's galleries in Bethesda, and no mention of Georgetown or R Street, or the various artists cooperatives (since price point was a focus of the piece) and for that matter the Torpedo Factory. If she's not aware of these places she's missing some of the best priced good artwork around town. But I bet she had a list three pages long which was culled by the WaPo to the 2-3 best-known galleries DC, all great spaces by the way.

Framing? Average cost for a custom framer in the DC area is about $70 an hour for labor on top of the materials' cost. Is there such thing as an affordable custom framer?

You bet! Drop me a note and I'll refer you to the most affordable custom framer in the area - prices are about 75% cheaper than any other framer in the capital region... and I've tried them all for years before I found this most affordable joint, just a few minutes from 495. And when I say 75% I am not exaggerating... just ask all the photographers who do the annual DCist Exposed show. Example: Custom matted and framed photo to a 16x20 inches size, black metal Nielsen moulding under glass, pH-balanced acid free white museum mat and pH-balanced, acid free foam core backing board: $25-$30 bucks, not $100 or $150 which is what you'll pay at most other custom framers around the nation.

Talking about decorating... decorating a baby's room is somewhat of an issue for someone like me. Having been forced to look at dozens of saccharine sweet animal prints and reproductions for the baby's room, I decided to create my own saccharine sweet baby paintings for Anderson's room; at least he'll have original artwork on the walls:


Andersonphant, Acrylic on Canvas. 24 x 24 inches. Circa 2009

Anderson Monkey, Acrylic on Canvas. 24 x 24 inches. Circa 2009

Trawick Prize Winners Announced

The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards announced the top four prize winners on Wednesday evening during the exhibition’s opening at the Fraser Gallery.

René Treviño from Baltimore, MD was awarded “Best in Show” with $10,000; Molly Springfield of Washington, D.C. was named second place and was given $2,000; Jessie Lehson of Baltimore, MD was bestowed third place and received $1,000 and the “Young Artist” award of $1,000 was given to Hannah Kim of Falls Church, VA.

Entries were juried by Dr. Doreen Bolger, Director of The Baltimore Museum of Art; Kevin Everson, Associate Professor at the University of Virginia and Joanna Marsh, The James Dicke Curator of Contemporary Art at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

A public reception will be held on Friday, September 11, 2009 from 6-9pm in conjunction with the Bethesda Art Walk. The exhibit will be on display through October 3, 2009. The Fraser Gallery is located at 7700 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite E and gallery hours are Tuesday - Saturday from 11:30am-6pm.

The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards was established by the amazing Carol Trawick in 2003 to honor the work of local artists and has become the region's top art prize and I am a huge fan of Carol Trawick.

The Trawick Prize is one of the first regional competitions and largest prizes to annually honor visual artists. To date, The Trawick Prize has awarded over $98,000 in prize monies and has received over 2,400 artist submissions. Founder Carol Trawick has served as a community activist for more than 25 years in downtown Bethesda; including working on legislation to designate communities in Maryland as Arts & Entertainment Districts. Additionally, she is past Chair of the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District, past Chair of the Bethesda Urban Partnership, current Chair of Strathmore and Founder of the Jim and Carol Trawick Foundation.

Seth Rosenberg

On Tuesday, September 1, 2009, District Fine Arts lost its founder Seth Rosenberg to an apparent heart attack in Cleveland, OH at the age of 56.

A memorial service will take place this Sunday, September 6, 2009 at 11:30 am at the Mueum of Contemporary Arts in Cleveland, OH. The address is 8501 Carnegie Ave. #2, Cleveland, OH. 216-421-8671.

DFA is currently planning a memorial for the Fall. More details to follow when they decide on a date.

Seth had moved to Cleveland, OH four years ago and earlier this summer, based on a portfolio of his new paintings, he received a $20,000 Creative Workforce Fellowship from the Cleveland Partnership for Arts and Culture.

CuDC looking for intern

Cultural Development Corporation (CuDC), a nonprofit organization that creates opportunities for artists and arts organizations that stimulate economic development and improves the quality of life in the DC area, is accepting applications for a Marketing & Communications Intern. CuDC makes space for art. They manage Flashpoint and Source, two facilities that offer artists and arts organizations the tools and services, in conjunction with affordable space they need to thrive. They also facilitate artist housing and other arts development projects. This position reports to the Communications Manager, providing a unique opportunity to support CuDC’s institutional and programmatic marketing and communications efforts.

Responsibilities:

· Coordinating social media strategies for CuDC and its various programs;

· Creating and distributing weekly e-newsletter and compiling content for bi-monthly enewsletter;

· Updating content for organization websites, as well as content for blogs or social networking sites;

· Assisting with marketing around special events and activities;

· Researching online and print media outlets;

· Monitoring and archiving media coverage;

· Assisting with special events;

· Assisting with other administrative tasks, as appropriate.

Qualifications:

· Undergraduate or graduate student preferred;

· Interest in marketing, media and communications;

· Excellent writing & editing skills;

· Savvy using traditional and new media tools;

· Attention to detail;

· Comfort working in a cooperative environment that represents a broad range of artistic, cultural and social points of view; and

· Knowledge of Adobe Photoshop, InDesign and/or Illustrator a plus.

Commitment: Flexible schedule; minimum of 15 hours per week.

Compensation: Stipend

To apply: The deadline for applications is September 25, 2009.

To apply, submit a resume and writing sample with cover letter to emma@culturaldc.org. Writing sample should be 250 words or less. Mention “Communications Intern” in the subject line.

CHAW Arts Ball

The Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (CHAW) is holding its eighth annual Arts Ball fundraising gala on Saturday, October 3, 2009 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at its historic building on Capitol Hill. The Arts Ball supports CHAW’s tuition assistance, outreach, and education programs. The theme for this year’s event is Indian Nights and CHAW’s building will be transformed into an Indian odyssey, including a Taj Mahal gallery of art-to-be-auctioned, entertainment in the Bollywood Theater, dancing in the Bombay Palace, and shopping in the Delhi Bazaar. The silent auction and raffle features dinners at the Indian Embassy, airplane tickets to Italy, works from local artists and members of the Capitol Hill Art League, unique experiences, and a wide array of prizes from retail items to gift certificates and jewelry.

Tickets are $50 per person in advance and $75 at the door and can be purchased at www.chaw.org, by calling the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop at (202) 547-6839, or email to victor@chaw.org. CHAW is located at 545 7th Street SE, the corner of 7th and G Streets SE

Wanna go to an artsy wine tasting this Friday?

Touchstone Gallery will be having a closing reception for their 90 artist juried group show "My Space on 7th" together with a wine tasting offered by the Washington Wine Academy.

It's all free. Art & Wine starts at 6pm and goes through 8pm this Friday, Sept. 4th.

Labor Drawings

And nu?... you all knew that if I was having a new son at my early middle age, than in addition to a million photos I'd be doing some drawings, right?

Click on the drawings for a larger version of them... now to do some baby paintings for the boy's room...

Alida in Labor (Birthing Drawing Series).
August 27, 2009. Ink on paper by F. Lennox Campello

Alida after her Epidural (Birthing Drawing Series).
August 27, 2009. Ink on paper by F. Lennox Campello

Anderson Campello after he was cleaned up (Birthing Drawing Series).
August 28, 2009. Ink on paper by F. Lennox Campello