Good bye Jimmy

Jimmy Buffett died yesterday - thank you for all the great songs!

Where it all ends I can't fathom my friends

If I knew I might toss out my anchor

So I cruise along always searchin' for songs

Not a lawyer a thief or a banker

But a son of a son, son of a son

Son of a son of a sailor

Son of a gun, load the last ton

One step ahead of the jailer

I'm just a son of a son, son of a son

Son of a son of a sailor

The sea's in my veins, my tradition remains

I'm just glad I don't live in a trailer

Leanne Hickman at Moses Lake Museum & Art Center

Sometimes, often more common than we realize, randomness introduces interesting paths in Einstein's many multiverses.

The path in this universe started by me coming to visit my daughter Elise and her family in Gig Harbor, Washington... and spend some time with her and her husband and my gorgeous grandkids.

For this visit we decided to go exploring the other side of Washington state and ended up with three days in Moses Lake, about four hours east of the green side of Washington and crossing the mountain pass into what then becomes the desert side of the state, where the mighty Columbia River rolls on.

As most of you know by now, I went to art school at the University of Washington, on the other side of the state, and in a city (Seattle) galaxies away from Moses Lake.

And in Moses Lake we explored around, and ended up in the rather elegant Moses Lake Museum and Art Center, where the show on display was "Leanne Hickman and John Hickman: Feathers vs. Charcoal" showing through September 1, 2023.

As I entered the spaces, a very friendly and smiley receptionist welcomed us - already a positive change from the usual.

I entered the ground floor gallery... and saw this:

Paintings on feathers... mmm. Immediately my antennas went up in snobbish art alarm. Art criticism brings a lot of subjectivity to it, and art critics who claim to be objective are rotten liars.

And thus, initially I was prepared to sigh and dislike this exhibition... but then two things happened: first I recalled my experience decades ago with the Quilts of Gee's Bend; and second, I recalled my anger when the Hirshhorn Museum director told me - also decades ago that the "Hirshhorn did not collect glass."

In the first, prejudice against the art substrate (quilt) and in the second, the lesson learned that it is the art that matters, not the substrate (glass... or feathers). 

Remember that I even gave this issue a name: The Quilts of Gee's Bend Syndrome.

And when I walked in to see the exhibition, my eyes and mind re-tuned by those memories, I was superbly impressed by the gorgeous paintings by Leanne Hickman... on feathers.

Feather painting by Leanne Hickman at Moses Lake Museum

Each one of these intimate works delivers a well-packed punch of color, composition, and well-developed painting skills - they are small worlds depicting limitless, open scenes - most of them with a western theme, but all really nicely composed and delivered.

From a little online research we discover that:

She is a local resident of Moses Lake and “true farm girl” raising horses and peacocks. These beautiful species come together in her inspired acrylic works where she physically paints on peacock feathers. "Inspiration, perseverance and a strong sense of God's directions, are my mainstay and motivation as I pursue my dreams."

The works were a steal: matted and framed and under a hundred dollars! They were all framed like this:

 

My one constructive criticism to Ms. Hickman would be for her to frame all the works in white conservation mats, so as to have the intelligent use of color not be influenced by a colored mat.

In summary, this was a wonderful, elegant and superbly well-curated show which not only impressed this big city art critic, but also re-taught him a lesson about art, good art.

Art Season Opens in the DMV

 Early peek at my September article here.

As September arrives in the DMV, it marks the beginning of another “art season”, which these days have somewhat returned to old-fashioned openings where people mingle, discuss art and get their creative juice flowing!

Affordable Art Fairs

Next month I'll be at the Affordable Art Fair in Chelsea, New York City - we'll be featuring the works of Steve Wanna, Christina Helowicz, Seth Fairweather, Dora Patin, Ally Morgan, Jennifer Barlow and Mandy Coelho... and yours truly!

And the month after that we'll be at the Affordable Art Fair Battersea, London in England, with works by Simon Monk, Kathleen Hope, Jodi Walsh and me!

Drop me a note if you'd like some complimentary tickets to either of those art fairs.

Christina Helowicz at the Affordable Art Fair New York

The below new work by the gifted Christina Helowicz will be available at the Affordable Art Fair New York, which opens on September 20th at the Met Pavillion on 18th Street in Chelsea; we're in booth C1.

The gallery will also showcase work by Steve Wanna,  Jennifer Barlow, Amanda Coelho, Ally Morgan, Susan La Mont, Dora Patin and Lian Siever!

“That’s business, baby!”
Mixed media, 3x3 inches by Christina Helowicz

Jambalaya (On the Bayou)

Settle down far from town get him a pirogue

And he'll catch all the fish in the Bayou

Swap his mom to buy Yvonne what she need-oh

Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the Bayou

Five New Exhibitions Open Sept. 9 at the American University Museum

Five new exhibitions and the continuation of Lost Europe: On the Edge of Memories are open for viewing at the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center beginning Saturday, Sept. 9. The contemplative and thought-provoking fall line-up includes work by D.C.-area artist Steven Cushner, abstract wood sculptures by Rachel Rotenberg, the black and white photography of pre-war Ukraine in Lost Europe, and more. The opening reception takes place from 6 to 9 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 9 and is free and open to all. Admission to the museum is free and open to the public. 

Through Oct. 15: 

Song of Songs: Fruitful Relationships 

Using the traditional techniques of the Dutch masters, painter Lillian Klein Abensohn's still-life works tackle societal, familial and interpersonal dynamics – from suggestive, generative allusions of sumptuous produce to pears that inhabit female archetypes. The most essential relationships, be they sexual, personal, familial or racial are alluded to in her myriad of forms —coyly, directly, ironically. 

Through Dec. 10: 

CUSHNER 

CUSHNER consists of 34 artworks by artist Steven Cushner, who served as an adjunct faculty member at AU from 1995 through 2000. Cushner has taught at George Mason University for more than 35 years. This is not just a retrospective of the artist’s 40-plus year career; it’s a selection of what is happening in his studio today. The pieces range from small-scale works on paper and wood-cut prints to large-scale paintings, all of which span the gallery’s third floor. The exhibition presents a mature artist at a powerful moment in his career. AU Museum partnered with HEMPHILL Artworks to develop this exhibition of Cushner’s more recent works in one of the largest shows of his work to date.   

Nature’s Tapestry 

Bernis von zur Muehlen’s photography engages the realm of the spiritual and the everyday, created by re-visioning reality again and again. This exhibit consists of four different series of images that form a “tapestry of nature.” Muehlen is a widely exhibited photographer who began showing her work in the mid-70s in commercial galleries and museums in the United States and abroad, beginning with her studies of the male nude. Subjects of this exhibit include bald cypress knees; trees undergoing the changes that come with the seasons; shadowy scenes invoking landscapes seen in dreams; and koi fish in playful moments. 

Rachel Rotenberg 

This exhibition will bring a remarkable body of largely unknown work to the D.C. area for the first time. Using cedar planks and other materials, Rachel Rotenberg has managed to build works on a heroic scale without sacrificing intimacy, and to craft small sculptures that attain a kind of conceptual monumentality. Rotenberg spent much of her life in Baltimore but has lived and worked in Israel since 2015. An artist for more than 40 years, she has managed to develop consistently as an inventor of new forms through scattered periods of intense instruction and the encouragement of small grants. Within a relatively conventional set of materials and methods, Rotenberg has created a deeply original body of work whose language is both eccentric and universal. Curated by Jane Livingston, with a catalog designed by Alex Castro. 

Franklin White: An American in Venezuela 

D.C. native Franklin White’s exhibition focuses on the experiential account of his life as an American living in Venezuela for the past two decades. Through White’s art, viewers can experience the beautiful and captivating traditions, as well as the food, music and abundance of botanical growth that thrives in Merida, Venezuela. White, a retired professor of more than 30 years, has been working and experimenting with different artistic media throughout his career. The present work employs handmade paper and large-scale oil pastels.   

Lost Europe: On the Edge of Memories 

The exhibit, which opened in June and will close Dec. 10, invites viewers to contemplate life in pre-war Ukraine. The exhibit showcases 75 black and white photographs, on display for the first time in a museum in the United States. The photographs span nearly three decades of predominantly rural Ukrainian life, from shortly after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, to 2018.  

As the Czech photographers Karel Cudlín, Jan Dobrovský and Martin Wágner experienced societal, political and economic upheaval when their own country transitioned to democracy after the fall of the Soviet Union, they sought to document the similar experiences of everyday life of Ukrainians during this time.  

“All three artists are genuinely interested in Ukraine, and their documentary work has a deep human quality,” said curator Milena Kalinovska. “Their motivation was to capture something authentic, particular. These lyrical photographs, although straightforward and accurate, have ageless intensity and acknowledge deep historical context with lingering traces left.”