Diane Cooper Cabe and scent

Another one of the super powers of artists is the ability to get influences, ideas, subjects, etc. from nearly any and everything in the Universe.  And if you also have the super power to deliver narrative artwork, then your work stands out as more than just a visual gem.

Diane Cooper Cabe can do that and more. She writes about her work:

Through my sculptures, I tell stories that appeal to our senses. My current series revolves around the idea of scent as a medium of artistic creation. We appreciate art with all our ve senses, and our olfactory perceptions are no exception. The artists who create perfumes appeal to many of our senses: Look Feel, Smell, Touch. To add to the glamour, perfume designers make beautiful glass vessels to hold the lovely aromas. Many scent artists are also designers, painters and sculptors who are considered masters of their craft. Glass blowers, painters and sculptors created containers to hold scents throughout the centuries. Recently, Corning Museum of Glass held a symposium on the historic relationship between glass and scent.

Madame Zed is in homage to the legendary perfumer who lived and worked in Paris in the 1920s. She created many perfumes for JeanneMarie Lanvin, founder of the Lanvin Fashion House and gained fame with the formulation of the perfume My Sin. Madame Zed features Bas Relief glass sculptured panels adorned with glass owers that highlight the beauty of the perfume bottles and evoke the aura of scent and its effect on our mood.

Behold Madame Zed by Diane Cooper Cabe, Glass and Steel, c. 2024, 27 inches by 10 inches by 2 inches.

Madame Zed by Diane Cooper Cabe
Glass and Steel 27 inches by 10 inches by 2 inches

Wanna go to an opening today? Sheila Giolitti at Adah Rose Gallery

"Any Season Will Be The Finest Hour" - with the spectacular work of Maremi Andreozzi and Sheila Giolitti at Adah Rose!

February 8-March 9

Opening Reception: Saturday Feb 8 5-7pm

Open All Week..please call first

​301-922-0162

Adah Rose at Art Seen/Tri Graphics

12115 Parklawn Drive

Rockville Md 20852

 

Anthology of memories #8 by Sheila Giolitti
20”x40”

Wanna go to an art opening in Rockville tonight?

 

Artists & Makers Studios in Rockville Presents

Steve Wanna and “Line, Circle, Ground”

for the Month of February

Opening Reception

5:00pm – 8:00pm, Friday, February 7th, 2025

Artists & Makers Studios

11810 Parklawn Drive, Suite 210

Rockville, MD 20852

Artists & Makers Studios on Parklawn Drive in Rockville is thrilled to host Steve Wanna in the Invited Artist Gallery for the month of February 2025. The exhibit runs from February 5th through February 26th, with an opening reception on First Friday, February 7th, 5 – 8pm. This exhibition features experimental techniques that push materials past their limits to yield unexpected, not entirely controllable results. Almost all the works use paper, pigment, and water as active mediums in an almost performative process. 

There’s a defining element shared among all the works of pigment that is pulled apart in unexpected fractures and bifurcations, creating organic patterns reminiscent of those in nature, such as in lightning or the branches and roots of trees. These works also speak to the behavior of water in different terrains such as sudden river formation in arid land. In some cases the paper is treated similar to soil, at times approached while completely dry and other times presoaked, each causing dramatic changes as the paper and the media that is applied to it react to water. 

"In keeping with my general approach of balancing elements of chaos and order in my work, I wanted to create in this series works that teeter on the edge of chaos while seeming to appear confined to simple or repeating shapes. This helps showcase the process by highlighting the myriad variations that unfold to create unique results in the same underlying shape. An important aspect of my aesthetic is to give up control over the process and end result without completely giving up agency and to negotiate with the materials and media to generate works in a collaborative process, which I find exciting despite inevitable frustrations."

Enjoy additional exhibits “Languaging Feelings in the Month of Hearts and Flowers” with Resident Artists, a mini-solo with Elizabeth Davison in the Lounge Gallery, Pop-Up with Naan Pocen, along with nineteen Gallery 209 Member Artists exhibiting their latest work. Open Studios building wide will welcome visitors to visit and learn. Shop and support local working artists, makers, and professionals. Light fare is sponsored monthly by The Chesapeake Framing Company – celebrating their 45th year. Wine by the glass and bottle by Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard.

Steve Wanna - “Line, Circle, Ground”

“Languaging Feelings in the Month of Hearts and Flowers” with Resident Artists

Mini-Solo with Elizabeth Davison

The 19 Member Artists of Gallery 209

Theremin Music by Arthur Harrison

Opening Reception

5:00pm – 8:00pm, Friday, February 7th, 2025

Artists & Makers Studios

11810 Parklawn Drive, Suite 210

Rockville, MD 20852

Meet the Artist 12:00pm - 2:00pm, Saturday, February 15th, 2025

Rosemary Feit Covey

About 20 years ago I wrote about Rosemary Feit Covey that "if there's a better wood engraver on the planet, I do not know who he/she is... as far as I am concerned, no one is better than this modern master, who continues to surprise me, gross me out, enlighten me, and always impress me with both her enviable technical skills and her super-sharp ability to cut deeply into my psyche."

And over the decades, I continued to be awed by the extraordinary printmaking super powers of this fantastic artist.

Behold "Lisa at twenty-two with Baby," c. 2003, 14 x 10 inches, wood engraving on paper.

Rosemary Feit Covey - "Lisa at twenty-two with Baby," c. 2003, 14 x 10 inches, wood engraving on paper

This Friday: Steve Wanna at Artists & Makers

Artists & Makers Studios in Rockville Presents

Steve Wanna and “Line, Circle, Ground”

for the Month of February

Opening Reception

5:00pm – 8:00pm, Friday, February 7th, 2025

Artists & Makers Studios

11810 Parklawn Drive, Suite 210

Rockville, MD 20852

Artists & Makers Studios on Parklawn Drive in Rockville is thrilled to host Steve Wanna in the Invited Artist Gallery for the month of February 2025. The exhibit runs from February 5th through February 26th, with an opening reception on First Friday, February 7th, 5 – 8pm. This exhibition features experimental techniques that push materials past their limits to yield unexpected, not entirely controllable results. Almost all the works use paper, pigment, and water as active mediums in an almost performative process. 

There’s a defining element shared among all the works of pigment that is pulled apart in unexpected fractures and bifurcations, creating organic patterns reminiscent of those in nature, such as in lightning or the branches and roots of trees. These works also speak to the behavior of water in different terrains such as sudden river formation in arid land. In some cases the paper is treated similar to soil, at times approached while completely dry and other times presoaked, each causing dramatic changes as the paper and the media that is applied to it react to water. 

"In keeping with my general approach of balancing elements of chaos and order in my work, I wanted to create in this series works that teeter on the edge of chaos while seeming to appear confined to simple or repeating shapes. This helps showcase the process by highlighting the myriad variations that unfold to create unique results in the same underlying shape. An important aspect of my aesthetic is to give up control over the process and end result without completely giving up agency and to negotiate with the materials and media to generate works in a collaborative process, which I find exciting despite inevitable frustrations."

Enjoy additional exhibits “Languaging Feelings in the Month of Hearts and Flowers” with Resident Artists, a mini-solo with Elizabeth Davison in the Lounge Gallery, Pop-Up with Naan Pocen, along with nineteen Gallery 209 Member Artists exhibiting their latest work. Open Studios building wide will welcome visitors to visit and learn. Shop and support local working artists, makers, and professionals. Light fare is sponsored monthly by The Chesapeake Framing Company – celebrating their 45th year. Wine by the glass and bottle by Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard.

Steve Wanna - “Line, Circle, Ground”

“Languaging Feelings in the Month of Hearts and Flowers” with Resident Artists

Mini-Solo with Elizabeth Davison

The 19 Member Artists of Gallery 209

Theremin Music by Arthur Harrison

Opening Reception

5:00pm – 8:00pm, Friday, February 7th, 2025

Artists & Makers Studios

11810 Parklawn Drive, Suite 210

Rockville, MD 20852

Meet the Artist 12:00pm - 2:00pm, Saturday, February 15th, 2025

Participating in Art Fairs 101

"Participating in Art Fairs 101" with yours truly as the host - 12 February at 8pm on Google Meet. 

I'm going to go over the process and answer questions about entering outdoor art fairs. I will cover applications, logistics, sales and much more! 

Contact info@artomatic.org to register and submit your questions in advance.

Google Meet joining info: Email info@artomatic.org for Video call link or dial: ‪(US) +1 551-900-1744‬ PIN: ‪447 552 265#

Bria Edwards and the power of observation

At the risk of repeating myself, artists have many super powers, and a lot of them center around the simple (to others) power of observation at a level that escapes most ordinary humans.

Let me repeat the story told  in art school by one of my professors - either Alden Mason or Jacob Lawrence.  He used to tell the story of how Manet was once painting outdoors at a park and looking and depicting a water scene.  A man approached him, observed the painting, looked at the scene, looked back at the painting and commented to Manet, "I don't see all those colors there," he said, pointing to the water and trees.  Manet, looked at him and responded, "Dont' you wish you did monsieur..."

Bria Edwards has the super power of observation, and the refined technical abilities to transfer that super power to a substrate and create works of art that take our mind on a worldwide tour of nuances and tones, and light shifts that to most ordinary eyes only exist as a diluted background, but to an artist like Bria Edwards, speaks in high volumes.

She notes about this piece:

This painting is an illustration of a friend. I was visiting her New York City apartment. The room featured beautiful large windows with a wonderful view filled with natural light. I'm constantly fascinated in how black bodies occupy space in relation to light. I enjoyed being a fly on the wall in her home and capturing the essence of that moment.

Behold "On A Saturday Morning" by Bria Edwards, Oil, gold leaf on canvas, 46x49 inches, c. 2022

"On A Saturday Morning" by Bria Edwards
Oil, gold leaf on canvas, 46x49 inches, c. 2022

Marite Vidales and one of the super powers of artists

One of the super powers of being an artist is leaving behind a footprint of art creations which generally tend to outlive most of us, often long after our names cease to be spoken.  Another super power is to focus the art on subjects near and dear to the heart of the artist.

Marité Vidales feels a strong connection to the eternal subject of immigration, a human event which has always existed, and which I suspect will continue to happen throughout the planet's life.  Imagine the German Vandals arriving in Iberia as the Roman Empire collapsed, or the Vikings settling in Northern Ireland and establishing the city of Dublin, or the Apache invading and taking Hopi lands, or Cubans escaping the brutal boot of Communism and arriving in Miami in the 1960s, and on and on.

She writes about this work:

“Home” is part of my Immigrant series, which involved several years of work based on a topic I feel a strong personal connection. People immigrate for a wide variety of reasons. Some leave their homes for a better education and employment. Others escape political oppression and violence. All bring wonderful dreams and aspirations mixed with homesickness and a profound sense of connection to their home countries. They appreciate their new country for the opportunities it holds to build upon their dreams for a better life, despite many challenges. In this work, I include a nest (from another series) as a symbol of my home and family, and three-dimensional paper boat showing the risks of travel and the fragility of hope and aspirations.

Behold Home, 2009. Mixed media on canvas, 8x16 inches - it will be in the Women Artists of the DMV survey show.

Marité Vidales - Home, 2009. Mixed media on canvas, 8x16 in.

Updated list of selected artists for Women Artists of the DMV show

Another updated list of the DMV area female artists who have agreed to participate so far in the 2025 "Women Artists of the DMV" survey show!

Before I forget: If I've invited you to the show and you've agreed to participate, but you're not listed below, please email me (lennycampello@hotmail.com) and let me know... or if I've misspelled your name :-) 

I've received nearly 4,000 emails, DMs, Facebooks, texts, etc. from female artists interested in being considered for the show.  Granted, there are a LOT of emails from artists living waaaay far from the Greater DC area who are not eligible, but still...

I have six venues lined up, and at best I will be able to physically exhibit 200+ artists... but all applicants who meet the "DMV criteria" will be surveyed and catalogued for the SI American Art Archives, as I've contacted the Smithsonian American Art Archives with a proposal to document and archive ALL artists - of them - see that here.

I am also contacting ALL local universities/colleges and ALL of the DMV art commissions to ask them to buy one work by one alumni or county resident for their permanent collections.  I can use some help with that if you know board members, big donors, etc.

And the "in the show" list so far...

Shiri Achu 

Maremi Andreozzi 

Erin Antognoli

Sondra N. Arkin

Michele Banks 

Marilyn Banner 

Suzi Balamaci 

Kate Barfield 

Veronica Barker-Barzel 

Jennifer Barlow 

Denée Barr

Holly Bass

Jennifer Lynn Beaudet 

Judith Benderson 

Sarah Bentley  

Karin Birch

Julia Bloom 

Lori Boocks 

Margaret Boozer  

Vian Borchert  

Claire Brandt

Laurie Breen

Lisa Brotman  

Amy Bruce

Dianne Bugash 

Shante Bullock

Melissa Burley 

Judy Byron 

Diane Cooper Cabe

Denise Calisti

Rachel Carren 

Elizabeth Casqueiro 

Mei Mei Chang 

Anne Cherubim

Shanthi Chandrasekar 

Hsin-Hsi Chen 

Irene Clouthier 

Amanda Coelho

Ellen Cornett 

Kathy Cornwell

Rosemary Feit Covey  

Lea Craigie-Marshall

Sheila Crider 

Jacqui Crocetta

Andrea Cybyk  

Andrea Cullins 

Joan Danziger 

Delna Dastur 

Anna U. Davis 

Jenny Davis 

Tanya Davis 

Patricia de Poel Wilberg

Wendy Donahoe

Margaret Dowell  

Jen Droblyen

Mary Early 

Bria Edwards

Cheryl Edwards

Dana Ellyn 

Rita Elsner 

Hyunsuk Erickson 

Cynthia Farrell Johnson 

Felisa Federman Cogut 

Cianne Fragione

Helen Frederick   

Jenny Freestone 

Emily Fussner

Marie Gauthiez-Charpentier

Genie Ghim 

Susan Goldman

Carol Brown Goldberg 

Margery Goldberg

Janis Goodman 

Pat Goslee 

Freya Grand 

Graciela Granek 

Josephine Haden 

Debra Halprin 

Beatrice Hamblett

Elyse Harrison

Muriel Hasbun 

Rania Hassan 

Jennifer Hayes

Mira Hecht 

Francie Hester 

Ellen Hill 

Leslie Holt

Michal Hunter 

Melissa Ichiuji 

Selena Jackson 

Martha Jackson Jarvis  

Barbara Januszkiewicz 

M. Jane Johnson 

Jessica Kallista 

Jenny Kanzler

Maria Karametou

Lori Katz 

Sally Kauffman  

Trish Kent 

Megan King

Zofie King 

Kate Kretz 

Bridget Sue Lambert

Susan LaMont 

Linda Lawler 

Ngoc Le 

Jun Lee

Kyujin Lee 

Harriet Lesser 

Jennifer Lillis 

Shelley Lowenstein 

Carol Levin 

Kirsty Little

Taina Litwak 

Dalya Luttwak 

Kara Lin 

June Linowitz 

Shelley Lowenstein

Laurel Lukaszewski 

Caroline MacKinnon

Akemi Maegawa 

Susan Makara

Joey Mánlapaz 

Katherine Mann

Isabel Manalo  

Sheryl Massaro

Anne Marchand  

Lucinda Marshall

Isabella Martire 

Amy Marx  

Sheryl Massaro

J.J. McCracken

Donna McCullough 

Anne Meagher-Cook  

Maggie Michael 

Regina Miele 

Marily Mojica 

Michele Montalbano 

E.J. Montgomery

Sharon Moody 

Ally Morgan  

Meredith Morris

Camille Mosley-Pasley 

Jody Mussoff

Georgia Nassikas 

Leslie Nolan

Teresa Oaxaca 

Ronnie Offen 

Claudia Olivos 

Helena Gallegos O'Neill 

Erica Orgen 

Marian Osher 

Betsy Packard 

Dora Patin

Judith Peck 

Monica Perdomo

Sandra Pérez-Ramos 

Patricia Edwine Poku-Speight

Susana Raab 

Gail Rebhan

Carol Reed 

Cindy K. Renteria  

Marie Riccio

Marie Ringwald 

Amber Robles-Gordon 

Alla Rogers 

Roxana Rojas 

Lisa K Rosenstein 

Lori Niland Rounds

Christine Ryan 

Nancy Sausser 

Karen Schmitz

Deanna Schwartzber  

Martina Sestakova

Lian Sever 

Susan Shalowitz 

Janathel Shaw 

Gail Shaw-Clemons 

April Shelford

Elzbieta Sikorska 

Alexandra Silverthorne 

Pauline Siple  

Veronica Szalus 

Judy Southerland 

Molly Springfield 

Pritha Srinivasan

Renee Stout 

Zsudayka Nzinga Terrel  

Kat Thompson

Patricia Underwood 

Gloria Vasquez  

Rosa Inés Vera 

Marite Vidales 

Lori Walsh

Andrea Way 

Ellyn Weiss 

Joyce Wellman 

Marcie Wolf-Hubbard

Sharon Wolpoff 

Sue Wrbican 

Shawn Yancy

Suzanne Yurdin  

Barbara Ziselberger 

Helen Zughaib 

 

 

 

Art Scam Alert!

Beware of this asswipe trying to rip off artists:

From: Barbara Flower -- barbaraflower1327@gmail.com

Hello,

          My Name is Barbara Flower from (FLORIDA). I actually observed my Husband has been viewing your website on my laptop and i guess he likes your pieces of works. I'm also impressed and amazed to have seen your various works too,  You are doing a Great job. I would like to Purchase Two of your ORIGINAL ARTWORKS AVAILABLE FOR SALE IN YOUR STUDIO AT MOMENT, as a surprise to my Husband on our Wedding Anniversary. Also, let me know if you accept CHECK as mode of Payment.

Thanks and best regards

Barbara.

Lori Nilands Round and the art of observing colors

The most difficult of all subjects in the world of fine arts is the subject of running waters and the effect they have on light, and on rocks, and on air, etc.. 

And yet, there's nothing like a master artist flexing their art superpowers and delivering exceptional work.  Lori Niland Rounds does that and more in "Colors of the Creek II."

She notes:

Colors on the Creek II is an encaustic monotype that I created after viewing the colorful waterlilies of  downtown Frederick’s Carroll Creek Linear Park. I composed a ‘birds-eye’ perspective to capture the vibrant colors of the lilies and lily pads as well as the movement of the water.  I balanced the use of negative space and translucent encaustic paint on Kozo paper to bring this piece to life. Kozo is a type of Japanese printmaking paper made from the bark of the mulberry tree. It is a versatile and unique printmaking paper that contains visible mulberry fibers that enhance the illusion of water flowing through Carroll Creek.

Behold "Colors of the Creek II" by Lori Niland Rounds, an Encaustic Monotype, c.2019, 33x10 inches.  It will exhibited at Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center as part of the Women Artists of the DMV survey show.

"Colors of the Creek II" by Lori Niland Rounds
Encaustic Monotype c.2019, 33x10 inches

Nicolet College's 38th Annual Northern National - Call for Art

Entry Deadline: 3/13/25

Entry Fee (Northern National Art Competition): $35.00

Work Sample Requirements:  Images | Minimum: 1, Maximum: 2

Apply here: https://artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=14756

The 38th Northern National Art Competition will be held in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, from June 12 - July 26, 2025, at the Nicolet College Art Gallery. Began in 1987, this show is a cooperative venture between Nicolet College Arts & Enrichment and the Northern Arts Council (NAC). The Northern National Art Competition strives to showcase a cross section of contemporary art in a variety of two-dimensional mediums. Each year, hundreds of artists nationwide submit work to be considered for inclusion in this exhibition, and the art is always both visually exciting and intellectually stimulating. 

More than $8,500 in prize money will be awarded, including three $1,000 Awards of Excellence. Awards are based upon the actual artwork. 

• This renowned national juried competition is open to all US resident artists 18 years or older.
• Each artist may submit images of recent, original, artwork in any medium, including photography, fiber, and mixed media.
• All artwork MUST be 2D and hangable. (Maximum Depth 6")
• There is no theme.
• The $35 entry fee entitles the artist to submit one or two pieces for consideration. (one image per artwork). Images must accurately represent the work entered.
• Must be original work; no reproductions of artwork will be accepted.
• Artists selected as finalists will have their work exhibited (and available for purchase if desired) at the Nicolet College Art Gallery until Saturday, July 26.
• Entries may be hand delivered on Tuesday, May 20 9am-2pm or by appointment.
• Shipped work must arrive at the Nicolet College Art Gallery by Monday, May 19. Must include pre-paid return shipping label. Additional shipping details will be sent with your acceptance notice.
• Selected art must remain for the entire exhibition and awards will be distributed after the close of the show. All proceeds of sales are assigned to the artist.
• All artists are responsible for ensuring their subject matter does not include any copyright infringements. The artist waives Nicolet College and NAC of all legal responsibilities if an artist is challenged by another party for copyright infringement.
• All artists must disclose if Artificial Intelligence has been used in any way for the creation of the artwork.
• By entering work in this exhibition, the artist gives Nicolet College and NAC the right to use images for digital and print promotional purposes.
• Artists Statements will be displayed in conjunction with this exhibit alongside the artwork.
• Any artwork submitted and awarded in previous year's competition is ineligible.
• Single panel artwork is expected. Diptych will be considered and nothing with more than 3 panels as a Triptych.
• No maximum size for LxW. We kindly ask if you do have a piece with a dimension larger than 5' to reach out to us in advance of entry.

Artists, their friends, and families are encouraged to join us at our opening reception on Thursday, June 12. The opening reception is a remarkable evening in celebration of the artists whose work has been chosen for the exhibition. The public is also able to purchase tickets to this event, which includes hors d’oeuvres and refreshments. Attendees get the first peek at one of the premiere art shows in Northern Wisconsin and then join this year's judge as she shares her remarks on the curation of this prestigious national show. The intimate judge’s talk proves as wonderful as the art itself and leaves you with a deeper appreciation of the show. 

The Northern National Art Competition prides itself on providing an accomplished judge and this year is no exception.  The exhibit becomes a reflection of the lens with which the judge has placed their mark.

This year they welcome Jaleesa Johnston. She is an interdisciplinary artist, educator and curator, currently living and working in the Pacific Northwest. She holds a BA from Vassar College, an MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute and an MA from the University of Bergen in Norway. Her interdisciplinary art practice explores the ruptured space between the subjectivity and objectivity of the Black female body. She has been the recipient of the AICAD Post-Graduate Teaching Fellowship, Centrum’s Emerging Artist Residency, Open Signal’s New Media Fellowship, Performance Works NW Alembic Artist Residency and an Artist Trust Fellowship Award. Jaleesa also works as Curatorial Coordinator in the Curatorial Department at the Portland Art Museum, where she initiated and curates an ongoing exhibition series titled Conductions: Black Imaginings. Her curatorial interests and research include the residual imprint of ephemeral works in institutional spaces, with a focus on Black performance work.

Meredith Morris and the art of political art

One of rarest talents in art is to be able to float around different corners of the sensory scene that is everyday living and use the skills of being an artist to observe, create, and deliver a work of art that makes an impactful statement.

Art with political footprints is one of the more difficult and abused genres of the visual arts empire; it can quickly fall into heavy, Soviet-style fascist dogma, or even worse (in the eyes of some - not me) into illustration.

Then there's that astonishing moment when a work of fine art catches not only a moment in history (think of Goya's Third of May 1808), but fills your brain with reactive thoughts and senses, and suddently, places you there, alongside the subject of the work.

Meredith Morris has done that and more with the below masterpiece - she notes about it:

When I went into the streets in 2017 to protest the first election of Donald Trump I had already started a series of paintings inspired by his dehumanizing rhetoric that I named No Labels. This painting, Long Time Coming was an image I took from that day of a black man wrapped in the American flag marching in a sea of mostly white women. The image was powerful and stuck with me making me reflect on the promise of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960’s that I experienced growing up in segregated Georgia as a white girl. The Civil Rights fight made a lasting impression on me and my own family history played a roll there but that’s another story. Long Time Coming is a line in a song by Sam Cooke entitled A Change is Gonna Come.  I purposefully made the background abstract and chaotic to reflect the current political and social situation. However, there are some trees showing through that I leave to the viewer to interpret. This is a painting that asks questions of humanity regarding justice and equality and how long a people should have to wait for those things.

Behold "Long Time Coming" by Meredith Morris, oil in canvas, 2020, 40x30 inches.

Long Time Coming by Meredith Morris
Oil in canvas, 2020, 40x30 inches