Among the things that make Georgetown one of the most famous neighborhoods in the world are the many fine art galleries located there. Each month this column will be dedicated exclusively to reviewing the fine arts galleries in the Georgetown area. As usual, June brings a diverse variety of art exhibitions to satisfy all tastes and genres. Work on exhibition ranges from sensuous flowers at Ralls to homage to the master of sadism at MOCA.

At Hemphill Fine Arts, a group show titled "Our Good Earth - The Landscape at the end of the century" attempts to gather a group of artists' visions on that theme. As in most group shows, there are some brilliant pieces and some weaker work. Especially interesting in the "true" landscape tradition was Wade Hoefer's "Carmina I." Hoefer is a talented painter with a sensual eye for contemporary landscape painting, and his work fits the theme of the show. Not fitting so well (actually quite out of place) but nonetheless my favorite pieces in this show are the paintings by Tina Newberry. Her work, which is figurative in nature, challenges the viewers with some oddly creative combinations of the nude figure and some disparate elements - a Scottish Highlander cap, a shovel, and a grave. In any event, Newberry steals the show! The work will be on exhibit until July 2.

In Canal Square, which is host to eight galleries, openings are generally held the third Friday of the month. This month, eklektikos gallery hosts the return of DC based artist, Bruce Norris, who specializes in celebrity caricatures and portraits. Last year's show at eklektikos was one of the gallery's most successful shows and this show has so far sold quite well. On exhibit until June 16.

Also in the square, the Georgetown Art Guild has Maryland watercolorist and MICA graduate Caroline Jasper, a talented artist who marries local scenery with a skilled sense of color, light and composition. "Light is everything," says Jasper, "Without dramatic lighting the ordinary remains boring." On exhibit until June 16.

Across from the Guild, Fraser Gallery (owned by the author's wife) is displaying a group show focused on the theme of the fantastical, the mythological and the surreal. It gathers artists from the area as well as various states. Washington favorites Margarida Kendall, easily the finest surrealist painter in the city, Joe Shannon and Adam Bradley share the gallery with a ten other artists, including the Washington debut of Star Trek-famed illustrator Randy Asplund. On exhibit until June 16.

Next door to Fraser, Parish Gallery has an exhibition by Nigerian artist Tayo Adenaike, a third generation artist of the Nsukka School (which follows the Uli painting tradition -- Uli painting is the traditional body art of the Igbo culture of southeastern Nigeria. Uli designs are characteristically black, curvilinear and non-representational). The exhibition is titled "Old Songs: New Notes," and couples contemporary art with Yoruba and other African imagery. The work is strong and sophisticated and reminds me of the work of Afro-Cuban master Wifredo Lam, who was also of Yoruba ancestry. On exhibit until June 15.

Next to Parish, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) hosts German artist Detlef Bach, whose recent work has been assembled as an "Homage a Marquis de Sade." Bach's figurative paintings and drawings borrow from the master of sadism's writings to deliver an interesting, if somewhat asexual, exhibition. Dominated by warm ochre, the works stand out singularly as powerful figurative art, and secondly as moist sadist homage. A reception for the artist will be held on Friday, June 18 from 6-11 PM and the exhibition runs until July 10.

Alla Rogers Gallery, which specializes in former Soviet artists, has work by Ukrainian artists Oleh Nedoshytko and Evhen Prokopov. Nedoshytko relishes in the total abstraction of the subject, but still manage to deliver a discernible visual clue. Prokopov, on the other hand, like most former Soviet artists, relies on a solid classical art education to deliver superb sculptural pieces which show mastery over stone and metal and marry a visual contemporary acuity with classical skills and sleek elegance. On exhibit until June 16.

Upstairs from Canal Square, Gallery Okuda has abstract work by Japanese master Kaname Moriya. The work, which is inspired by the Japanese kimono, uses metallic leaf to offer the viewer some interesting proposals. Is Moriya, who is one of the most distinguished kimono designers in Japan, pushing kimono design into the realms of geometric minimalism or are his paintings truly a departure from modern kimono design? The works are on exhibit until June 30.

On 31st Street, the Ralls Collection has some elegant floral paintings by John Alexander. Alexander, whose works hang at MOMA in New York and locally at the Hirshhorn Museum, is a master painter who knows how to employ color and light to elevate a mundane subject into the realm of sensuality via his art. Although most of his oils have sold quite well, I was particularly attracted to his flower drawings, and (in my opinion) think that they are his strongest pieces. The freedom of the line that he achieves in pieces such as "Hollyhocks" -- a pastel and watercolor piece -- makes it stand out from the classical oils. My absolute favorite in the exhibition was actually left out of the exhibition (lack of room) -- it's called "Calla Lilies" and it's in the back room -- ask to see it!

The author is a regional art critic for several art magazines and local newspapers.