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When I was a child, one of my early art memories involves watching some sort of Walt Disney special on TV where the theme of the show was to take about four Disney animators out on an open air art painting trek.
The cartoon animators all chose to paint a landscape involving a huge oak tree on a barren hill. I still recall how amazed I was to discover that all four of these artists, who were practically inseparable when workintg together on a cartoon cell, were able to come up with four distinctly unique versions of this landscape.
"Color Forbidden: The Nude in Black and White," opening January 8, 1998 at the Greater Reston Arts Center (GRACE) in Reston, Virginia, and curated by yours truly, employs the same tactic with a small variance.
Represented in the show are about a dozen artists. Their task was to contribute each a piece of art, representative of a nude figure, and done exclusively in black and white. Since there are paintings, wall and free-standing sculptures, pencil and charcoal drawings, prints as well pen and inks and photographers, the show covers a wide variety of media and accomplishes the rather difficult task of delivering the figure, sans color, in diverse ways to please the eye and the senses.
Led by its highly energetic director Anne Brown, the Greater Reston Arts Center, which also sponsors the highly successful Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival (ranked the 16th best outdoor art show in the country), is ample enough in size that one feels comfortable walking around Joe Comick's impressive mylar film freestanding photograph and intimate enough to do justice to Jackie Ehle's unique form of wire bas-relief wall sculptures.
A found object sculpture by Adam Bradley, a young and gifted sculptor with a dazzling future ahead, as well as a masterful marble piece by Jay Carpenter (Sculptor-in-residence at the National Cathedral) round up the three dimensional pieces in the show.
Drawing and painting are well represented by some of the better known names in the D.C. art scene. First among equals are Manon Cleary and the painting team of Felicity Hogan/Michael Clark, members of D.C.'s seminal "National Gallery School." Cleary needs no introduction; she is in my opinion the best realist painter in the country, while the brilliant husband and wife team of Clark and Hogan (directors of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Georgetown) are without a doubt, one of the most talented and influential brush-wielders in the city.
Rounding off the list of established artists, are Michael Sprouse, recently voted the city's "Best New Painter" by the readers of the KOAN Art newsletter and Julie Schneider. The latter, currently teaching at the University of Pennsylvania, is a superbly skilled artist who has managed to make that rare marriage between refined skill and blinding creativity.
Photography is led by the talented British hands of Catriona Fraser, whose darkroom skills still amaze her fellow photographers and continue to impress me six years after I first saw her work. Also the husband and wife photographic team of Jay and Marilyn Anderson, whose joint venture into working with one model and framing their piece as a joint entry is both eye-catching and unique.
Emerging artists are also well represented (and affordable!). David "Greg" Denton makes a formidable debut in Reston, and I recommend that new collectors keep an eye on this talented new artist. His mastery of the human figure is enviable and full of sensuality. Eroticism and photographic skill is also evident in the work of Ruth Robertson; her figure studies are full of subtle eroticism and yet are simple and elegant.
Terrific woodcuts by master printmaker Rosemary Feit Covey, drawings by Delma Dastur and Drew Parris and the surreal photography of Vincent Sorbin round off the exhbition.
The show runs throughout the month of January 1998. The Greater Reston Arts Center is located in the Reston Town Center, One Fountain Square, 11911 Freedom Drive in Reston, Virginia and can be reached at (703) 471-9242.
Marilyn & Jay Anderson - Individually, Marilyn and Jay Anderson are highly successful photographers who generally show their work independently of each other. Because they sometimes use the same model, I asked them to put together a joint piece. The result is an unique combination which is the product of two individuals and which delivers a visual story of a day of posing in the woods.
Adam Bradley - If I had to pick an artist whose future is guranteed to be brilliant and who will one day be a household word in art, I would start putting some money on Adam Bradley. This young man has single handedly turned my distaste for "found art" into shameless admiration. Look closely at this piece.
Jay Carpenter - The sculptor in residence at the National Cathedral, Jay is a gifted artist who manages to combine the skill of a Rennaissance sculptor with the elegance of a Brancusi. His is the sort of talent which few sculptors have in these days of gimmick, shortcuts and shock.
Michael Clark & Felicity Hogan - Hogan and Clark are to D.C. art what Lennon & McCartney were to music. Not only is their artwork at the forefront of contemporary realism, but as directors of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) they are responsible for exhibiting more artists in the Washington region than practically all other D.C. art galleries combined. They couple skill and talent with caustic social commentary to deliver truly fresh art.
Manon Cleary - If there is anyone on this planet who can paint or draw better that Manon Cleary, then I've yet to meet that person. This is perhaps the best contemporary realist in the country, and in my opinion (shared by the readers of the KOAN Art Newsletter) the best artist in the capital. Talent like this is rare; prepare to be impressed!
Joe Comick - Joe Comick's photographs bristle with the tension and beauty which are an integral part of the musicians, dancers and actors whom he photographs. To complement his work, Comick pushes the photography envelope through the innovative use of mylar to deliver a well practiced punch to his already stunning images.
Rosemary Feit Covey - The more I discover about this printmaker, the more astonished I am at the abundance and creativity of her work. Her art is sometimes dark and brooding, but it always delivers with the ferocity of a well honed razor blade. This is the product of a fertile mind and an educated artistic palate. She is in my opinion one of the best figurative printmakers in the country.
Delna Dastur - This is an up and coming artist, and yet her work already shows the poise and elegance which only comes with the gift of natural ability. Feel the weight in her drawings and examine the power of her strokes and you will discover the reason why I picked her for this show. This artist is a powerful find.
Jacqueline Ehle - From the strong hands of this emerging artist come magical metal weavings. Although she is still very young, her work has already found its way into some very important collections and already give some insight at her artistic future. I picked her because I have been watching her grow artistically for a couple of years, and I am still amazed at what she can deliver with creativity, strong fingers and common objects.
Catriona Fraser - Although she has been called "the best damned landscape photographer alive on the planet," the gifted figurative work of Catriona Fraser is awe inspiring on its own. A master of the technically difficult genre of infrared photography, Fraser's works deliver surreal nudes where heat rather than just light deliver perfect photographs which are a testament to her legendary dark room skills. Six years after I first saw her photography, I am still in awe.
Drew Parris - Natural, raw talent manifests itself in shocking clarity in the drawings of this emerging artist. Combining a clear eye for the figure with natural skills, barely touched by formal schooling, Parris delivers calm, effective drawings which are not only visually attractive, but also already show the promise of a master. This is the beginning of his arts career - take a deep look (and then a deep breath) at what he is delivering as his first offering.
Ruth Robertson - When I first saw Robertson's photographs I was stunned by the sensual beauty of her work. Was it the perfection of the flawless model which catches my eye, or the realization that this photographer is not only a brilliant figurative photographer but a darkroom revolutionary as well? It is both! In her work you will find sensual perfection coupled with new roads ahead.
Julie Schneider - This work is the stuff such as art lovers' dreams are made of. This talent is simply too powerful to describe in words. She marries enviable skill with a eye for beauty which can deliver breath-taking innocence in an evil setting (Medusa) or the clean sensuality of the girls next door in her other piece. These are powerful drawings by one of my newly discovered masters of contemporary realism.
Vincent Serbin - This photographer is a magician. In his works we are able to peek at his darkroom magic and sometimes into his mind. His ghostly figures are brimming with ethereal surrealism and sensuality. But do not be fooled! This is a skilled, creative and disciplined photographer - no gimmicks or short cuts here, but talent and hard work.
Michael Sprouse - A painter by trade, and a superb one at that, Sprouse has been called the "Best new painter in Washington" by the readers of KOAN. For this show he switched media, and yet these drawings still vibrate that that odd sense of surrealism and dread which often populate his paintings. We can somehow see into Sprouse's mind through his work, and the clarity of his skill is even more evident in this new black and white work.