Nerve Cells 3, encaustic and oil

November 5, 2008

Sinel/Stewart/Weiss Studios as well as anybody who's anybody in the Gateway Arts District will be opening our studios this Saturday, Dec. 13, from 1 - 5. That includes, of course, the event that is eagerly anticipated by a horde of patrons each year, the Washington Glass School Holiday Sale and Open House, just across the driveway from us.

So, come see my most recent twelve linear feet of art, "November 5, 2008 (A Happy Painting)", as well as new encaustics and prints and my very latest pieces made from tar. (no joke, they're pretty cool.) At all price points, as they say. Discounted for the holidays. We'll also have cards listing all the other open studios.

Deets:

WHEN: This coming Saturday, Dec. 13, from 1 - 5 pm.
WHAT: Open Studios and sale for Sinel/Stewart/Weiss, plus artists all over Mt. Ranier and environs - including the annual Washington Glass School Holiday Sale located right across our driveway.
WHERE:  Sinel/Stewart/Weiss are at 3706 Wells Ave, Mt. Ranier  MD, 20712- two blocks from the DC line in the town we like to think of as shabby historique. 

If you find yourself in or near Charlotte, this should positively not be missed. The Mint Museum of Craft + Design is one of two Mint Museums in downtown Charlotte. The other, the Mint Museum of Art, has the kind of conventional collection you would expect in a prosperous mid-sized American town, but the Craft + Design is something special, especially now.  They are featuring a special exhibit called Ornament as Art: Avant-Garde Jewelry from the Helen Williams Drutt Collection.
This huge collection of 20th century studio jewelry from around the world will astound you with its inventiveness, craftsmanship and often its aching beauty. The materials used run from the typical precious metals through steel, glass, rubber, fur, bronze, wood, bottle caps, resin, paper and any number of found objects, often mixed together. The makers of these pieces clearly assert themselves as artists working within their contemporary fine art movements, including Bauhaus, abstraction, conceptualism and minimalism.
The collection also includes drawings by some of the artists that functioned as studies for the pieces. In some cases, the drawings are finely detailed technical depictions from various perspectives of what amount to tiny sculptures. In other cases, they are more abstract reflections of intent. Comparing these to the finished pieces permits a greater appreciation of the skill and purpose of the artists and adds a dimension to the exhibition.
There was also a smallish but high quality selection from the museum's permanent collection of glass work on display. My favorites are the architectural-scale cast pieces by the Czech team of Libensky and Brychtova, who pioneered this technique and pushed the boundaries for 50 years.

Ms. Kent herself

PASS Gallery is Richard Siegman’s small but lively space that opens on an alley near DuPont Circle. He shows what he likes, and he seems to mostly like painting and photography that would actually look pretty good hanging in a house. Not that it lacks edge, but it always has visual appeal along with meaning. I like that, too. Warning: the hours are sporadic, so check before you go. And the alley is also home to some rodents. Kind of makes you feel all adventurous.

 

PASS's current show is photography, in keeping with DC Foto Week.Joanne Kent, who is best known for her large, thickly paint-encrusted, monochromatic shaped canvases, presents photographs this time. They tend to capture the kind of seedy, neglected urban spaces that haven’t been lived in for a while and they surprise you with their ability to evoke past time.

Rogelio Maxwell’s work, entitled “Groundwork”,  is a very different kettle of fish. With the magic of digital technology, he plops huge imaginary sculptures in the midst of unsuspecting streetscenes and in front of  DC landmarks. They are very clever and funny and well-done.