Washington D.C.

My wife Lin and I spend a few days in D.C. We had a couple objectives. First, as artists, it is important for us to be engaged in the world of art beyond the events where we sell out work. Second, Lin had sold some work to the Smithsonian which placed it in the National Museum of American History gift shop, and we really wanted to see it.

I hadn’t been to Washington for a very long time and never for any extended time. So I was very excited to go. And, honestly, I needed the spark that going to great museums gives me. I always come away from such visits with new creative gusto.

Lin and I went to the Renwick Museum, and The National Gallery of Art. Both museums are must-sees during any visit. The Renwick has a more contemporary collection comprising various mediums. The NGA has a collection of primarily paintings and sculptures by the masters. The current special exhibit at the NGA is called “True to Nature: Open-air painting in Europe, 1780-1870.” It was awesome!

Whats nice about D.C. is that if you are staying in walking distance of the Mall, you’ve got a whole lot to explore without needing to get into a car. We are already looking forward to another visit as there was so much we didn’t have time for.

Here’s Lin standing in front of the display of some her work (floral felt trivets and coasters, and felt-art inserted into tea cups). There’s a sign identifying her as the artist and a business card holder on the middle shelf. The National Museum of American History was fascinating, and having Lin’s work in their Museum Store was exciting to see!

In the area around Lin’s display is a variety of work by other artists. These hand-made pieces are all kept around the central check-out area and mostly behind glass.

See more of Lin’s work HERE.

 

Chelsea and MOMA

Barnett Newman. Vir Heroicus Sublimis. 1950-51

I had a very enjoyable weekend in New York City exploring Chelsea galleries and visiting MOMA for the first time. A very action packed few days, I put over 20 miles on my sneakers walking from Chelsea to MOMA, and from Chelsea through Soho to Little Italy. My partner, fiber artist Linda Doucette, and I took in a variety of gallery exhibits in Chelsea and a couple of floors of the MOMA. I experienced my first Rothko in person, and this impressive Barnett Newman painting above. Abstract Expressionism is still a genre that I am working to fully appreciate, this trip certainly aided in that goal. A much more extended visit is needed I know.

It’s important for artists to get away from the studio and see what’s happening in the art world outside one’s normal sphere. The Chelsea gallery spaces were as impressive as the artwork. Big, white-walled venues where individual works were displayed in stark light, by themselves, not competing for anyone’s attention.

Chelsea gallery display 

MOMA was packed on the Saturday we visited and that actually made me feel good. The diversity of the demographic of the visitors made me feel good too; lots of young people were among the throngs.

It was an inspiring few days and had me anxious to get back to my studio to start working on new prints and consider the making of new images.