Adam Stennett update

Girl From Above is our latest and greatest Adam Stennett painting. It's still hanging in the 31Grand show - will bring it home in a couple weeks. Once again, you've got to see this thing to appreciate it.

Adam's doing so well! Harper's magazine will feature two images of his mouse paintings in the December issue. AND, a radio station from Yokohama City, Japan, interviewed him today for a show about arts and culture in NY.

High heel fun!

My neighbor Steve spanking me a little too vigorously with a wooden cross in a futile attempt to cleanse me of my mortal sins.

Aaarrr! Swigging grog with Frosty and Lindsey VarnHemperly on their 17th Street stoop - an annual tradition at the High Heel Races. Shiver me timbers!

UPDATE!

At a party that night, I saw The Thief! The person who stole $70 out of my purse this past summer at a party. I ignored the little wretch, of course, but clutched my bag a little tighter as I passed by her. The next day, the party's host sent this message to everyone through Evite:

Thanks for allowing us to host y'all last night. We had a great time! Unfortunately, a red wallet inadvertently fell out of someone's purse. If it shows up in your possession, please return inside our front locked gate by slipping it inside. This will save her trouble of replacing her id, and other cards.

She struck again!

Ralphie is becoming a celebrity

Ralphie needs an agent! I spend half my day fielding phone calls and emails from media and artists and paparazzi requesting photo sessions with this enchanting feline.

Portrait photographer Carol Harrison is working on a new series of images of DC art collectors for a solo show sometime in 2008 at the Heineman Myers gallery in Bethesda. In the past, Carol has focused mostly on making portraits of artists. Her new body of work signifies a general shift in the art world landscape to looking at collectors as a group and the integral role they play in promoting a thriving art scene. I think it's especially important for collectors at every level to be active participants in shaping our city's artistic framework. The pleasure and power of having a personal connection to art and artists and to the creative life should be unblocked and opened up to anyone who wants it.

Nathan Baker is a genius

So basically I think that every artist I collect is a genius. No exception here. Nathan Baker's Rupture series is absolutely brilliant. For me, it depicts a basic principle by which I try to conduct my life: live outside the expected ... sometimes it takes a disruption to remind me of that.

In Being and Time, Heidegger describes the “Present at Hand” as a situation that arises when things break down; when the routine of life pauses and the door is opened for basic, unmediated humanity to step in and replace the automata of contemporary rigor. Such moments are inflections on how we function on a most basic level, without the societal and psychological influences that we have grown to rely upon.

...

The next group of photographs depicts scenarios in which people are in this static state - after being presented with a stimulus, yet before a conscious reaction. This is the moment of the Present at Hand, when the things we have taken for granted step up and remind us of our humanity. The pictures present a perfectly eerie stillness – one that pervades throughout the scenario and represents the shattering of one’s assumed identity in relation to their constructed context.

Nathan shows at Randall Scott Gallery.

Tricia Keightley

Tricia Keightley. Good stuff. I think the ordered disorder appeals to me - like a snapshot of my brain.

More follow-up from Luster

More Luster pictures from a friend of Trevor's.

Ellen and Trevor make an awfully cute couple.

The GWU student newspaper The Daily Colonial ran a nice little piece about Luster last week.

Adding 'Luster' to D.C.'s art scene
Posted Thursday, October 18 2007 10:54:48 pm in The Daily Colonial
By Jennifer Tchinnosian

Contemporary art for a cause attracted several hundred people Saturday at an abandoned breaks shop near Dupont Circle. “Luster,” the second event in a series of collaborations between up-and-coming gallery Project 4 and The Pink Line Project, explored the concept of excess while raising money for the Washington art community.

The contrast between excess and dearth was illustrated through golden art pieces displayed in stark contrast to the surrounding ambiance of the venue, an abandoned brake shop. The display, intended to highlight consumerism in America, featured gold-colored sneakers, gold-painted cables, lazer-cut gold drawings, and small display pieces covered in gold leaf.

The latter items, no bigger than three inches, were encased in plastic display boxes and available for sale below a sign that read, “To purchase an object please lift the box, remove the object, and replace with the said amount.” With prices ranging from $1 through $40, many pieces sold fast.

Half of the artists featured were from Washington, the other half from New York, and one - Cedric Delsaux - from Paris, said Gregory A. Kearly, principal of Project 4.

Revenue from the event - a $10 suggested donation at the door and the sale of several art pieces – is intended to support supporting the fledgling community of local artists in the District.

For Philippa P.B. Hughes, founder of The Pink Line Project, events like this are part of ensuring Washington’s art community stays alive and well. She said part of her group’s mission is “is to actually benefit specific emerging artists in D.C.”

“There are great art schools and artists but many feel they can’t stay and need to move to New York,” she said. “I feel that if I can create an art scene here, then people will want to stay.”

Kearley said ‘Luster’ attracted a “pretty diverse crowd. Old, young, people that were exposed to art, collectors and patrons as well as people who haven’t been exposed to contemporary art and now were for the first time."

Cocktails were served behind a bar and a live DJ entertained crowds while Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory played silently on a projector behind him. The abandoned brakes shop molded around the guests as they mingled, danced, admired the art, and admired one another.

“The main idea is to make art more inclusive and accessible to people,” said Hughes. "There’s no underground street level [art] scene where anybody can feel like they’re part of art. The idea is to create more inviting settings so more people can feel connected to art. You don’t even have to buy it, but feel it’s a part of your life in some way.”

“It was an enlightening event,” said guest Corey Wells. “I had never witnessed that type of creative, artistic experience in the D.C.-area so it was good to see that culture alive and well. They’re creating amazing things."

Homage to pink

I'd like to think D.Billy painted this picture as an homage to ME. It's pink and it has Ps all over it. Regardless, it's a great piece as are many of the others in the show at Transformer, which opens tomorrow night. 7 to 9 PM @ 1404 P Street. Go!

Almost sold out!

Ok people. I told you this show would be good. All but two of Beau's paintings have already sold. Hooray for Beau! You still have a chance to see these impressive works at the opening tomorrow night at Project 4 Gallery from 6 to 8:30 PM @ 903 U Street.

Frenemies

"If you don't have enemies, you're not in the game."

Back in September, an anonymous writer posted several mean little comments on my blog. I can moderate the comments, so I never published those particular ones for public viewing. I was a little hurt and saved them hoping I might somehow someday figure out who it was. Through a bit of electronic sleuthing and psychological profiling, I am pretty sure I now know the identity of this hateful creature. ... It's Potsie! The deranged little mouser I had to take to the cat whisperer after he began self-mutilating and biting his brother. He's out there and he never forgave me.

Gallery openings this weekend

Lori Nix
The City

@ Randall Scott
1326 14th Street
artists reception: October 27th 7pm-9pm

Kahn & Selesnick
Eisbergfreistadt

@ Irvine Contemporary
1412 14th Street
Opening Reception: Saturday, October 27, 6-8PM
Discussion with Nicholas Kahn: October 27, 5PM

It's a quadruple header on Saturday. Don't forget about these previously mentioned openings:

• Beau Chamberlain opens at Project 4 Gallery @ 903 U Street
• D.Billy opens at Transformer @ 1404 P Street

Lots of Transformer action this week

Tonight! At the Black Cat. A celebration of the completion of Kelly Towles' Grate Project. 8 - 11 PM.


One of my favorite young artists who recently decamped to Brooklyn.

D.Billy:
Sink Sank Sunk
@ Transformer
1404 P Street

Opening reception: Saturday, October 27
7 - 9 PM

Sink Sank Sunk features a new series of graphical, mixed-media scenes -- some self-contained on panel or paper, and others creeping out onto the gallery walls -- combining drawing and painting with images and language culled from comic books, instruction manuals, product advertisements, and children's activity books, and featuring characters plagued by mis-communication and bouts of cartoon violence.

Art of Zhang Huan

Bill Monet portrait of Gidget in the brake shop

Phenomenal picture by Bill Monet of Gidget the scooter having her brakes checked out at the Lee Jensen brake shop. Bill specializes in stunning underwater photography, but he also has quite a talent for portraits.


UPDATE:
A commenter noted my bangs. I think she hit on why this picture makes me look like I am 15-years-old. Obviously I don't mind looking a little younger than my years, but this is ridiculous. I have very little control over my hair and hadn't consciously planned to style it in this way.

Your lovely hosts

Becky Jones, Anne Surak, and me in our golden frocks. Becky and Anne did an outstanding job of pulling the art together for Luster. We make a great team! (Look at the cute vintage handbag the girls got me for my birthday.)

X in October

X is back this Saturday and it's being curated by the WPA's Kim Ward this time around. This great event is a monthly creative collaboration of many artistic talents. It's produced by 88, Nuvo Music, and Flavored Layers. I love their mission statement and I love founder David Fogel's vision for art in DC.

BeBar
1318 9th Street
Saturday, October 20
6 to 10 PM

WHAT IS X?

The intention of X is to establish a LIVE and ONLINE art happening that brings artists and creatives out of their studios and into the public art collaborative, allowing the environment to affect and impact their work and process.

X demystifies the artistic process for event attendees, hopefully inspiring them to be more creative while helping them appreciate the work that goes into creating.

X inspires and energizes our community's artists, pushing and pulling them in different ways as they are affected by the impact of their surroundings.

X is an event where the ARTIST is the focus.

Beau Chamberlain solo show @ Project 4

You have got to see this show next week at Project 4 Gallery. Beau Chamberlain's work is perfection - his surfaces are perfectly pristine and porcelain smooth. The details hold many truths in them. Allison Cohen first introduced me to his work three years ago and I've been a huge fan ever since. I'm thrilled to play a small role in introducing DC art collectors to Beau.

BEAU CHAMBERLAIN
This is Forever
Opens October 27 @ Project 4 Gallery
903 U Street

Collector's preview: Thursday, October 25, 6:30-8:30pm
Hosted by Philippa P.B. Hughes at Project 4.

Click here for more about the show.

Hiroshi Kobayashi @ mu project

You have got to check out mu project's next show. These paintings are spectacular!

HIROSHI KOBAYASHI:
spectrum painting
@ mu project
1521 Wisconsin Avenue
october 20
5 - 8 pm
artist in attendance

Mu Project's founder Shigeko Bork is one of the loveliest people I have ever met. She has boundless positive energy that is infectious and makes me happy to be near her. To note: Shigeko was once the front girl in a punk band. Awesome!


These two couples took Luster very seriously! Gorgeous Shigeko is on the right with her husband Tim. The fabulous David Fogel provided the music for Luster.

Luster brings people together in more ways than one!

My awesome friend Shawn found this excellent Missed Connection on Craigslist today. I hope they find each other! I think I know who "Rob" is so I shall try to expedite a reunion between these two lovebirds.

Luster opening, 14th St, Saturday, 10/13 - w4m - 29
Reply to: pers-449632278@craigslist.org
Date: 2007-10-15, 12:14PM EDT

Rob, gray sweater, tortoiseshell glasses. Me, paint-splattered shirt and pink/red scarf. You laughed when I got grabby-hands at the bar, and exchanged a cigarette for a story about me bitching out a Secret Service guy. Stupidly and drunkenly, I neglected to get your contact information, as my friend was in a rush to meet her ride home. Drinks?

More pics from Luster...

A couple more pics from Sarah Goldberg. I love Anne's expression! She and Becky did a sensational job pulling this event together.

Luster pics from Joe

My buddy Joe Flood is an amazing writer, but he appears to be a pretty darn good photographer too.




The Painted Ladies dazzled us again with their striking costumes and poses. I loved the fairy wings!

Kate Hardy's cool art installation - golden, whimsical objects that provide an interactive art experience with instant and affordable gratification.



I am really not making this up . . . people ask me some form of this question on average once a week: "Has anyone ever told you you look like Renee Zellwegger?" I am only mentioning this yet again because it came up several times this weekend. I think my lustery dress might have had something to do with it.

UPDATE:

In case you didn't know, my birthday was also on Saturday. I got so busy planning Luster that I didn't do my usual mega-celebration. Maybe I was a little bit bummed about getting older too ... until today. A friend I've known for a few years just sent me this super nice email:

btw, meant to tell you this, and I'm not just trying to be nice-- what ever you've done with yourself, you look better now than when I first knew you. So many women go downhill pretty quickly through their thirties- not you.

Totally made my year! [huge silly grin.]

UPDATE 2:

I like this line from a Wallace Stevens poem that Martin Irvine remembered.

…a woman in threadless gold
Burns us with the brushings of her dress…

The Gorilla came!

I knew Luster was a success last night when The Gorilla showed up. More pictures to come...

Adam's opening was awesome!

Adam Stennett's talents as a painter are phenomenal and his new body of work is dramatic and stunning. He labored for months to prepare for this show and it paid off--he sold the whole show before it even opened! We're so proud of him! And we're so honored to be a part of his life. I can't wait to bring our awesome little painting home next month.


It was super fun to see some DC friends at the opening. Trish just started art school in NY this fall at the School of Visual Arts and will be there a couple years. Yay Trish! Rachel is taking a break from the Corcoran and doing an independent studio program this semester in NY. Yay Rachel!

P.S. Loved the absinthe and orange juice drinks 31Grand served at the opening.

Luster is this Saturday!

Luster
Saturday, October 13
7 pm to 12 am
@ Lee Jensen Brake Service
1333 14th Street, NW

Creative Conversations

I'm hosting a Creative Conversation on Monday, October 22 from 6 to 8 PM.

The New Style of Visual Arts Leadership in the 21st Century Please join us for a Creative Conversation with four individuals who have taken extraordinarily unique paths toward cultivating their careers in the visual arts. We will explore how the kaleidoscopic backgrounds of local arts leaders further the recent growth of the arts in Washington, DC in conversation with Kristin Hileman, Assistant Curator at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden; Anne Surak, Director at Project 4 Gallery; Lisa Marie Thalhammer, Visual Artist & Ellipse Art Center Educational Programmer; and Philippa Hughes, art collector and founder of The Pink Line Project. Whether in a national institution or on the grassroots level, these individuals employ their interdisciplinary backgrounds to refresh, diversify, and innovate in arts programming through risk-taking and tenacity. Come enjoy stimulating conversation and hear the stories of these continually evolving arts leaders!

If you're interesting in attending, please click here or contact me. (There will be food and booze!)

Adam Stennett solo show at 31 Grand!

“Drink”, 2007, 72 x 72”, oil on wood

Yaaay! Adam's solo show is finally here! I can't wait to see it on Thursday.

A D A M . S T E N N E T T

USE ONLY AS DIRECTED

31GRAND

143 Ludlow St.

New York, NY

Opening Reception: Thursday Oct. 11, 7-9pm

31GRAND is pleased to announce an exhibition of new works by Adam Stennett at our new space in the Lower East Side. The exhibition includes five paintings based on a new series and a new video work. With this show he continues his exploration of the intimate dramas of the everyday, and the precarious balance of awareness and oblivion. His subject matter has evolved—the adventurous mice that had been his trademark are now replaced by images of girls poised precariously near turbulent water and various medicinal products put to queasy, off-label uses. They are simultaneously seductive and discomforting. They speak directly to the all-too-human highs and lows we all experience.The final work in the show is the projected video Harmful or Fatal if Swallowed. The video opens with a low angle shot of a road in the foreground, green trees in the distance and the soft twittering of birds. A red plastic gasoline container falls into frame, bounces awkwardly and comes to rest on its side. Its contents slowly spill onto the pavement as a spreading wet stain. The camera never moves and the flow eventually slows to a trickle. It is unclear whether the spill is accidental or intentional.

artdc

Something to warm you up for Luster on Saturday night. See what's going on in the DC art scene, including new works from my buddy Antoinette Wysocki.

art in transition
October 13
1626 U Street

No more sunsets

This is what looking west from our living room used to look like.

What it looks like as of yesterday.

Before you head to the 'horn tonight

Govinda Gallery
1227 34th Street
John & Yoko: A New York Love Story
6 - 8

Meat Market Gallery
1636 17th Street
Nelson Vergara & Chad Yencer
6 - 8:30

Hillyer Art Space
9 Hillyer Court

Beyond the Margins: Selections from Soweto, South Africa
6 - 8

Pass Gallery
1617 S Street (rear)
The Power of Ten
7 - 10

Paintings by:
Sondra N. Arkin
Willem de Looper
Stuart Greenwell
Rogelio Maxwell
Kathryn McDonnell
Bill Miller
Mark Planisek
Albert Schweitzer
Judy Southerland
Rocky Wang

Transformer Auction

If you're interested in buying great art, please come to the Transformer Art Auction on November 17. It's the perfect way to champion a fabulous non-profit gallery that supports and promotes emerging artists. Plus, it's going to be a helluva good time. Contact me to buy tickets, and visit the Transformer website for more info. This event WILL sell out! Some of my favorite artists have donated works for the show so I am going to have a very difficult time deciding which ones to bid on.

DC Mag coverage

Check out the October issue of DC Modern Luxury! They wrote a really nice piece on my art parties in the Radar Home section, and in Scene In DC, they covered the fundraiser I hosted back in July at the 18th Street Lounge for Pediatric Aids/HIV Care. Very flattering, but more importantly, these articles highlight two causes about which I am passionate: supporting emerging artists in DC and supporting children in DC living with AIDS/HIV.

(Sorry, no web link to these articles.)