Studio Notes
Meridian Hill/ Malcom X Park Series
Meridian Hill/Malcom X Park Series by Sally Kauffman
I am currently painting scenes of groups of people in Meridian Hill/Malcom X park. While researching the history of the park, I came across the phrase “a pleasure park” used to describe it’s intended use. The pursuit of pleasure is a survival instinct that heals and nourishes the soul. The pandemic from 2020 through 2023 disrupted so many lives, including my own. My paintings of Meridian Hill/Malcom X park depict Washingtonians pursuing natural and familiar pleasures including sharing meals, exercising, enjoying fresh air, rest and human connection. The paintings celebrate the joy of once again gathering in public spaces after too much time spent in isolation during the pandemic. “Don’t Tell”, “It’s a Family Affair”, “Take a Break,” and “You Don’t Say” depict scenes of reconnection and joy. They are about fun Sunday afternoons sharing picnic lunches with family and listening and dancing to the beats of the drumming circle in their beloved park.
Open Latitudes: Alonzo Davis and Chee Keong Kung at Workhouse Arts Center
Artist Talk: Saturday, July 15, 2023, 2-4PM
“Through travel, I seek influences, cultural centers, energies, new terrain and the power of both the spoken and unspoken.” – Alonzo Davis
“The allure of creating is finding places that I do not already know.” – Chee Keong Kung
Vulcan Gallery, Workhouse Center for the Arts,
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Open Latitudes: Mixed Media Works by Alonzo Davis and Chee Keong Kung presents the work of two contemporary artists who share a commonality rooted in exploration, discovery and improvisation. The use of geometric forms, gestural mark-making, the exploration of the tension between 2 and 3D, natural and man-made materials as well as working in series are integral to both artists’ studio practices.
An enticing aspect of travel is leaving the familiar behind and experiencing a new place. Upon returning home, what was once familiar is somehow transformed through new eyes. Through their travels—literal and metaphorical–Davis and Kung have absorbed deep multi-cultural influences that have informed and enriched their work and processes. In the details and precision of their work, there is an expansiveness that extends beyond geographical and cultural boundaries to encompass the broader world.
– Curated by Mary Welch Higgins
Last Call to see Irreplaceable by Sally Kauffman
You have just a few more days to see Sally Kauffman’s “Irreplaceable” at Workhouse Center for the Arts.
You can visit during public daytime hours but you also have the option of visiting during the Second Saturday ArtWalk program.
Special Thanks to East City Art for this review of the exhibition.
Irreplaceable at Workhouse Center for the Arts
What I reflect on with regards to climate change is my own naiveté. I began reading about the subject and meeting environmental activists over 30 years ago. My spouse equivalent now husband was working as an environmental activist and introduced me to a number of “big brain” activists who were sounding the alarm. I was naive because I never thought that the planet would be where it is today.
Extreme weather, the loss of ecosystems, the loss of beloved species.
It’s all here. It’s all now.
Sally Kauffman’s paintings can be viewed as beautiful works of art. You can enjoy them solely on the basis of her skill as a painter. I see them as a memorial that may lead to increased awareness of the level of loss. The hope is that awareness leads to action.
Sally’s show at Workhouse Center for the Arts continues through June 11th in the McquireWoods Gallery – W16.
I encourage a visit to the exhibit. Please reach out at info@distinctstudios.com with questions.
Score: Mixed Media by Joan Dreyer
Reception: April 8th, 2023, 4-6PM
Score explores 20 years of the work of Virginia based mixed media artist, Joan Dreyer. While developing her MFA thesis at Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, PA, Joan began taking tools, techniques and imagery that have been historically considered “women’s work” and transforming them into innovative, contemporary art that is responsive to the tone and tensions of our times. Created by combining fiber techniques with unexpected materials like X-rays, her work is a subtle art that asks questions about life, loss, symbolism and the impact of war instead of providing one size fits all answers . The artist’s work provides a space for the contemplation of life stages that we all encounter. The result is a body of work that allows for meaningful but also multiple interpretations by the viewer.
For more information about exhibits at the Workhouse Arts Center or artwork purchase inquiries, contact Audrey Miller audreymiller@workhousearts.org. Follow Workhouse Arts Center on Instagram at @workhousearts, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/WorkhouseArts and Twitter at @Workhouse_Arts. The Workhouse Arts Center is open to the public Wednesdays – Saturdays from 11 am to 6 pm, and Sundays from noon to 5 pm. Free public parking is available. A map of campus can be found online here.
Irreplaceable by Sally Kauffman
Workhouse Arts Center Announces New Art Exhibition Opening
Irreplaceable: Paintings by Sally Kauffman
Curated by Mary Welch Higgins
March 25 – June 11, 2023
Second Saturday Exhibition Reception, April 8, 2023, 4 – 6 PM
Lorton, VA – ( March 2023) The Workhouse Arts Center announces the opening of the new exhibition, Irreplaceable: Paintings by Sally Kauffman. The exhibition is on view from March 25 through June 11, 2023, in the Workhouse’s McGuireWoods Gallery (W-16). There is a public exhibition reception Saturday, April 8, 2023, 4 – 6 PM.
Irreplaceable is an exhibit of abstract yet allusory paintings by DC area artist, Sally Kauffman. Kauffman works in series and is known for paintings depicting groups of people engaged in communal activities. In her most recent series, she turns her eye to the plight of endangered and extinct species. Her high contrast color palettes and adventurous brushwork are reminiscent of the abstract expressionistic movement of the 20th Century. Yet her goal to increase awareness of the species represented in her work calls to mind Romanticism, a late 18th century artistic and intellectual movement that promoted the power of the creativity and the arts to raise awareness and thus transform circumstance.
By memorializing the energy, diversity and beauty of birds and butterflies in flight, cats, turtles and fish, she honors their place in our ecosystem while drawing attention to their plight. She recognizes that some viewers may simply enjoy the beauty of the paintings and animals represented. There may be others that do not notice the plastic bags and ropes entangling the turtles that are painted to represent just one of the ways that humankind’s actions have impacted the endangered animals. Finally, others may enjoy the paintings and decide to dive deeper to discover that these extraordinary creatures are threatened or already extinct. Kauffman’s paintings remind us that art has the power to raise awareness and create change.
For more information about exhibits at the Workhouse Arts Center or artwork purchase inquiries, contact Audrey Miller audreymiller@workhousearts.org. Follow Workhouse Arts Center on Instagram at @workhousearts, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/WorkhouseArts and Twitter at @Workhouse_Arts. The Workhouse Arts Center is open to the public Wednesdays – Saturdays from 11 am to 6 pm, and Sundays from noon to 5 pm. Free public parking is available. A map of campus can be found online here.
Photo Credit: Greg Staley
The Island Series by Sunhee Kim Jung
Reception: April 14th, 2023 4PM
Goodwin House – Alexandria from March 2 – April 14, 2023
Location: 4800 Fillmore Ave, Alexandria, VA 22311
Parking: Please park in visitors lot. You will need to sign in to enter the building.
On a recent trip to Seoul for a joint exhibition with Sunhee Kim Jung, I was asked what I most admired about South Korea. My answer was the connection between architecture and nature. The mountains surrounding Seoul, the trees, palaces, temples, traditional as well as contemporary architecture seemed connected – integrated.
After returning, I see Sunhee’s work exploring nature and our relationship to it in a new way.
Her series named The Island painted during the height of the pandemic is inspired by the Transom windows in her home. (The primary purpose of the transom window is to increase natural light. )
In this series, the viewer peers through the narrow window or “picture frame” to view nature.
Even when we are not in nature, the idea of it can create a sense of peace in the midst of solitude. Sunhee creates a visual poem by using color symbolically to represent different emotions that working together – create a haven for the soul.
I am please to announce that Sunhee’s Island series will be on exhibit at the Goodwin House – Alexandria from March 2 – April 11, 2023.
The Island Series paintings are available through Distinct Studios. Please visit Sunhee’s artist page to view details and to inquire about availability. Thank you for reading!
Window, National Contemporary Museum of Art
National Contemporary Museum of Art, Seoul, South Korea. Photo Credit: Mary Welch Higgins