I encourage you to explore the work of the finalists in The Outwin 2022: American Portraiture Today competition, on display at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery. The three that grabbed me most strongly are the photograph by Joel Phillips & Quraysh Ali Lasana, the painting by Rigoberto Gonzalez, and the drawing by Tim Lowly. Take a look.
Of course, in case you’re in DC in January or February, nothing beats seeing these up close, in the galleries!
At Lake Anne Village Center (Reston VA) with “Bronze Bob” by Zachary Oxman
In early December I returned from a five-week trip that included 10 metro areas, 6 flights, three rental cars, 4 siblings, 6 nieces/nephews, 3 grand-nieces, 32 old friends, and 51 hours in 19 museums. In the photo above, I'm mugging with Zachary Oxman's statue of Robert E. Simon (RES) in Reston, Virginia.
in the studio of my friend young Alice,
born of painter and poet.
I admired her deeply.
She encouraged my work.
Her widowed mother
showed us two pieces,
red background, black or blue detail:
on one, rough figures in black, streaked with red,
and a few clearly drawn distractions;
on one, a cerulean circle, bold and smooth.
The difference, she said, was suggestion, the basis of art.
the roughness and red obscured and denied;
the blue-on-red suggested colors unseen.
She gave us principles – very rare for her:
paint, don't record.
the act of painting must be primary
through visible brushstrokes - even those created by artifice.
Form is key, the major virtue of the work.
Represent by suggestion.
Together we breathed only one word, how.
Deep breath.
Rapidfire:
we know circle, we know sky, sun -- don't draw
do we need circle, or can it be transformed,
folded on itself, present as shadow, present as void?
overpainted, incomplete?
ovoid imperfection?
Embarrassed by such explicit wordrain,
she fell Silent.
color is the gift, the bonus
color suggests things not drawn
color is emotion
color is beautiful.
It is a striking afternoon, I must go.
We paused by the sink:
she touched each of us, ran fingers thru gloss-black hair,
held a small mirror angled toward the ceiling and said
Henry, I'd like a special gift; nevermind though, I'll pick it up.
Turned to us effusively -- happy thanksgiving.
Mother flinched;
they planned to spend thanksgiving together.
No, thanks can be more thoughtful alone.
I’ll go get my treat, this gorgeous afternoon.
Bainbridge Arts & Crafts selected my paintings The Impossibility of Knowing (27) and MBTW17 for its “Fresh Talent” show, 7-30 October. Bainbridge Island is a great setting, a 30-minute ferry ride from downtown Seattle or an hour drive from Tacoma. The exhibit is at 151 Winslow Way East, open 10 – 6 on Mondays through Saturdays and 11 – 5 on Sundays. The opening reception is 6 – 8PM on Friday 7 October!
When you’re on the island, visit the Bainbridge Island Japanese-American Exclusion Memorial, a powerful tribute to the 227 Bainbridge residents who were forced to leave by the US Government in 1942, transported to internment camps.