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“Bring it on” was taken in New York City
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Artist Profile: Charlie Gaynor
Impact. That’s what Charlie Gaynor goes for and that’s what you get. The image is outside the expected, yet something clicks. It’s part of something bigger, usually a building, but it’s not just an interesting detail; it becomes a whole new idea. The image actually seems to expand through the dynamics of saturated color -- color qualities that restructure form and accentuate contrasts.
Not surprisingly, Charlie has been at this for a while. He graduated from the University of Kansas, his home state, with a degree in art. His few electives in photography pulled him into the Army’s Photo School before dispatching him to Vietnam to be the personal photographer to the commander, General Creighton Abrams. He returned to the US to work as a professional photographer but has been a real estate agent since 1985. This provides excellent opportunities to explore the city for the visual gems that become his subjects. When time allows, he travels throughout the world to find the color and intensities special to those places -- Mexico, Italy, the tropics. Each has its own character, even when viewed in isolated vignettes.
Charlie has lately become fascinated with windows. The surface reflections give you another dimension: the surroundings and hustle and bustle of the place. He is also fascinated with how social imprints change, like the evolving graffiti, store names and occupants -- often leaving layers of chipped and peeling colors. The structures change as well, but at a much slower rate.
The world gives us a kaleidoscope of visual impressions. Shapes, designs, shadows, patterns, and color give life to whatever we see. The photos of Charlie Gaynor provide the impact.
His work can be seen in a group show in December at GalleryPlanB, (see “At the Galleries) and at www.charliegaynor.com.
Jim Magner’s Thoughts on Art
Synesthesia is a condition in which the brain blurs the distinction between the senses. For example, certain sounds or textures have color. You can see this condition in the work of some artists and composers -- those who actually see the sound of laughter, or hear a field of flowers.
Charles Burchfield, the wonderful American painter who died in 1967, seems to have been one of those people. His senses were always on overdrive and there were times that he reported in his journals of being either overjoyed or terrified by literally seeing the musical sounds of nature or hearing the beauty of a time and place.
As the year 2009 comes to a close and the holidays race toward us, a dash of synesthesia would serve us all well. There will be joyous sounds and riotous color, sensuous aromas and romantic touches everywhere we go. We should consciously feel all of those sensations - tying them together in some glorious rapture - a symphony of an intensely happy experience of life.
As giving and receiving gifts are an essential part of the season, include as much art, music, literature, poetry and theater as you can. Artists, writers and musicians follow their senses, blurring the distinction between imagination and hard reality, making the world a more livable place. Seek them out. Discover how their visions can make your place and time more beautiful, and joyfully alive.
At the Museums
“Sargent and the Sea”
Corcoran Gallery of Art
500 17th St. NW
To Jan. 3
I think of John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) as being perfectly loose. His paintings, even these early seascapes done at a ridiculously young age, have precise spontaneity. His strokes appear to be placed casually, almost haphazardly, and somehow give the convincing impression of satin, sea or sand. As a result, the whole painting, albeit an idealized haven, moves and breathes freely.
This is the first comprehensive exhibition of Sargent’s coastal scenes - 80 paintings, watercolors, and drawings - completed from 1874 to1879, when he was between 18 and 23 years old. Born in Europe to American parents, he often traveled to the sea from his home in Paris. He not only captured the quality of light from Normandy in the north to Capri in the south, he clearly understood the character of people in their natural places.
“Oil”
Edward Burtynsky
Corcoran Gallery of Art
500 17th St. NW
To Dec. 13
You only have two more weeks to see these expansive, seductive and ultimately frightening photographs that depict the hard and growing realities - the flip side - of the gloried accomplishments of modern man and the internal combustion engine. “Oil” pulls together the whole story of our most coveted resource, from extraction, refinement, transporting and consumption, to the galloping effects on us and our planet. Burtynsky shoots oil fields, highways, industrial parks, and scrap heaps from Shanghai to LA. Of course, there is a strange beauty to the whole mess, which he manages to isolate and exalt. He refers to the body of work as “a dialogue between attraction and repulsion, seduction and fear,” but the Burtynsky photos go beyond social comment. Each is a work of art in itself.
At the Galleries
Group Show
GalleryPlanB
1530 14th St. NW
To Dec. 24
This is the annual good Christmas gift show. It features photography, painting, printmaking and mixed media works by more than a dozen of the gallery’s artists, including Charlie Gaynor (see “Artist Profile”). Reception: Sat., Dec. 5, 6-8. www.galleryplanb.com.
“Wrap It Up”
Capitol Hill Art League
545 7th St. SE
Dec. 12-22
Small, original works sell quickly at this popular, annual show that opens with a reception for the public, Dec. 12, 4-8. The non-juried show features works by CHAL members who submit five pieces of ready-to-hang small works. Three pieces are hung for the opening and as the pieces sell, the two pieces in reserve replace sold works. Artists receive a 90% commission on the sales. You buy it and they “wrap it up.” Don’t miss the fun. www.chaw.org.
“Wonderment”
Studio H
408 H St. NE
Dec. 12–Jan. 2
Only the second show for this new H St. gallery, “Wonderment, an exploration of the indeterminate,” features new works from three excellent painters, Kim Manfredi, Katherine Mann and Jenny Mullins. The show opens on Dec. 12 with a reception: 6-9.
www.studiohdc.com.
“Africans/Americas”
The Corner Store
900 South Carolina Ave. SE
Dec. 12-20
Be sure to check out the wonderful paintings by three Mozambican artists at the Corner Store gallery on Capitol Hill. The opening event is on Sat. Dec. 12, 5-8. The exhibition is presented in partnership with ArtExtend, a social enterprise promoting artwork from artists based in developing countries. www.artextend.com. The event will include masks created by DC teens and children's books by Maya Ajmera from the Global Fund For Children. www.cornerstorearts.org.
Evolve Urban Arts Project
Pierce School Lofts
1375 Maryland Ave. NE
Dec. 5 – Jan. 30
Dana Ellyn paints unsafe. This is risky stuff. The targets are traditional religions and seasonal commercialism. The timing, and usual backlash are intended. Of course, it ultimately comes down to the art of painting—at which she excels—and that provides much of the irony. The Evolve openings are always fun. This one will be even fun-er. It’s Dec. 5, 4-7. www.evolve.com.
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