What is in the press? These are articles that have appeared about my work, and emails
from art critics and gallery owners who have admired my work and/or purchased it via galleries or
online venues. Additional articles will be added as I find them or as they are written. I have been a
working artist for many years and am just now beginning to go through and publish reviews of my
work on this site.
April 28. 2006.
from art critics and gallery owners who have admired my work and/or purchased it via galleries or
online venues. Additional articles will be added as I find them or as they are written. I have been a
working artist for many years and am just now beginning to go through and publish reviews of my
work on this site.
April 28. 2006.
Ruth Robertson's Curated Shows at DCAC and MOCA and Tatiana Palnitska at Alla Rogers
By F. Lennox Campello
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Art, in its many forms and manners can truly reach across medias to deliver and entertain and
educate. Witness the massive Van Gogh exhibition currently at the National Gallery. Ignored by his
peers, Vincent has reached a zenith of recognition and fame and adulation which now makes people,
some of which are otherwise uninterested in art, trek to the nation's capital to view the unfortunate
Dutchman's paintings.
The huge vast majority of these visitors will never set foot in a modern gallery, and this is quite a
shame, because the District has a diverse variety of high quality shows on exhibition this month.
Photographer Ruth Robertson leads the pack with two solid shows which she has curated and which
hang through most of October. At the District of Columbia Arts Center (DCAC) she has organized,
together with the National Latina Women's Council an exhibit of work by various Latin American artists
titled "Encounters and Traditions." This is an annual exhibit which began five years ago alogside
National Hispanic Month and seeks to bring together DC-area artists of all races within the Latino
community of the city. Of the seven artists chosen, I liked the work of Suzanne Lago, but my favorite by
far was the work of Cuban born artist Pedro Ortiz. His mastery over the brush and theme deliver works
which are almost iconic in presentation and theme. Across the city at the Museum of Contemporary Art
(MOCA) in Georgetown, Robertson has chosen a few photographers, including her own work, to
present a show which pushes the boundaries of photography by presenting it in manners and media
not usually associated with this darkroom art. Her own work leads the charge and as always, there
exists a thinly veiled sense of sensuality in Robertson's work. She presents her B&W photographs as
part of an altar piece, constructed by a intricate incorporation of the images withn furniture and wall
pieces. Using DC artist Perrault Daniels as one of the models, and a voluptous female as the other,
she creates an impish scenario in the main piece, which delivers with power, creativity and a subtle
sense of fun.
At Alla Rogers, also in Georgetown, Russian photographer Tatiana Palnitska has an exhibit titled
"Natura Vita" which debuts her new B&W work in the D.C. area. Palnitska is a hugely talented
photographer who is also a skilled dark room technician. Her work starts with extensive preparations of
the background materials -- these are the subjects she constructs and then photographs. Using tape,
she prepares an assemblage of (for example) flowers, textures and other materials to put together an
oddly fantastical scenario, which when photographed deliver highly interesting images which quiz our
understanding of her artificial worlds. One can imagine her dexterous fingers putting these new
realities together and her fantasies coming alive on a sometimes bleak tableau. She has in fact
created new realities, boosting our own imaginative powers to her brooding Russian imagery.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Both MOCA and Alla Rogers Gallery are located at 1054 31st Street, NW in Georgetown. F. Lennox
Campello is a regional art critic who writes for "Dimensions" magazine, "Visions Magazine for the Arts"
and various Washington-area newspapers.
By F. Lennox Campello
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Art, in its many forms and manners can truly reach across medias to deliver and entertain and
educate. Witness the massive Van Gogh exhibition currently at the National Gallery. Ignored by his
peers, Vincent has reached a zenith of recognition and fame and adulation which now makes people,
some of which are otherwise uninterested in art, trek to the nation's capital to view the unfortunate
Dutchman's paintings.
The huge vast majority of these visitors will never set foot in a modern gallery, and this is quite a
shame, because the District has a diverse variety of high quality shows on exhibition this month.
Photographer Ruth Robertson leads the pack with two solid shows which she has curated and which
hang through most of October. At the District of Columbia Arts Center (DCAC) she has organized,
together with the National Latina Women's Council an exhibit of work by various Latin American artists
titled "Encounters and Traditions." This is an annual exhibit which began five years ago alogside
National Hispanic Month and seeks to bring together DC-area artists of all races within the Latino
community of the city. Of the seven artists chosen, I liked the work of Suzanne Lago, but my favorite by
far was the work of Cuban born artist Pedro Ortiz. His mastery over the brush and theme deliver works
which are almost iconic in presentation and theme. Across the city at the Museum of Contemporary Art
(MOCA) in Georgetown, Robertson has chosen a few photographers, including her own work, to
present a show which pushes the boundaries of photography by presenting it in manners and media
not usually associated with this darkroom art. Her own work leads the charge and as always, there
exists a thinly veiled sense of sensuality in Robertson's work. She presents her B&W photographs as
part of an altar piece, constructed by a intricate incorporation of the images withn furniture and wall
pieces. Using DC artist Perrault Daniels as one of the models, and a voluptous female as the other,
she creates an impish scenario in the main piece, which delivers with power, creativity and a subtle
sense of fun.
At Alla Rogers, also in Georgetown, Russian photographer Tatiana Palnitska has an exhibit titled
"Natura Vita" which debuts her new B&W work in the D.C. area. Palnitska is a hugely talented
photographer who is also a skilled dark room technician. Her work starts with extensive preparations of
the background materials -- these are the subjects she constructs and then photographs. Using tape,
she prepares an assemblage of (for example) flowers, textures and other materials to put together an
oddly fantastical scenario, which when photographed deliver highly interesting images which quiz our
understanding of her artificial worlds. One can imagine her dexterous fingers putting these new
realities together and her fantasies coming alive on a sometimes bleak tableau. She has in fact
created new realities, boosting our own imaginative powers to her brooding Russian imagery.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Both MOCA and Alla Rogers Gallery are located at 1054 31st Street, NW in Georgetown. F. Lennox
Campello is a regional art critic who writes for "Dimensions" magazine, "Visions Magazine for the Arts"
and various Washington-area newspapers.
"Color Forbidden:
The Nude in Black & White"
by
F. Lennox Campello
Originally published in Visions Magazine for the Arts
Artists Reviewed in this Show
Marilyn & Jay Anderson Adam Bradley Jay Carpenter Michael Clark & Felicity Hogan Joe Comick
Rosemary Feit Covey Delna Dastur Jacqueline Ehle Catriona Fraser Drew Parris Ruth Robertson
Julie Schneider Vincent Serbin Michael Sprouse
When I was a child, one of my early art memories involves watching some sort of Walt Disney
special on TV where the theme of the show was to take about four Disney animators out on an
open air art painting trek.
The cartoon animators all chose to paint a landscape involving a huge oak tree on a barren hill. I
still recall how amazed I was to discover that all four of these artists, who were practically
inseparable when workintg together on a cartoon cell, were able to come up with four distinctly
unique versions of this landscape.
"Color Forbidden: The Nude in Black and White," opening January 8, 1998 at the Greater Reston
Arts Center (GRACE) in Reston, Virginia, and curated by yours truly, employs the same tactic with
a small variance.
Represented in the show are about a dozen artists. Their task was to contribute each a piece of
art, representative of a nude figure, and done exclusively in black and white. Since there are
paintings, wall and free-standing sculptures, pencil and charcoal drawings, prints as well pen and
inks and photographers, the show covers a wide variety of media and accomplishes the rather
difficult task of delivering the figure, sans color, in diverse ways to please the eye and the senses.
Led by its highly energetic director Anne Brown, the Greater Reston Arts Center, which also
sponsors the highly successful Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival (ranked the 16th best outdoor
art show in the country), is ample enough in size that one feels comfortable walking around Joe
Comick's impressive mylar film freestanding photograph and intimate enough to do justice to
Jackie Ehle's unique form of wire bas-relief wall sculptures.
A found object sculpture by Adam Bradley, a young and gifted sculptor with a dazzling future
ahead, as well as a masterful marble piece by Jay Carpenter (Sculptor-in-residence at the National
Cathedral) round up the three dimensional pieces in the show.
Drawing and painting are well represented by some of the better known names in the D.C. art
scene. First among equals are Manon Cleary and the painting team of Felicity Hogan/Michael
Clark, members of D.C.'s seminal "National Gallery School." Cleary needs no introduction; she is
in my opinion the best realist painter in the country, while the brilliant husband and wife team of
Clark and Hogan (directors of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Georgetown) are without a
doubt, one of the most talented and influential brush-wielders in the city.
Rounding off the list of established artists, are Michael Sprouse, recently voted the city's "Best
New Painter" by the readers of the KOAN Art newsletter and Julie Schneider. The latter, currently
teaching at the University of Pennsylvania, is a superbly skilled artist who has managed to make
that rare marriage between refined skill and blinding creativity.
Photography is led by the talented British hands of Catriona Fraser, whose darkroom skills still
amaze her fellow photographers and continue to impress me six years after I first saw her work.
Also the husband and wife photographic team of Jay and Marilyn Anderson, whose joint venture
into working with one model and framing their piece as a joint entry is both eye-catching and
unique.
Eroticism and photographic skill is also evident in the work of Ruth Robertson; her figure studies
are full of subtle eroticism and yet are simple and elegant.
Terrific woodcuts by master printmaker Rosemary Feit Covey, drawings by Delma Dastur and
Drew Parris and the surreal photography of Vincent Sorbin round off the exhbition.
The show runs throughout the month of January 1998. The Greater Reston Arts Center is located
in the Reston Town Center, One Fountain Square, 11911 Freedom Drive in Reston, Virginia and
can be reached at (703) 471-9242.
Individual Artists' Comments
Marilyn & Jay Anderson - Individually, Marilyn and Jay Anderson are highly successful
photographers who generally show their work independently of each other. Because they
sometimes use the same model, I asked them to put together a joint piece. The result is an unique
combination which is the product of two individuals and which delivers a visual story of a day of
posing in the woods.
Adam Bradley - If I had to pick an artist whose future is guranteed to be brilliant and who will one
day be a household word in art, I would start putting some money on Adam Bradley. This young
man has single handedly turned my distaste for "found art" into shameless admiration. Look
closely at this piece.
Jay Carpenter - The sculptor in residence at the National Cathedral, Jay is a gifted artist who
manages to combine the skill of a Rennaissance sculptor with the elegance of a Brancusi. His is
the sort of talent which few sculptors have in these days of gimmick, shortcuts and shock.
Michael Clark & Felicity Hogan - Hogan and Clark are to D.C. art what Lennon & McCartney were
to music. Not only is their artwork at the forefront of contemporary realism, but as directors of the
Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) they are responsible for exhibiting more artists in the
Washington region than practically all other D.C. art galleries combined. They couple skill and
talent with caustic social commentary to deliver truly fresh art.
Manon Cleary - If there is anyone on this planet who can paint or draw better that Manon Cleary,
then I've yet to meet that person. This is perhaps the best contemporary realist in the country, and
in my opinion (shared by the readers of the KOAN Art Newsletter) the best artist in the capital.
Talent like this is rare; prepare to be impressed!
Joe Comick - Joe Comick's photographs bristle with the tension and beauty which are an integral
part of the musicians, dancers and actors whom he photographs. To complement his work, Comick
pushes the photography envelope through the innovative use of mylar to deliver a well practiced
punch to his already stunning images.
Rosemary Feit Covey - The more I discover about this printmaker, the more astonished I am at the
abundance and creativity of her work. Her art is sometimes dark and brooding, but it always
delivers with the ferocity of a well honed razor blade. This is the product of a fertile mind and an
educated artistic palate. She is in my opinion one of the best figurative printmakers in the country.
Jacqueline Ehle - From the strong hands of this emerging artist come magical metal weavings.
Although she is still very young, her work has already found its way into some very important
collections and already give some insight at her artistic future. I picked her because I have been
watching her grow artistically for a couple of years, and I am still amazed at what she can deliver
with creativity, strong fingers and common objects.
Drew Parris - Natural, raw talent manifests itself in shocking clarity in the drawings of this emerging
artist. Combining a clear eye for the figure with natural skills, barely touched by formal schooling,
Parris delivers calm, effective drawings which are not only visually attractive, but also already show
the promise of a master. This is the beginning of his arts career - take a deep look (and then a
deep breath) at what he is delivering as his first offering.
Ruth Robertson - When I first saw Robertson's photographs I was stunned by the
sensual beauty of her work. Was it the perfection of the flawless model which catches
my eye, or the realization that this photographer is not only a brilliant figurative
photographer but a darkroom revolutionary as well? It is both! In her work you will find
sensual perfection coupled with new roads ahead.
Julie Schneider - This work is the stuff such as art lovers' dreams are made of. This talent is simply
too powerful to describe in words. She marries enviable skill with a eye for beauty which can
deliver breath-taking innocence in an evil setting (Medusa) or the clean sensuality of the girls next
door in her other piece. These are powerful drawings by one of my newly discovered masters of
contemporary realism.
Vincent Serbin - This photographer is a magician. In his works we are able to peek at his darkroom
magic and sometimes into his mind. His ghostly figures are brimming with ethereal surrealism and
sensuality. But do not be fooled! This is a skilled, creative and disciplined photographer - no
gimmicks or short cuts here, but talent and hard work.
The Nude in Black & White"
by
F. Lennox Campello
Originally published in Visions Magazine for the Arts
Artists Reviewed in this Show
Marilyn & Jay Anderson Adam Bradley Jay Carpenter Michael Clark & Felicity Hogan Joe Comick
Rosemary Feit Covey Delna Dastur Jacqueline Ehle Catriona Fraser Drew Parris Ruth Robertson
Julie Schneider Vincent Serbin Michael Sprouse
When I was a child, one of my early art memories involves watching some sort of Walt Disney
special on TV where the theme of the show was to take about four Disney animators out on an
open air art painting trek.
The cartoon animators all chose to paint a landscape involving a huge oak tree on a barren hill. I
still recall how amazed I was to discover that all four of these artists, who were practically
inseparable when workintg together on a cartoon cell, were able to come up with four distinctly
unique versions of this landscape.
"Color Forbidden: The Nude in Black and White," opening January 8, 1998 at the Greater Reston
Arts Center (GRACE) in Reston, Virginia, and curated by yours truly, employs the same tactic with
a small variance.
Represented in the show are about a dozen artists. Their task was to contribute each a piece of
art, representative of a nude figure, and done exclusively in black and white. Since there are
paintings, wall and free-standing sculptures, pencil and charcoal drawings, prints as well pen and
inks and photographers, the show covers a wide variety of media and accomplishes the rather
difficult task of delivering the figure, sans color, in diverse ways to please the eye and the senses.
Led by its highly energetic director Anne Brown, the Greater Reston Arts Center, which also
sponsors the highly successful Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival (ranked the 16th best outdoor
art show in the country), is ample enough in size that one feels comfortable walking around Joe
Comick's impressive mylar film freestanding photograph and intimate enough to do justice to
Jackie Ehle's unique form of wire bas-relief wall sculptures.
A found object sculpture by Adam Bradley, a young and gifted sculptor with a dazzling future
ahead, as well as a masterful marble piece by Jay Carpenter (Sculptor-in-residence at the National
Cathedral) round up the three dimensional pieces in the show.
Drawing and painting are well represented by some of the better known names in the D.C. art
scene. First among equals are Manon Cleary and the painting team of Felicity Hogan/Michael
Clark, members of D.C.'s seminal "National Gallery School." Cleary needs no introduction; she is
in my opinion the best realist painter in the country, while the brilliant husband and wife team of
Clark and Hogan (directors of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Georgetown) are without a
doubt, one of the most talented and influential brush-wielders in the city.
Rounding off the list of established artists, are Michael Sprouse, recently voted the city's "Best
New Painter" by the readers of the KOAN Art newsletter and Julie Schneider. The latter, currently
teaching at the University of Pennsylvania, is a superbly skilled artist who has managed to make
that rare marriage between refined skill and blinding creativity.
Photography is led by the talented British hands of Catriona Fraser, whose darkroom skills still
amaze her fellow photographers and continue to impress me six years after I first saw her work.
Also the husband and wife photographic team of Jay and Marilyn Anderson, whose joint venture
into working with one model and framing their piece as a joint entry is both eye-catching and
unique.
Eroticism and photographic skill is also evident in the work of Ruth Robertson; her figure studies
are full of subtle eroticism and yet are simple and elegant.
Terrific woodcuts by master printmaker Rosemary Feit Covey, drawings by Delma Dastur and
Drew Parris and the surreal photography of Vincent Sorbin round off the exhbition.
The show runs throughout the month of January 1998. The Greater Reston Arts Center is located
in the Reston Town Center, One Fountain Square, 11911 Freedom Drive in Reston, Virginia and
can be reached at (703) 471-9242.
Individual Artists' Comments
Marilyn & Jay Anderson - Individually, Marilyn and Jay Anderson are highly successful
photographers who generally show their work independently of each other. Because they
sometimes use the same model, I asked them to put together a joint piece. The result is an unique
combination which is the product of two individuals and which delivers a visual story of a day of
posing in the woods.
Adam Bradley - If I had to pick an artist whose future is guranteed to be brilliant and who will one
day be a household word in art, I would start putting some money on Adam Bradley. This young
man has single handedly turned my distaste for "found art" into shameless admiration. Look
closely at this piece.
Jay Carpenter - The sculptor in residence at the National Cathedral, Jay is a gifted artist who
manages to combine the skill of a Rennaissance sculptor with the elegance of a Brancusi. His is
the sort of talent which few sculptors have in these days of gimmick, shortcuts and shock.
Michael Clark & Felicity Hogan - Hogan and Clark are to D.C. art what Lennon & McCartney were
to music. Not only is their artwork at the forefront of contemporary realism, but as directors of the
Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) they are responsible for exhibiting more artists in the
Washington region than practically all other D.C. art galleries combined. They couple skill and
talent with caustic social commentary to deliver truly fresh art.
Manon Cleary - If there is anyone on this planet who can paint or draw better that Manon Cleary,
then I've yet to meet that person. This is perhaps the best contemporary realist in the country, and
in my opinion (shared by the readers of the KOAN Art Newsletter) the best artist in the capital.
Talent like this is rare; prepare to be impressed!
Joe Comick - Joe Comick's photographs bristle with the tension and beauty which are an integral
part of the musicians, dancers and actors whom he photographs. To complement his work, Comick
pushes the photography envelope through the innovative use of mylar to deliver a well practiced
punch to his already stunning images.
Rosemary Feit Covey - The more I discover about this printmaker, the more astonished I am at the
abundance and creativity of her work. Her art is sometimes dark and brooding, but it always
delivers with the ferocity of a well honed razor blade. This is the product of a fertile mind and an
educated artistic palate. She is in my opinion one of the best figurative printmakers in the country.
Jacqueline Ehle - From the strong hands of this emerging artist come magical metal weavings.
Although she is still very young, her work has already found its way into some very important
collections and already give some insight at her artistic future. I picked her because I have been
watching her grow artistically for a couple of years, and I am still amazed at what she can deliver
with creativity, strong fingers and common objects.
Drew Parris - Natural, raw talent manifests itself in shocking clarity in the drawings of this emerging
artist. Combining a clear eye for the figure with natural skills, barely touched by formal schooling,
Parris delivers calm, effective drawings which are not only visually attractive, but also already show
the promise of a master. This is the beginning of his arts career - take a deep look (and then a
deep breath) at what he is delivering as his first offering.
Ruth Robertson - When I first saw Robertson's photographs I was stunned by the
sensual beauty of her work. Was it the perfection of the flawless model which catches
my eye, or the realization that this photographer is not only a brilliant figurative
photographer but a darkroom revolutionary as well? It is both! In her work you will find
sensual perfection coupled with new roads ahead.
Julie Schneider - This work is the stuff such as art lovers' dreams are made of. This talent is simply
too powerful to describe in words. She marries enviable skill with a eye for beauty which can
deliver breath-taking innocence in an evil setting (Medusa) or the clean sensuality of the girls next
door in her other piece. These are powerful drawings by one of my newly discovered masters of
contemporary realism.
Vincent Serbin - This photographer is a magician. In his works we are able to peek at his darkroom
magic and sometimes into his mind. His ghostly figures are brimming with ethereal surrealism and
sensuality. But do not be fooled! This is a skilled, creative and disciplined photographer - no
gimmicks or short cuts here, but talent and hard work.
Link Partners: Notes From The Studio , Huff Harrington Fine Art ,