Strictly Painting 5 at McLean Project for the Arts

As most of you locals know, up now at the McLean Project for the Arts is a bi-annual painting show called Strictly Painting. This is the fifth edition of the show. The juror in this instance was Jonathan Binstock (essay here), the contemporary art curator at the Corcoran. I'm not going to do a full review of the show because quite frankly my tastes just don't mesh well with Binstock's. Certainly there are many pieces that I like in the show, but overall it does not motivate me to write anything in depth. In place of a full review I'm going to instead provide a list of the paintings that intrigued me most and an image if available. For whatever reason I could only obtain 6 digital images for the show (out of some 50 pieces probably). I'll share all that I have to give you a small sense of the exhibit.

The following pieces were the standouts in the show. They motivated me to give them TWO check marks on the price list...

- Nora Sturges' four paintings were absolutely amazing! These realist, surrealist paintings impressed everyone who saw them. And wait, I even found an image of a piece out of the same series shown at MPA:

- Josephine Haden's piece "Globalization." I was drawn to the imagery and the flatness and vagueness of the composition. Image here:

- Ian Whitmore's "Little Influx." This tiny painting measures only about 8" x 8" but it was hands down his best piece in the show. Locals are familiar with his work but here is his second best piece in the show (and got ONE check mark):

- Jiha Moon's "Island." Jiha is a good friend of mine but I loved this painting. I love the colors and the intensity it communicates:

OK, on to those pieces that got ONE check mark from me...

- Seth Adelsberger's "Kipple Heap"
- Saul Becker's "Best Coast"
- Josephine Haden's "Sea of Need"
- Elsie Kagan's "Stacks & Stacks," "Core Support," "Arch," and "Oxblood"
- Timothy Michael Martin's "Time for Plan B" and "Vorrekker Odyssey"

That's about it. There were a few HALF check marks and lots of Xs. The piece that prompted me to consider purchasing it was Elsie Kagan's "Arch" priced at $650 and measuring about 20" x 24". Kagan is a young artist and I think her compositions can be tightened and refined a bit. But she's someone to watch and she sold one of her paintings for $2k. I believe Karey Kessler sold all of her little boxed paintings for $500 each. And the youngest artist in the show, Lisa McCarty, sold a large mixed media piece for $1,200 at the reception. Lisa is someone else to keep an eye on although I found these pieces to be too muddy.

Overall it's an OK show but I can't help to think back two years ago and how impressed I was by Strictly Painting 4. I'll have to wait until 2007 for the next edition...

Comments

[Joseph Barbaccia]

I believe Jiha Moon's 2 pieces were outstanding. Her mastery of materials added strength and security to unearthly imagery. The paintings draw this viewer in to explore her dreamscapes with curiousity and enjoyment. Get lost. Get found.

[christine]

Jiha Moon is the greatest painter in the world.

(i'm a little biased though, we were eachother's bridesmaids)