WPA\C Auction Gala

Back from the WPA\C Auction Gala preview at the Corcoran. I wanted to point out five pieces that really struck me as special.

Daniel Zeller

Hyper Connection
Ink and acrylic on paper
11" x 13.5"
2004

This small piece demonstrates incredibly detailed linework and brilliant use of color. It was nice to look at from far away but richly rewarding when viewed with my nose practically touching the glass. Retail price of $1,600 was a bit high, though.

Trevor Young

E.R. Pile
Oil on canvas
40" x 40"
2004

This digital reproduction doesn't do the painting justice at all. In person, this large painting holds a real presence. The face feels alive but awkward. The skin feels real yet fake. The pose seems unlikely. Combining all of these elements makes for a fascinating picture, and I typically don't go for representation. Retail price of $3,000 seems about right, though I know nothing other than this one painting.

Michael Fitts

Crayons
Oil on painted aluminum
31" x 22"
2004

This may be the best piece in the show for me. Trompe l'oeil paintings are nothing new, but I love how Fitts puts a plain ol' box of crayons on a found piece of busted aluminum. The aluminum gives the piece a warmth and a realness (further realness) than is already present. Most of the trompe l'oeil paintings I've seen are visually arresting, but foreign. They feel removed. Fitts as found a way to make the painting truly real. The retail price of $2,800 is a steal.

Juliane E. Min

Virginia Paving Company, 4100 Van Dorn Street, Alexandria, VA
Color photograph
40" x 40" x .5"
2003

Big color photography and I like it? What's the world coming to? Yep, I really liked this piece. The color range and richness of tone sold me on it. The deepness of the black provided a sense of despair and loneliness. The color, while not over the top, was quite impressive in person. The frame of welded steel only enhanced the experience of the piece. The retail price of $1,000 seemed about right.

Wayne Adams

Untitled (Fireworks 15)
Oil on canvas
14" x 11"
2004

And last but not least, the true steal of the night. The jpeg does this image harm. On a rich, glossy black ground there is a single firework explosion. The explosion is where the magic happens. There must be a dozen different colors that make up the firework and it glows with a soft, subtle hue. I had a fantastic time studying the various colors and how they were used minimally, but to great affect. The single firework suggested loneliness to me. It suggested a mistake... why would one tiny firework go off in an expansive sky. I thought of Fourth of July's and how occasionally a lone firework would shoot to the sky and explode without any company. This painting is magic on canvas. Retailing for a mere $800, I may just have to put in a bid for this one!

I eagerly suggest to all my local readers that you make your way down to the Corcoran before March 5 and see this show. It isn't cohesive (it's not supposed to be) but it does allow art lovers with a fantastic chance to see a lot of art of different styles. In fact, the Corcoran is free on Mondays (all day) and Thursdays (after 5pm). Get down there and see the show next week!