Fine Art & Artists Opened its doors in 1990 and quickly built an international reputation as one of the preeminent Pop and Contemporary art galleries in Washington D.C. Owner Brian Benavides has spent the last few years on the reinvention of the gallery and its focus. Located in the “bright yellow building” on M Street, Fine Art & Artists features two floors of paintings, photography and sculpture by artists such as Steve Penley, Emily Christenson and Tom Slaughter, as well as works by some of the premier Pop and Contemporary artists including Roy Lichtenstein, Alexander Calder and Claus Oldenburg.
Fine Art and Artists Gallery Layers Lisa Bartleson October 18 - November 15 Bartleson, a California resident, spent 10+ years in the biotechnology field, before making a major career change when she left the industry to focus on fine arts. The early reception to her work has been astounding, perhaps because of her unique and unconventional approach to art.
“I turned forty this year and found myself looking at the second half of my life. I lost both of my parents which gave me a keen sense of how fragile and short life is,” said Bartleson. “Leaving my corporate job was a conscious and deliberate step towards living the life I wanted.”
The name of the collection, Layers, is a true description of Bartleson’s artistic process. Each piece includes translucently painted plastic which she cuts into various forms and shapes. She then experiments with the depth, texture and unique colors that are created by layering the strips on top of each other.
She is highly influenced by two elements- form and color. In terms of form, her art reflects organic shapes that naturally occur and to Bartleson, color is like a living element. It is constantly evolving and she finds joy in discovering new hues. She draws inspiration from the colors of the world around her such as fields of green, expansive blue skies and the variant pigments of flowers.
“When I paint and construct, I create a visual articulation of the motion and emotion contained in color,” noted Bartleson. “Each piece is an exploration of color, with patterns of varying weights and rhythms that is intended to evoke the perception of breathing or pulsing.”
This collection is not simply aesthetically pleasing, but one that makes a statement of Bartleson’s social awareness and her dedication to reducing her own carbon footprint. Bartleson lives an environmentally conscious lifestyle and incorporates her eco-friendly outlook into her art. She uses recycled plastic, boards from an eco-friendly lumber yard and low VOC acrylics instead of oil paints to avoid harmful fumes. She involves her clients in the process as well, through her Give Green program, which donates a percentage of each sale back to non profits that benefit the clients’ local community.
Her collections have been purchased by private collectors, international hotels, restaurants and the UCLA Medical Center.
