The Ann White Academy Gallery

Elaine Wilson - "Eye on the Overlooked" - Oil Paintings

December 6-28

First Friday Opening: December 6 from 5-8 pm

Being observant and alert are central to the act of drawing and painting. Our culture has sped up so much that the act of slowing down and noticing helps me to see more deeply – especially the relationships between things. I believe that the interdependence of all things is key to life and work. I see the beauty and meaning of physical things as metaphors for this interdependence of forms, which is a moral imperative. Unless we see what is around us in a rich way, we are likely to become more anxious: looking always for something that may not be there, when what is there is really remarkable. In the end, even the most mundane thing can contain lyricism. My paintings are about revealing the specific nature of a place through repeated encounters versus capturing a particular moment. Over several visits, I find out more about a setting to see if I can unearth a rhythm of mark and color that elevates what I notice into something that others will find compelling. Every place has stories. As I work I discover what they are. Sometimes stories are brought to a place by the individuals who populate my paintings with their errands, their play, and their work. While I choose a site primarily for its visual quality, the stories contribute to the richness of the experience. The three sites in DC that have engaged me most recently are the Hughes Tower in Brightwood, a construction site at T St. and Florida Avenue next to the Howard Theater, and the McMillan Filtration site at Michigan Ave and North Capitol. In all three cases I began being interested in the structure and then found myself finding out about the development in the neighborhood and the meaning of the site for the people who live there and in the case of T Street and Florida the people who have been displaced. The quality of light in my paintings is paramount. The color must articulate the light and depth of a space, but also create its own rhythm within the painting. Light is a physical sensation, not just visual, as it is specific to both place and time. Without light, a painting is dead. I aim to have my artwork appear as if it made itself, effortlessly. Previous decisions may be part of the visual fabric, but I like the work to appear inevitable rather than labored or improvisational. The initial colors and marks left in the surface of the painting are an expression of the ongoingness of time and place - evidence of the act of looking.

Monday-Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm and Saturdays by appointment. Request an appointment here. All spaces are fully handicap accessible.