Pictured above: Carol Goldberg – TESS, STEFAN, AND LUCAS LOVE EACH OTHER

By F. Lennox Campello

Last month I discussed the breaking news of the Women Artists of the DMV show coming to the Greater DC area in September! At the time of the article, the show was running in four great art venues – Breaking news! The area-wide show is now planned to be showcased in six venues across the area: The American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center, the gorgeous Athenaeum in Old Town Alexandria, the McLean Project for the Arts in McLean, the beautiful Strathmore Mansion Galleries in Rockville, the amazing Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center in Hyattsville and the vibrant galleries of Artists & Makers Studios in Rockville!

I had to look for more venues because I have been flooded and nearly overwhelmed by the number of artists approaching me to be reviewed and considered for the exhibition. Three days after its announcement, over 1,000 entries came in (and are still coming), delivering empirical proof of the depth, diversity, and range of the of the exhibitions. As the date of this article, over 3,000 entries have been received.

In an effort to be more inclusive, I revised the mechanics of the exhibition so as to be able to archive and exhibit in some manner or form all the artists venues – not just those whom will be picked to exhibit at the six art. This will be accomplished as follows:

• All artists will be documented for the Smithsonian Art Archives as follows: A flash drive which would contain a PowerPoint style presentation documenting all 3,000+ female artists who submitted art for consideration, and one image per artist. Additionally, in view of how fast technology ages, the documentation will also include a digital screen device (a digital frame) to “play” the presentation as needed in the future.
• The referenced PowerPoint type presentation will be projected onto the walls of the Katzen Museum at American University during the duration of the exhibition (September through October 2025).

I have been floored by the immense diversity and quality of the artists whom I have discovered during this process. Last month I raved about Selena Jackson, and this month I’m going to highlight some of the artists whose work I have (in some cases) admired for decades.

One of those artists is Carol Brown Goldberg.

There are a handful of visual artists in the DMV who permeate all layers of the tapestry of the fine arts not only in the Greater DC area, but also nearly everywhere that fine art is showcased.

This artist is a cyclonic art power force: painting, sculpture, films, drawing; all the squares in that visual arts cultural tapestry are touched and made better by this artist! She is akin to the elegant butterfly whose wings flapping lead to a tornado developing somewhere in the art world.

For the Women Artists of the DMV show I selected a painting by Carol Brown Goldberg that I think speaks volumes about how this immensely talented and prolific artist uses the forces of the Universe to shape her art.

She notes about the selected work: “TESS, STEFAN, AND LUCAS LOVE EACH OTHER became the title as it referred to my two daughters-in-law that became pregnant almost at the same time in 2007 or 2008.

As I began that canvas, I felt I needed to express the softness of pastel-like tones, which is out of my usual color chart… I wanted colors, not to shock or stir… rather I was looking for soothing hues and by the time I finished the 8′ x 9′ canvas… 3 babies were born!

Dominique and Andy gave birth to adorable Tess in 2008, and a few months later, in February 2009… amazing twins Lucas and Stefan were born to Jon and Lisa.

Believing in the power of language as a positive force in the universe, the title refers to my wish or perhaps prayer, that the 3 cousins, close in age become close, and bond in friendship and most importantly… love each other!  That had to be the title… and they are all 3 best friends!”

Then there’s the story of a magnificent drawing which took my breath away decades ago and will now be part of this show decades later!

Decades ago, I was the juror for a group show at the Art League in Alexandria, and a gorgeous drawing titled “Olivia” stood out in a group show that, like most Art League’s shows, is always packed with talent and great art, and I awarded it The Shayna Heisman Simkin Award.

The artist was Wendy Donahoe, who is easily one of the best realist artists on the planet, and has that most difficult of all abilities in her work: capturing not only the likeness of the subject, but also a psychological signature of the same subject.

“Olivia” is now a grown woman, and this work of a young girl documented not only her youth, but I suspect also her presence in the ways that only a great work of art can deliver!

About the Author: F. Lennox Campello’s art news, information, gallery openings, commentary, criticism, happenings, opportunities, and everything associated with the global visual arts scene with a special focus on the Greater Washington, DC area has been a premier source for the art community for over 20 years. Since 2003, his blog has been the 11th highest ranked art blog on the planet with over SIX million visitors.