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Fall 2010 Exhibition Schedule

Cutting the Canvas

September 30, 2010
Opening Reception 7-9 PM
7004 Greentree Road
Bethesda, MD 20817

Featuring:
Jamie Harris | Sierra Jolie | Joan Konkel | KX2 | Carrie McGee | David McKirdy | Jessie Morgan

Collectors' Preview

November 6, 2010
Reception 2-4 PM
New Photographs by Diego Ortiz Mugica
The Embassy of Argentina
1600 New Hampshire Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20009

DC Fotoweek

November 8, 2010
Opening Reception 6-8:30 PM
Celebrating the publication of Diego Ortiz Mugica's new book "State Parks of Argentina"
The Embassy of Argentina
1600 New Hampshire Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20009

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Event Archive:

Washington Design Center and DC Magazine Present: A Fashion House: Amy Maas Exhibition
Victoria Cooper Exhibition
Diego Ortiz Mugica Exhibition

How to Rotate Art to Transform a Space

Written by Sherry Moeller, Washington Spaces

Does your artwork evoke "ambivalence about chaos versus order, aging versus youth, and thoughtfulness versus spontaneity," such as the work of Boston artist Amy Maas, according to the artist and Candace Kaller, owner of Kaller Fine Arts in Bethesda? Would it continue to do this day after day, year after year? Maybe so, if the art was rotated throughout the home.

Adrienne Lewis, who co-owns Trowbridge-Lewis Galleries with Ronald Trowbridge, and Kaller invited us into their homes to show how moving artwork around the house not only refreshes spaces, but also allows you to see the art in a new light.

"Rotating art" was the norm for Kaller, who grew up in Northern California as the daughter of gallery owner Robert Kaller. He founded Galerie de Tours and eventually owned five galleries specializing in contemporary realists and 19th century American art. "We always had rotating art because my dad would bring pieces home, weed enjoy them for a while, and then they would go back to the gallery to be sold," Kaller says. Following the art as it moved around the house trained Kaller to look at it carefully and made her realize that you should move art around or else you begin to take it for granted, and stop really seeing it.

"It gives you a whole new attitude" about the work, Lewis says. Maybe one piece should be replaced with two or three smaller paintings to balance the wall or room and bring energy into the space, Lewis adds. And don't be concerned about the frames matching one another. If it's a good painting, and more importantly one you love, it will coordinate with the surroundings.

Artful Conversations

As an art educator for 12 years in DC, including 10 years as a docent at the National Gallery of Art, Kaller says her tastes continue to evolve. "I have moved from a preference for 19th century work, particularly Hudson River School artists, to a love of abstraction,"she says. "I have a particular fondness for contemporary artists who use art history as an influence and inspiration, but still manage to convey something new and unique."

When Kaller decided to open a gallery in her home, she knew she had to declutter the main floor to give it a gallery feel as well as paint in neutral tones for the clean backdrop needed to display revolving artwork. "I changed my furniture arrangements to floating groupings in order to free up larger expanses of wall space," the gallery owner says. She also consulted Marci Brand of Marci Brand Interiors to assist her in selecting and arranging movable pieces of furniture, such as the sunroom's window grate coffee table and American Eye leather living room chairs and ecru suede dining room seating. Pillows covered in Fabricut, Robert Allen, and Nina Campbell fabrics interchange from room to room to accompany whatever art is on display.

"People who have come to more than one of my shows always comment on how different the house looks depending on what kind of art I'm showing, Kaller says. "I find that there is often a lively "conversation" between my older landscapes and the contemporary ones." Just as the artwork "converses," so do Kaller and her youngest daughter, who has inherited an interest in art and art history. This inter-generational communication results in discussions about the art and artists on display at Kaller Fine Arts as well as pleas from her daughter not to sell a piece of art she has grown to love. "That, of course, is an occupational hazard," Kaller notes, and can be a reward.

For instance, Kaller selected the treasured Ellen Kendall Baker work shown in the living room from her father's gallery as her wedding gift from him, but only after her father dissuaded her and her fiance from choosing two other higher-priced works. "Giving a gift of artwork to mark significant occasions is a wonderful way to create memories that truly do last a lifetime," she adds.

Original Article Photo Gallery