Artist Anu Das was featured in Mark Jenkins' In the Galleries section of The Washington Post in October 2016.
"Dream I Must" by Anu Das, two-color linocut with mixed mediums, 18" x 25"
“In India, women decorate the exteriors of their homes in honor of Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity and domestic virtue. In Odisha, where Maryland artist Anu Das was born and raised, images for Lakshmi are drawn with rice paste on mud walls. This art form, called “chitta,” is one of the wellsprings of Das’s show at P Street Gallerie. But rather than mud, the artist uses more portable media: paper and fabric, embellished with ink, paint, beads and embroidery. She also makes art books and designs jewelry.
Working in forms traditionally associated with female artisans, Das addresses the struggles of women in general and specifically her mother, who lived through the bloody partition of India, Pakistan and the country that became Bangladesh. Often she depicts individual body parts, but in groups: pairs of henna-patterned hands or a series of bangle-adorned ankles and feet. “Healing: Sisters in Solidarity” is a woodcut of seven women’s backs, each stitched with a circle. The embroidered rounds suggest scars, but also the ability to mend and begin again.”
Artist Dana Ellyn was featured in Mark Jenkins' In the Galleries section of The Washington Post in November 2015.
“Cow (Moo, Not Meat),” acrylic on canvas, by Dana Ellyn
“Some Animals Are More Equal Than Others,” the title of one of Dana Ellyn’s recent paintings, also is the theme of her show at P Street Gallerie, “Speciesism.” The vegan D.C. artist contrasts animals that Americans tend to keep as pets, mostly cats and dogs, with ones that are commonly eaten, notably pigs, cows and chickens. Ellyn makes her point by showing entire creatures in place of meat, as in a painting of child trying to dunk a live chick into dipping sauce, or by substituting pets for food, as in a picture of a woman who’s about to swallow a kitten. Another motif is an animal in a mask or hat that represents another species.
The images are effective, but the execution variable. Ellyn appears sometimes to rush her work, as if too intent on the message to bother with finesse. Yet several of the paintings are fully realized. “Pug Pig,” a split portrait of two animals, is both stylish and powerful.
There also are a few charming, and not particularly ideological, small paintings of roosters. In these works, the artist’s love for animals is conveyed by skill as much as mockery.”
“Most of the paintings in Robert Novel’s “Translation Not Required” balance three colors, only two of which are produced by pigment. The hard-edged bars, wedges and slashes of the local artist’s show at P Street Gallerie are almost entirely in black and two shades of white, the darker of which is just exposed canvas. This strategy is most evident in a series of six compositions on linen, which is tanner than the canvas Novel uses. The limited palette makes the lone multicolored piece look almost baroque, even though it uses the same stark geometric forms and a narrow range of hues: red, orange and brown.
Novel has a background in sculpture, which may explain his attraction to sleek black shapes. Arranged horizontally, the painter’s stacked, pointed stripes suggest Venetian blinds. Flipped 90 degrees, they look like black-metal stakes, supports for some modernist Stonehenge. Two of the pictures hint at the influence of Mondrian’s lines and planes, but Novel’s style is closer in spirit to that of David Smith, a sculptor who was said to paint with welded metal.”
Abstract Minimalist Robert Novel debuts ‘Translation Not Required’ Exhibition at Georgetown’s P Street Gallerie
Acrylic on Canvas, 30” x 30” by Robert Novel
(Washington, DC – September 15, 2015) Georgetown’s P Street Gallerie is pleased to present its latest show — Translation Not Required, a collection of artist Robert Novel’s meditations on geometric forms in the natural and manmade worlds. As the show’s title suggests, Novel’s approach is a reference to the simple language of his work and its capacity to present the complexity of both the natural and manmade worlds in a fashion whose minimalist immediacy will be accessible to almost any viewer.
Novel is excited to present his latest body of work at the P Street Gallerie, at 3235 P Street NW, Washington, DC 20007. The opening reception for Translation Not Required will be held on Friday, September 18, 2015 from 6 p.m. - 8 p.m., and the exhibition runs through October 24.
Novel uses the juxtaposition and opposition of shape, color and shadow to create an effect that can be both playful and provocative. His work invites viewers' reflections on how these ever present features of our worlds — both the one humanity inherited and the one we’ve created — can engage, intrigue and inspire our eyes, hearts, and minds.
Novel is a native New Yorker currently living and working in the nation’s capital. He has been involved in working in the visual arts since the late 1960’s and has studied painting and printmaking in both New York City and Washington, DC. He attended continuing education classes at the School of Visual Arts in New York City where he studied painting and drawing. At the Printmakers Workshop in Washington, DC, he studied all forms of printmaking. In 1974, he participated in Art Now at the renowned Kennedy Center in Washington, DC where he collaborated with California artist Robert Irwin on the installation of a site-specific piece. The following year, in 1975, he had a solo show at Hard Art Gallery in Washington, DC displaying sculpture and video art. In 1976, he participated as a member of the Sponsors Committee for the opening of P.S. 1 in Long Island City, New York. Novel’s most recent work has been shown in commercial venues throughout Washington, DC and his work is in the private collections of a number of prominent Washingtonians.
P Street Gallerie owner Lisa C. Brown is a California native who since childhood has had a passion for art and its unique capacity to transcend the bounds of culture, geography and socioeconomic status to uplift and transform those who experience it. P Street Gallerie is the fulfillment of her lifelong dream of opening an art gallery. At P Street Gallerie - previously home to another art gallery for more than 30 years - Brown brings the talents and inspiration of a diverse mix of local and national emerging artists to D.C. art enthusiasts and novices alike.
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Changing Stripes by Daniel Angeles, 22" x 30" - SOLD
This latest review by Mark Jenkins of The Washington Post sums up why we love Daniel Angeles and his whimsical watercolors!
Here's a sneak peek of the feature:
Daniel Angeles paints watercolors with a touch so light it’s almost weightless, so it’s fitting that his favorite subjects include butterflies, hummingbirds and hot-air balloons. These airborne elements most often flutter around old books, although many other things, animate and inanimate, are depicted in “The Next Chapter,” the Dallas artist’s show at P Street Gallerie. In perhaps the most whimsical of these whimsies, two hummingbirds apply the stripes to a zebra."
The self-taught painter says that his tidy, delicate pictures constitute his journal and that the droplets of color shed by the hummingbirds represent emotion. Private meanings aside, this work is notable for its deft balance of precision and fantasy. A mild-mannered surrealist, Angeles composes gentle dream images without a hint of nightmares.
Click on the image above to read Jenkins' full piece.
P.S. There are still several original watercolors and limited edition prints from Daniel Angeles' latest collection available for sale at P Street Gallerie---stop in today!
Click here to check out Voice of America's exclusive coverage of our June 2015 show, "Prelude to Summer", featuring the latest works of artist Kiu Kavousi. VOA Broadcast Journalist Mandana Tadayon speaks with P Street Gallerie owner Lisa Brown and artist Kiu Kavousi to discuss this exciting exhibition!
Destination Design: Georgetown
By Jura Koncius, December 10, 2014
With streets lined with evergreen-filled hanging baskets and twinkling trees, Georgetown is one of Washington’s most stylish and nostalgic destinations for holiday shopping. There are 350 stores, according to the Georgetown Business Improvement District, many offering tempting giftable treasures for the home, both hipster-savvy and old-school. Eateries and coffee bars, some tucked into the brick-sidewalk-lined side streets, provide respite from the winter chill.
A good place to begin is at the top, Wisconsin Avenue and R streets NW in the part of Georgetown known as Book Hill; then just keep walking down. It’s a stroll full of individually owned shops selling home accessories, gifts, artwork, antiques and furniture.
Two of my perennial favorites up there carry a curated assortment of treats. One is Oliver Dunn, Moss & Co., Catharine Roberts (1657 Wisconsin Ave. NW), where little live olive trees ($35 each) or six-inch preserved boxwood wreaths ($15) make great holiday hostess gifts or mantel decorations. At A Mano (1677 Wisconsin Ave. NW), where owner Adam Mahr is celebrating his 20th year in business, find the fun and the frivolous, from Rat Pack candle-lighting matches ($6.50) to an elegant Agraria perfumed tassel ($45). There’s lots more all the way down to K Street — plus don’t forget the side streets and the Cady’s Alley enclave, which is also hosting a holiday bazaar of vendors.
Georgetown provides a storybook holiday backdrop. There are swags and garlands and wreaths throughout, and clever holiday windows. Tall lighted trees greet shoppers at either end of the village, one at Meigs Park and another at Francis Scott Key Park near Key Bridge. Some shops have been around for decades, others are new to the scene. In addition to many independent boutiques, there are also plenty of the nation’s top retailers, from Restoration Hardware to Anthropologie to West Elm to CB2 to Urban Outfitters.
Shoppers may stroll side streets and take in Christmas trees glittering in bay windows of historic homes and decorative cabbages and red berries tucked into window boxes and urns. In the evening, flickering lanterns and the scent of burning fireplaces provide just the holiday boost you need.
Bridges' reindeer theme is cleverly interpreted for each business including her reindeer selfie display at P Street Gallerie (3235 P St. NW).
Check out the first block of P Street on the west side of Wisconsin Avenue. The cobblestone street looks particularly festive this year, since New York designer Sheila Bridges decorated the store windows for the holidays as part of the Small Business Saturday program sponsored by American Express. Bridges’s reindeer theme is cleverly interpreted for each business including her reindeer selfie display at P Street Gallerie (3235 P St. NW).
Friday 12/12 Featured Artist Show: Jose Gomez
Experience Peru!
P Street Gallerie cordially invites you to its upcoming December 12th (6 – 8 PM) show featuring the work of renowned Peruvian artist José Gómez.
The work of Gómez, a native of Lima, Peru, celebrates and embodies unique tales of his beloved country. Having grown up from joyous and humble beginnings—filled with a makeshift soccer field and a colorful maze of clotheslines decorating his family’s yard— Gómez strives to revive the present day asphalt-covered streets that were once green pastures in his childhood through his work. Gómez pursued his passion for art and went on to study at the renowned National Superior School of Fine Arts in Lima. His work can now be found featured in the private homes of collectors, notable figures, and other celebrated individuals in the United States and abroad. He believes each artist has a personal story to share with the world. Gómez describes art as “the desire to continue writing and describing who we are, where we come from, and where we are going.”
Gómez is currently developing an extensive collection of new works. He looks forward to sharing this new project in cities around the world following its completion.
P Street Gallerie, Georgetown’s newest contemporary art destination is located at 3235 P Street NW, Washington, DC. We are open Tuesdays by appointment and Wednesday – Saturday 12:00-5:00 PM. Call 202-333-4868 for more information or email LisaBrown@pstreetgallerie.
P Street Shops Get Special Makeover For Holidays
Just Paper & Tea was one of several Georgetown stores to receive a “Main Street” makeover.
By Dylan Reffe, Current Correspondent
December 3, 2014
The 3200 block of P Street is brimming with reindeer after a makeover tied to Small Business Saturday.
This stretch of Georgetown is one of five city blocks nationwide to be redecorated as part of American Express’ “Main Street Makeover” program. Five shops on P Street underwent the holiday treatment.
“I love this block,” said Sheila Bridges, the New York City-based interior designer American Express partnered with on the project. Bridges chose a reindeer theme to bring out the charm of the historic block.
“Everyone likes and supports each other,” the designer said of the local shops here. “It’s like a small community.”
Broadly, the makeover projects are an effort to highlight the importance of small businesses during the holiday season. “Big stores have Black Friday, online shopping has Cyber Monday, so Small Business Saturday is the ceremonial kickoff of the holiday shopping season for small businesses,” said Scott Krugman, a spokesperson for American Express.
On P Street, Bridges worked on decorations for Anthony’s Tuxedos & Wedding Creations, Ella-Rue, P Street Gallerie, Just Paper & Tea, and Little Birdies.
“Sheila did a great job,” said Alexa Johnson, a co-owner of Ella Rue. “We had an idea, and she ran with it. I especially like what she did with the mannequins.”
But Bridges wasn’t working alone this week. Elizabeth Kane, a George Washington University student getting her Master of Fine Arts, got the opportunity to “intern” with the interior designer for the week.
“I learned so much,” said Kane. “It was a long week, but it was great!”
Bridges’ designs in each storefront carefully represent the atmosphere of each store. Just Paper & Tea had many paper cutouts lining the windows, alongside paper drawings of reindeer. Both Ella-Rue and Anthony’s had fancier designs and a few formal reindeer, while the window outside Little Birdies was full of colorful wreaths and more playful-looking reindeer, including Rudolph.
“Sheila was so fun to work with,” said Shanlee Johnson, the owner of Little Birdies, a children’s clothing store and the newest small business on the block.
Johnson is a true P Street success story. “I used to work at Ella-Rue across the street,” said the shop owner. “I always wanted to open my own boutique, but corporate retail is so tough.”
Little Birdies has now been open for 10 months, without signs of slowing down.
“This street is so close-knit in terms of business,” Johnson said. “We send customers back and forth whenever possible. Ella-Rue has been instrumental in the success of this store.”
The P Street block was just one of several local stops this weekend for officials promoting Small Business Saturday.
“We started this morning with a breakfast at Baked and Wired,” said Miguel Ayala, the press secretary for the U.S. Small Business Administration. “After P Street we are going to Adams Morgan, and then headed off to Alexandria with Sen. Mark Warner, and then finally to Anacostia with [D.C. Del.] Eleanor Holmes Norton.”
Not only was #SmallBusinessSaturday trending on Twitter, but even President Barack Obama was out giving his support in D.C., visiting Politics and Prose and leaving with multiple bags stuffed with books.
This article appears in the Dec. 3 issue of The Georgetown Current newspaper.
Q&A with Sheila Bridges on her P Street Makeover
November 20, 2014
New York designer Sheila Bridges—famous in DC for decorating President Clinton’s Harlem offices—is coming back to town, but she won’t be decorating anyone’s house.
This time, she’ll be remaking a block of P Street in Georgetown in honor of Small Business Saturday, the first Saturday after Thanksgiving where people are encouraged to spend their holiday dollars at locally owned businesses. It’s part of a promotion by American Express, which chose Georgetown along with four other “Main Streets” across the country to celebrate the businesses that help make those neighborhoods remarkable.
Sheila was kind enough to answer some questions before she swoops in next week to do her magic on the 3200 block of P Street, right off Wisconsin Avenue. She’ll be working on the exteriors of Anthony’s Tuxedo and Wedding Creations, consignment boutique Ella-Rue, the P Street Gallerie for contemporary art, stationery and fine tea store Just Paper and Tea, and children’s clothing purveyor Little Birdies Boutique.
DC BY DESIGN: So, how do you plan a makeover of multiple exterior storefronts? It must be a little more complicated than redoing someone’s living room.
SHEILA BRIDGES: I wouldn’t say it’s more complicated—simply different. I usually get to take my time when designing or decorating someone’s living room. We had a 3-week turnaround for this entire project, so I think that was the real challenge. Right now, the plan is to work on one store window at a time.
DCBD: Did you have your pick of anywhere in Georgetown? What caught your eye about the 3200 block of P street?
SB: What caught my eye at first glance was how charming the street was—cobblestones with trolley tracks, brick sidewalks and the fact that there were lots of trees. There is a great mix of interesting stores and architecture on that block, and I thought it was a perfect location since it was right off of Wisconsin Avenue, where there seemed to be a constant flow of foot traffic. There is also a painted brick wall at the beginning of the street which I though could be used in my design plan.
DCBD: When you met with store owners last week, what kind of advice or input did they share with you?
SB: All of the store owners were very enthusiastic about having their storefront windows made over. I spoke with each of them about their individual businesses and tried to incorporate that information into my designs.
DCBD: You told The Georgetowner that the street scape will have a reindeer theme. Can you give examples of how that theme will play out at each store?
SB: The inspiration was reindeers, but the street will have a more general deer theme. All I can say is that each store window will look different but will share a consistent theme. Unfortunately, I don’t ever share my designs before we install. You will have to come see the finished result on Small Business Saturday ( November 29th)!
DCBD: Georgetown has always been a popular destination for shopping. How do you think Small Business Saturday can help here?
SB: I think it can help because everyone ( both tourists and locals) needs to be reminded of the importance of shopping at small, independent retailers. There are lots of well known chains in Georgetown, but our focus is the smaller shops that sometimes have a tough time competing with their bigger neighbors. Big retailers usually have deep pockets for advertising, and most small businesses don’t, so they can often be overshadowed. Small businesses are an extremely important and integral part of every community, and it is essential that we continue to support them in our local neighborhoods.
DCBD: Did you spot anything at these boutiques that you might want to recommend for holiday shoppers?
SB: I’m not sure about holiday shoppers, but I definitely saw a few things for myself. Ella Rue had a great pair of shoes and a jacket that I wanted to try on, but never had the time during my site visit. Shanlee of Little Birdies Boutique had a plate of freshly baked sugar cookies (my weakness) sitting on a table in her shop. I thought that was so thoughtful and really amazing that she would take the time to do that for her customers.
DCBD: Do you have any current or former residential clients here?
SB: Yes. I have a former residential client in the DC area, and a former client who happens to be a former President whose offices I did in Harlem after he left the White House. Would love to do more work in DC if the opportunity presents itself.
So there you have it—a big thanks to Sheila for taking the time to answer these questions, and you can bet I’ll be down there next Saturday to check out her work!
American Express Picks P Street Stores for Main Street Makeover
By Dana Farrior, The Georgetowner
November 17, 2014
“Interior designer Sheila Bridges will design and execute the makeover for P Street where she will emphasize the following business: ...contemporary art gallery P Street Gallerie (3235 P St., NW)...”
There’s no denying the historic appeal of Georgetown and its charming small businesses, such as those on P Street. In fact, the village and stores on the 3200 block of P Street have caught the attention of American Express for its annual Small Business Saturday promotions.
As Small Business Saturday celebrates its fifth anniversary, American Express chose Washington, D.C., along with four other cities to celebrate the businesses that keep these neighborhoods thriving.
On Nov. 29, for the first time, the American Express Main Street Makeover initiative will pair “Main Streets” with a professional designer who will re-do and decorate the door and window fronts of small businesses in time for the holidays and Christmastime.
Interior designer Sheila Bridges will design and execute the makeover for P Street where she will emphasize the following business: Anthony’s Tuxedos & Wedding Creations (3237 P St., NW), upscale consignment boutique Ella-Rue (3231 P St., NW), contemporary art gallery P Street Gallerie (3235 P St., NW), specialty store Just Paper & Tea (3232 P St., NW) and children’s clothing boutique Little Birdies (3236 P St., NW).
“I chose P Street in Georgetown not only because of its obvious historic charm (It is a beautiful tree lined street with cobblestones, trolley tracks and brick sidewalks) but also because of the sense of community that seems to exist amongst all of the small, independent retailers who have businesses on that block,” said Sheila.
“I loved that there were storeowners who had been there for 30 plus years and others who had only been there for a few months. Everyone seemed supportive of one another,” Bridges add.
Bridges traveled to Georgetown last week to talk with business owners and to get a better understanding of her canvas. Once she was able to see her vision, she talked to shop owners and began her planning.
“We were just flattered to even be chosen,” said Krista Johnson, owner of Ella-Rue. “So, I think most of us just let Sheila do her thing.”
Bridges went with a reindeer theme for all five stores, each varying in style. For Little Birdies, the children’s clothing boutique, the reindeers will have more of a whimsical feel, contrasting with Ella-Rue and Anthony’s Tuxedos which will have a more mature look.
In recognition of the holidays and Small Business Saturday, most of the shops will offer holiday-themed merchandise and discounts. Ella-Rue is taking 10 percent off all American Express purchases. With refreshed storefronts and window displays, American Express and retailers hope to attract consumers to shop at these local businesses this holiday season. Also, if customers register their American Express card on its website, they become eligible for its "Spend $10, Receive $10" sweepstakes. Spend $10 or more on Nov. 29, and receive a statement credit for each qualifying transaction within 90 days thereafter.
Click here to read the full story.
Kiu Kavousi - Homage to Blues
P Street Gallerie Opening Marks Arrival of Georgetown’s Newest Contemporary Art Destination
The District of Columbia’s vibrant art community welcomes its most recent arrival on September 12, 2014 with the opening of P Street Gallerie in Georgetown.
According to owner Lisa C. Brown, P Street Gallerie, located at 3235 P Street NW, will be a venue for residents of and visitors to the DC/Maryland/Virginia region to see, experience and purchase modern contemporary art from established and emerging artists.
“My vision for P Street Gallerie is a space where the art is as varied and diverse as the people who come to experience it,” Brown said. “What interests me most about art is its texture, which I mean in the literal sense, but also in terms of the complexity of the work, the unique story of each piece and that of the artist who created it.”
P Street Gallerie’s opening show, Human, will feature two artists, Kiu Kavousi and Suman Sorg, whose work embodies that texture. Kavousi, who fled his native Iran as a teenager more than 30 years ago to live in the U.S. and is interested in the expression of human emotions, said, “My works are lyrical compositions, as simple as Gershwin’s rhapsodies; as ecstatic and exuberant as Rumi's mystical dance.” Sorg, a native of New Delhi and an architect by training whose paintings explore structures including the human body, said, “I am interested in architecture – of the body, of abstraction, or of color and geometry and am often drawn to the memory of the textures and fabrics of Northern India where I grew up.”
P Street Gallerie owner Lisa C. Brown is a California native who since childhood has had a passion for art and its unique capacity to transcend culture and socioeconomic status to uplift and transform those who experience it. After leaving a successful corporate career to start a family, she and her husband moved from their northern California home to Washington DC, in hopes of exposing their children to the rich cultural and intellectual diversity of the nation’s capital. Four years later, she is fulfilling a lifelong dream of opening an art gallery. At P Street Gallerie - previously home to another art gallery for more than 30 years - Brown looks forward to introducing a diverse mix of local and national emerging artists to D.C. art enthusiasts and novices alike.