Embroidered Collage

I had seen the giant floating head in one of the art news magazines, so it wasn't too much of a shock, but the nude couple depicted with Lite Brite bits was something of a surprise.  Amazingly well done, too.  The Outwin Boochever 2006 Portrait Competition was my favorite part of the Portrait Gallery.  I loved seeing all those different media that had been judged excellent depictions of contemporary portraiture.  It was inspiring and made me think even harder about using faces as a basic unit for future work.

The contemporary exhibit transitioned into the exhibit of presidential portraits.  It wasn't as interesting to me personally, in terms of the art, but it was well-laid out and interesting to walk through and share with my mother and grandmother.  One thing that did capture my attention was the three portraits of George Washington.  They had the famous iconic piece, but there were also two others facing it, done by different artists.  He didn't hardly look like the same man, a relative maybe, but not the same man, and they were all done within only a few years of each other. 

The National Portrait Gallery and the American Art Museum are both part of the Reynolds Center, their exhibit space alternating and intertwining throughout the old patents building.  It was a very effective display that only opened in June of this year.  I'm glad I had a chance to visit.