Art on Capitol Hill

A great myth of the 20th Century was that of the artist laboring earnestly in poverty, that incubator of genius. You know the scenario: the undiscovered painter, poet or writer scrubbing out a bare existence in some filthy commune on the Left Bank, or a fourth floor walkup in The Village.

George Orwell deliberately tried poverty to deepen his soul as a writer. He wrote, “The first effect of poverty is that it kills thought.” Instead of inspiration, he discovered, “…you do not escape from money merely by being moneyless. On the contrary, you are the hopeless slave of money until you have enough to live on...”

The truth is that very few of the great masters ever went hungry. Most came from well-connected homes and were placed with the best teachers. And those who did start poor seemed to be just as creative after they were “discovered” and became quite wealthy. In fact, having wealth and fame thrust upon them may be the secret dream of all artists. And don’t you really hope that the artist who sold you that charming little oil for a song will someday become famous and you will be able to auction the piece through Sotheby’s …and make a killing?

There is nothing wrong with that as long as we all admit that art has worth. I mean tangible, economic value--in addition to intrinsic worth. When original art is given monetary value, art flourishes. And in return, investments in art are good for the economy.

Art is one of the few things that have lasting monetary value. Why? Because the interpretations of the universal human experience have meaning above and beyond the utilitarian doodads on which we spend most our bucks. True wealth has always been measured in the collection of art. Just ask the Pharaohs.

Jan Kern is on an expedition through time, maybe timelessness, connecting societies, peoples, and eons. The cultures could be Egyptian, Spanish, Navajo—or Capitol Hill on any afternoon. She has collected the fragments of ordinary individual lives, things like traffic tickets and typewriter ribbons, and married them in compositions that are both story and art. She discovers ideas, patterns and colors and lets them live again in a new perception.

These patterns and colors, driven by human dreams, are crafted in the soft northern light of her studio on East Capitol Street, an 1870 townhouse in which she has lived or painted for thirty years. Now working entirely with painted surfaces, Jan first makes the “materials.” She primes pieces of canvas to make sure each work is archival and begins to layer colors to reach the precise shade and depth she needs. The canvas shapes are placed on the base canvas and overlay other painted shapes to create a third dimension that both accentuates and relieves the formality of the flat patterns.

Because of the weight of the layered canvases, Jan must build a strong reinforced support structure. She has each custom-made frame milled at a lumberyard and puts the finished piece under glass, not because it is necessary for the preservation of the art, but because she likes the look Jan is originally from North Carolina and came to Washington to work with the White House Conference on Food, Nutrition and Health. She stayed here and edited the magazine of the Food and Nutrition Service for twenty years.

In 1971, Jan enrolled in the Corcoran School of Art and continued to take classes for the next six years. She studied printmaking, design and visual communication. She credits teacher Brockie Stevenson for much of her appreciation of color and composition, and finds much of her understanding of how culture affects design at the Textile Museum. Her exploration has taken her from large works to small pieces and back to large again—with over thirty shows and exhibitions.

Jan is painting full time now and wherever her expedition through time takes her, she will be connecting us all through her love of art. Jan can be reached at her studio at 202-543-1077.

Gallery 325, at 325 7th Street SE began as a place to temporarily hang some paintings. The remodeled space was vacant and the landlord, Stanton Development, was looking for a tenant. It was agreed that the art would make the place more attractive and easier to rent. Then a funny thing happened: There was a big community response. Hundreds of people came to the openings and wandered through on weekends with their coffees, ice cream cones, dogs on leashes and kids in strollers. In a short time, what began as a temporary showplace has become a fixture in the neighborhood.

If you want a place to step in out of the rain to finish your decaf cappuccino, it is a very comfortable cove, and you get to look at some of the best art in the region. If you wish to own original art, it is there, in all styles at moderate prices. But both landlord and the tenant have to pay the rent and the artists cannot do it by themselves. So, here is the solution: Special events. The gallery has been rented to private parties for fundraisers, meetings, birthdays, and celebrations of various sorts. The experiences of the renting organizations and individuals have been, reportedly, wonderful. Members or guests gather in a comfortable and accessible space surrounded by art.

If the gallery can host enough events, it will be able to stay open and remain a place for the community to ponder and purchase art. If not, it will be unable to compete with retail businesses that can pay the full rent.

So have your fundraiser or party at Gallery 325. The rates are low and can be lower if you reserve the space on a regular basis. Call Steve at 544-6666.

Jim Magner is a Capitol Hill artist and writer. For comments, Jim can be contacted at magner414@aol.com and his paintings can be seen on www.magner414.com and in Gallery 325.