I have always loved paper - stationery, notepads, paper bags, and especially tissue paper. Actually, wrapping paper started my career as an artist. I was amazed to find that a friend had framed the wrapping paper I had made for a birthday present. Soon, other friends asked that I forgo the actual present, and instead gift them only un-creased, and un-taped wrapping paper. Their strong, emotional connection to my work inspired me to start thinking and creating, both literally and figuratively, on a larger canvas. My paintings have been called Dreamscapes, ambiguous, healing and absolutely meditative. The actual process can be playful, sometimes intense and is always experimental. I appreciate the liberation of working with scrapers. Initially, brushes intimidated me. But the flow of the scraping welcomed me, freed me. Even though my process has become more sophisticated as I have evolved, the work is still essentially rooted in an intense desire to express something raw and emotionally charged. Where will my paintings take you?

New paintings, from the series "Divine particles", are based on my experience as a bone marrow donor for my sister. After successful surgery, I became fascinated by the nano world and genetic images, with the focus on the idea of DNA.

In my work, double helix has become a symbol of life and of constant movement. In the search for the beauty of the particles, hidden from the human eye, I was inspired by the idea of forms rather then the scientific truth. As a fine artist, I am aware, that visual world is governed by it’s own visual laws.

My professional degree and training is rooted in the classical European traditions; and I am influenced by the ancient culture of my birth place - Georgia, where I graduated from Tbilisi Academy of Fine Arts. I believe my background gave me a variety of tools to create my own visual language.
For the past 20 years, I’ve been living in the United States and working mostly as a figurative artist. Here, I was able to explore, travel and grow further as an artist and a human being.
Although I have shown in the US and in Europe, and my work is on display in public and private collections in many parts of the World, this is my first public exhibit in Washington, D.C., as I only moved here few months ago.

While painting I play with building, redefining, destroying, covering, and rebuilding structures and boundaries. My work is about the tension between opposing forces like control and surrender, development and nature, resistance and acceptance. I explore my own emotional terrain as I create images that reflect impermanance, struggle, and growth.

mixed media

I had an idyllic childhood; at least that’s how I choose to remember it. I paint sunlit landscapes, charming old houses, warm interiors and dreamy nocturnes because they remind me of my halcyon youth but memory is such a fickle thing that what I recall could be a fabrication or at least an exaggeration. Making these paintings causes me to examine the impressions of my past that I have held as truth for so long. The act of painting provides me with a metaphorical crowbar to pry open my long held assumptions. I am becoming open to seeing new truths.

Beauty is an ever changing standard and can be a deciding factor in determining whether we are esteemed or outcast within a culture.

From a woman suffering with ritually bound feet in Sung dynasty China to a modern American trying to squeeze into her “skinny jeans,” or a man who spends hours every week pumping exercise machines in pursuit of six-pack abs, we feel the pressure to conform to standards of idealized beauty — standards we feel compelled to measure ourselves against. Many allow this measurement to powerfully influence their sense of self-worth.

A woman’s spirit, her sense of confidence and self-worth, may be broken by repetitive messages that tell her she isn’t good enough the way she is — poisonous messages with no higher purpose than to generate demand for self-improvement products. In this age of technology the exposure to these critical messages is nearly constant from e-mail spam, radio, television, film, and print media. Men and women have to put on mental armor every day to deflect the pointed barbs and subtle hints that we should wax away hair, lose twenty pounds, and have bigger breasts or a larger penis.

Body Politics is a major collaborative series by artists Tammy Vitale and Heather Bartlett that addresses the concepts of self-image, self-worth, and submission to standard ideals of beauty, and how these affect our perceptions of our own bodies. The series features a number of interactive pieces inviting viewer participation, and though its primary focus is women’s body images, it includes works about male body image as well.

in your face jazz/jam band with a touch of funk to get you moving!

The Batala Percussion Band is a samba-reggae band that plays rhythms typical of the northeastern region of Brazil. The music is rooted in traditional African rhythms that have been incorporated into Brazilian culture, and is played using 4 different types of drums.

Any woman, from the age of 18 onwards, can join the band for free, regardless of income, nationality, or musical experience. Our diverse members come from many different countries, including Brazil, Peru, Columbia, Lithuania, Japan, and the U.S. There are currently over 30 women in the DC group!

Hello, I am Serge. Welcome to my corner of the World. For 7 years I worked as US Army photographer, documenting conflicts around the globe. I am currently a student at the Art Institute of Washington. Photographing interesting subjects in my life, I strive to produce images that evoke thought and emotion. I play with color and saturation, composition and lighting to create images that are unique in my own way.

Outreach Productions is currently premiering the Christian oriented movie, "Be Ready." “Be Ready” is a story of a day in the lives of people who discover how important it is to “be ready” for Christ. Though this day would start out as fairly routine, it would end in a most dramatic fashion. “Be Ready” is a thought provoking film that will force viewers to examine their lives. In the film, childhood friends discover the real meaning of friendship; a marriage is pushed to the edge of destruction; a father and son deal with the issues of love and forgiveness; and a prostitute tries to find the true meaning and worth of her life.

The film points out how our destinies are determined by the lifestyles we lead as well as the decisions we make. Relationships are challenged when the issue of serving Christ and living holy becomes the focal point of discussion. “Be Ready” is family oriented and is geared towards adolescents as well as mature adults. It will spark family discussions and will touch even those who don’t usually want to hear the lessons being taught. This is a film that families will watch over and over again.

Sarah Becker is Washington, DC based photographer and graphic artist.

self taught

mixed media has allowed me to redefine the classic painting statement. it is a constant source of delight, opening up depth, range and texture. i express myself using materials as a total gestalt, creating images from the turmoil of my mind