Top Ten Picks of Artomatic 2012

I'm participating in Artomatic, DC's biggest non-juried arts festival, for the 2nd time. The last time I showed, in 2008, I presented a series of photographs on New York City's outer boroughs. This year I'm showing portraits on the 8th floor in space 180. Please check it out if you have a chance. What I love about Artomatic is its power to rally emerging and established artists from DC, MD, and VA into one gargantuan show, giving them an opportunity to receive exposure and feedback. Washington DC isn't a city known for its arts scene and the community here lacks the sort of support artists might find elsewhere. There are not enough galleries, art schools, or cooperative studios. Most of the time, when Artomatic isn't happening, the art community remains dormant and scattered. Artomatic is also a great source of inspiration. Seeing the work of other artists always motivates me to work harder at my craft. As I browsed this year's Artomatic, I picked up about 50 business cards from different artists that caught my eye. In no particular order, here's a sample of some of the artists I found particularly moving: 1. Janna Dinolfo - 11th Floor Beautiful, stark photographs. There were lots of nice details in Janna's presentation, including the tags used as image labels, her business cards tucked in a suitcase of sand, the choice of matting and framing, etc. http://jannadinolfo.com/ 2. Christian Tribastone - 9th Floor His sketches and paintings are immaculate in their line and form and exude a quiet energy. www.tribbie.blogspot.com 3. Sticky Comics - 4th Floor One of the few exhibits where I actually laughed out loud. www.stickycomics.com 4.  Marcia Fry - 3rd Floor Bizarre and creative use of recycled scraps. The elephant painting is a must-see! http://www.artomatic.org/user/668 5. Susan La Mont - 3rd Floor Photorealistic paintings of street scenes and people. http://www.susanlamont.com/index.html 6. Valentine Nazarian Wolly - 8th Floor Her in-transit series presented a stunning visual puzzle of reflections. http://www.valentinewolly.com/ 7. Cory Oberndorfer - 11th Floor Vivid, catchy, and flavorful! That Popsicle screams summer! www.coryoberndorfer.com 8.  The Genizah Project - 9th Floor A roomful of old letters, postcards, newspapers, and scrap paper. A nostalgic memorial to all the paper that comes and goes from our lives.  http://thegenizahproject.blogspot.com/ 9. Mo Fogarty - 11th Floor Her many self-portraits, taken with a point and shoot camera, are accessible and humorous, full of moments anyone can relate to. http://www.artomatic.org/user/1233 10. Gregory Ferrand - 2nd Floor His exaggerated, cinematic illustrations often reveal his characters repressed inner lives and fantasies. http://gferrand.com