Georgetown Gallery Scene Makes a Resurgence

Increasingly each September, as the summer folds into a weave of warm rainstorms and cool, damp evenings, the anticipation of a fall art season takes on a palpable tangibility. The arts are inspiring and beautiful, often times joyous, sometimes heartbreaking, They stir something deep within us. In keeping with autumnal sentiments, there is a bracing immediacy, a feeling of here and now, exemplified in the visual arts—something transient but everlasting, the way golden, sun-spattered leaves remain with us long after they fall from their branches. Maybe this is why fall art openings are so popular. Nothing satisfies our craving for life like the sensory immersion of both art and nature.

The Georgetown neighborhood has reemerged in recent years as the most promising gallery scene in the city—Mark Jenkin’s recent Washington Post article, “Galleries Gathering Again in Once Arty Georgetown,” is perhaps the most resounding testament.

This year’s annual “Galleries on Book Hill Fall Art Walk,” on Friday, September 12, along Wisconsin Avenue, could very well be the public art event of the season. This is one not to miss.

Addison/Ripley Fine Art

Joan Belmar: Chords

1670 Wisconsin Ave NW

This exhibition features richly layered works on canvas and paper, in artist Joan Belmar’s first solo exhibition at Addison/Ripley. Belmar pulls inspiration from his Uruguayan heritage to create works that are lyrical and heartfelt. www.AddisonRipleyFineArt.com

Cross Mackenzie Gallery

1675 Wisconsin Ave NW

Drawings by Lyn Horton and ceramics by Maren Kloppmann

Cross Mackenzie Gallery has paired the graphite wall drawings and pen and ink works on paper by Lyn Horton together with elegant black and white porcelain work by Maren Kloppmann. Both artists work chiefly in black and white, and the juxtaposition of the seemingly chaotic and energetic lines of Horton’s drawings with Kloppmann’s quiet, grounded forms creates a harmonious dialogue of form. www.CrossMackenzie.com

Susan Calloway Fine Art

1643 Wisconsin Ave NW

The Light that She Loves: Literary Paintings and Drawings by Maud Taber-Thomaz

Artist Maud Taber-Thomas creates luminous drawings and paintings that embody a loving conversation between different art forms, exploring Victorian and Medieval literature and capturing the vibrant light and color of distant times and places, particularly through the use of portraiture. Trained in classic painting techniques, the artist’s process is tied to past generations, from the Renaissance Tenebrists, to the French Rococo painters, to the Pre-Raphaelites and Impressionist portraitists. www.CallowayArt.com

All We Art

1666 33rd St. NW

All We Art is a new, multidisciplinary space dedicated to promote international cultural exchange through exhibitions, cultural programs and related services, specializing in contemporary art and collaborating with an extensive network of Latin American and international artists. Founded by Luisa Elena Vidaurre and Pablo Brito Altamira, this partnership is a welcome member to the rebirth of Georgetown’s gallery scene. www.AllWeArtStudio.com

Artist’s Proof Gallery

1533 Wisconsin Ave NW

Featured Artist: David Kracov

David Kracov is a sculptor, painter and animator, who has worked on landmark movies such as “The Lion King” and “The Swan Princess.” He has long captured the hearts of young and old alike, with work guided by the ever-evolving nature of pop culture, literature and history. www.AProof.net

Maureen Littleton Gallery

1667 Wisconsin Ave NW

Body/Building

The Maurine Littleton Gallery presents Body/Building, a group exhibit of architecture and art. Featuring the work of Erwin Eisch, Warrington Colescott, Nancy Genn, Sergei Isupov, Iliya Isupov, among many others, the show explores human and architectural forms through Vitreographs (prints made from glass plates), ceramics and glass sculpture, each artist conveying structure and relationships in literal, figurative and poetic terms. www.LittletonGallery.com

Neptune Fine Art

1662 33rd Street NW

Raya Bodnarchuk: Bronze Sculpture

Sculptor Raya Bodnarchuk is known for her clean lines and modernist compositions with a contemporary yet sensitive twist. Her works are included in collections such as the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, and the National Institute of Health, with noted commissions throughout the United States. www.NeptuneFuneArt.com

Robert Brown Gallery

1662 33rd Street NW

A South African Sketchbook: Drawings, Photographs, and Etchings

Five of South Africa’s most acclaimed artists respond to their homeland with honesty, passion, directness, even whimsy. Works by Roger Ballen, Deborah Bell, Willem Boshoff, William Kentridge and Diane Victor. Extremely powerful and evocative, images on display in A South African Sketchbook join the struggle for a better nation. Their impact reaches far beyond South Africa. www.RobertBrownGallery.com

Washington Printmakers Gallery

1641 Wisconsin Ave NW

The Painterly Print Exhibition: Linda Rose Larochelle

This exhibit features a series of monotypes by block print artist Linda Rose Larochelle. Monotypes allow the printmaker to achieve a range of tones, subtle gradations of color, and to take advantage of the spontaneous effects of free flowing inks. In this show, the figurative monotypes are large and expressive with bold colors and patterns reminiscent of Matisse. Many have a touch of whimsy that is sure to be appreciated. www.WashingtonPrintmakers.com