Painter Robin Sutliff Ready to Dazzle at Georgetown’s Art All Night
By • September 25, 2023 0 1094
By Hailey Wharram
Donned in paint-splattered jeans and electric pink lipstick, Robin Sutliff is in her element with a paintbrush in hand. After a swift scan of her canvas — a sweet floral scene of baby pinks and soft lime greens — she dips her brush into an unexpected magenta shade and follows her instincts. With a few quick yet careful strokes of this new, playful hue, she dauntlessly invites fresh vibrancy into a once mild color scheme, elevating the piece from something simply pleasant to something sublime.
Sutliff has been working as a professional artist for around 10 years, but she’s been creating art for most of her life. While her photography largely focuses on capturing striking moments of metropolitan humanity, Sutliff’s paintings are defined by her unwavering affinity for florals, angels and kaleidoscopic abstracts.
One of Sutliff’s classic floral designs. Photo by Robin Sutliff.
Sutliff is enthusiastic to share her paintings with the D.C. community in collaboration with L’Enfant Gallery during Art All Night 2023. Art All Night is a free visual and performing arts festival that will be held across all eight wards of the District on the nights of Sept. 29 and Sept. 30. A celebration tailor-made for night owls, festivities will begin around 7 p.m. each evening and persist in some spots until 3 a.m. the following morning.
Celebrating its 50th anniversary, the L’Enfant Gallery, a fine art and antique business at 1442 Wisconsin Ave. NW, will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 29. Bargain-priced art from the gallery’s basement and storage unit will be displayed and available for purchase on the street. Though the gallery’s third floor is typically closed to the public, this private office and library will also be open for viewing during the event. Additionally, L’Enfant Gallery will provide a live pianist and complimentary champagne cocktails for the enjoyment of Art All Night attendees.
Exterior of L’Enfant Gallery. Courtesy L’Enfant Gallery.
Two of Sutliff’s latest collections will be on display in front of the gallery starting at 6 p.m.. The first will feature a series of her trademark colorful, cheerful floral paintings. Though Sutliff cites the natural world as a whole as a major source of inspiration when painting, flowers in particular are integral to her creative process. “The shapes of flowers come through in all that I do,” Sutliff said. “They are a center and a home, and they bring people joy,”
Her second collection is entitled “The Clouds Series.” This minimal yet experimental collection will feature four 48 by 60 inch canvases which are painted entirely white with a thick layer of resin and interference paint on top. Adding the resin and interference paint creates a glossy, mirror effect which enables onlookers to interact with the art. “It’s sexy and relaxing and intriguing. You can see your reflection in the painting so it looks like you are floating in the clouds,” Sutliff said.
Viewers posing in Sutliff’s unique reflective paintings. Photo by Robin Sutliff.
In addition to sharing the art she’s already created with fellow D.C. residents, Sutliff is excited about the possibility of stumbling upon new inspiration during Art All Night. “I’m looking forward to talking about the work and what draws people here to these kinds of events. The people I meet inspire me. Sometimes an idea just comes from a random conversation,” Sutliff said.
Be sure to visit Art All Night from Sept. 29 to support local creatives like Robin Sutliff whose passions for creation and community continue to make events like Art All Night a success. For more info, go here.
