Two Art Exhibits I'd Love to See This Month

January 7, 2024

Ever since seeing my favorite artist Joan Mitchell’s retrospective in Baltimore two years ago, I have become ever-more convinced that art is best experienced in person.

As amazing as photos are of her abstract expressionist paintings, they pale in comparison to seeing her highly textured and gigantic work up close and in person. (I had a similar experience seeing Bobbie Burgers’s floral paintings and Eric Aho’s abstract landscapes at Tayloe Piggott Gallery in Wyoming two summers ago.)

So I’m having a strong case of artist envy for two art exhibitions that I think would be phenomenal to see in person this month. (And I won’t lie—the thought of driving/flying clear across the country JUST to see this art has definitely crossed my mind! And being only one week into the month, I’m not completely ruling it out. 😉)

So, who are these amazing artists who have me salivating over their beautiful work?

1. Colleen Herman’s “A longed-for bed” at Olympia in New York, New York

I don’t even know how I stumbled upon Colleen Herman’s paintings, but I am sure you can see why I’m drawn to them. Her highly expressive and nature-inspired paintings communicate so much beyond just their visual inspiration.

Her latest body of work, currently showing solo at Olympia through February, explores flora as representations of femininity, growth, empowerment, and more.

I nearly squealed getting to experience the exhibition’s opening through the videos she shared via her Instagram stories—but again, if I’m having such a visceral reaction to her work through the computer screen, I can only imagine how much more impactful her paintings are in person.

So if you’re in or around New York for the month of January, give Olympia and Colleen’s exhibition a visit!

2. Hope Olson’s “Welcome to the Neighborhood” at Anne Irwin Fine Art in Atlanta, Georgia

I discovered Hope Olson through Anne Irwin Fine Art a few years ago, and her work has fascinated me from day one.

Substantially different from my own work, I admire anyone who can simplify and flatten (and yet also accentuate?) reality in the way that Hope does—and she does it stunningly. Her playful, nostalgic, and elegantly simple yet complex work leaves me at a loss for words.

(Rose Sky, Orange Grove is a particular favorite of mine, and I love having a print of it hanging in my dining room.)

Her latest work (almost entirely sold just a few days into the show) is a visual diary of life in community. “With the paintings as your tour guide, drive through a town’s thoroughfares and back roads, peering into the everyday activities of its inhabitants, their work and play, their weekdays and weekends,” she says. “This collection chronicles the mostly sweet, occasionally complicated, but ever-rewarding experience of making a beautiful life right where you are.”

I can only imagine how warm and special Hope’s paintings must feel in person.

See Hope’s solo exhibition at Anne Irwin Fine Art in Atlanta through this week!

Bonus! (Though I’m definitely not flying cross-continent… 😂)

3. Joy Kinna’s solo exhibition at Hake House in Sydney, Australia

I have admired Joy’s work for years. (And in fact, I feel so honored to have conducted an interview with her back in 2018 before her career blew up—and equally honored to own one of her first, limited-edition prints!)

Joy’s work has grown tremendously (both in scale and complexity) over the last few years. Her large-scale, muted abstracts evoke the calm and serenity of her British Columbia home and Norwegian roots. Again, I imagine the intricacies and emotion of Joy’s work are best experienced in person.

Australia peeps, January and February at Hake House is your chance!

What did you think of this art exhibit preview? Would you like to see more posts like this? Let me know in a comment below.