Creepy peepies
Wicked-good "Freak House"
By Robin Tierney
Special to The Examiner
The madness of modern life compels
people to vent to friends, fire off
e-mails and let loose the occasional
primal scream. Dana Ellyn picks up
a paintbrush.
"My paintings are often fueled
by the news," Ellyn says, referencing
her angst-laden July series. Inspiration
also comes from personal
issues, such as frustration over
the current gallery rage for abstract
art that has marginalized figurative
works. "So, on occasion I'll take a title
of an abstract painting and reinterpret
it," she says. For example,
she whipped up "Blackout" the day
before hanging works for "Freak
House," the new exhibition at Warehouse.
This spur-of-the-moment
acrylic zooms in on a woman lying
prostrate, spirit drained, her fixed
gaze suggestive of being trapped by
a haunting memory.
Four years ago, Ellyn ditched corporate
life to paint every day, honing
her gift for exposing the quirks of
human nature. Big eyes, big heads,
bright colors Ñ but forget benign
caricatures; these perversely engaging
characters command attention
and response. "Silly Rabbit" rescripts
Bambi as a horror tale - a
sample of Ellyn's grip-you-by-theeyeballs,
character-infused representational
style. Along with a loose
collective of non-art-school visionaries
including Matt Sesow, the Penn
Quarter native's putting a new face
- make that faces - on the D.C.-
Baltimore art scene.
Also populating "Freak Show" are
bizarre bustling scenarios from Russell
Richards. Vaguely reminiscent
of ancient pictographs - look for
"Outcast" - and Maurice Sendak's
sophisticated-spooky illustrations,
here's a twisted adults-only twist on
"Where the Wild Things Are."
Mesmerizingly macabre humans,
animals and monsters animate Richards's
intricate works, which reflect
the Charlottesville artist's expertise
in collagraph and monotype printmaking.
Remarkable works include "God
Save Me from Monsters" - a large
lenticular hologram in which the
picture morphs when tilted. "I love
to watch people rocking back and
forth to see the image magically
change," Richards says.
Wicked fun, these un-pretty yet
alluring figures will haunt you long
past Halloween.
FREAK HOUSE
Through Oct. 31
È Venue: Warehouse ARTS, 1017-
1021 Seventh St. NW
Tix: Free
Info: 202- 462-6331; warehouse
theater.com
Turn up the fear factor: In an
adjoining space, Warehouse's
Freak House production will scare
guests with three stories of shock
through Tuesday night. $15
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