Washington Post Art Review
In the galleries
By Mark Jenkins November 9, 2017
Clare Winslow & Elle Friedberg
Webs, nests, leaves and other delicate natural phenomena are the inspiration for much of the art in “Impressions,” at WAS Gallery. Claire Winslow’s prints are complemented by a wispy drawing she executed on the wall. Some of Elle Friedberg’s pieces are printed on paper approximations of women’s clothing and hung on lines as if to dry.
Winslow’s pictures are gentle, but not so simple as they initially appear. Their lattices of black and dark-gray lines are punctuated by blobs of flowery color, mostly yellow, lime green and medium blue. Sometimes, the interwoven spirals are overlaid with coils in white or light gray. The prints with color are pretty, but the strongest are larger pieces all in shades of gray and black, except for one’s smudgy silver circles.
Among Friedberg’s motifs are leaflike shapes in autumnal pastels and green and yellow plant forms. These may be printed on rectangular sheets or on shirts and underwear that appear too big for paper dolls but not quite adult-size. The artist also makes circular prints that she clips into segments and partly overlaps. Winslow layers while Friedberg cuts, but both assemble their pictorial elements with great care.