Isabelle Spicer with “Black and White.” (Luis Gomez Photos)
From Cecile Oreste at danceDC
Before settling in the U Street area, French painter Isabelle Spicer lived in a variety of countries including France, Belgium, Germany, Russia and Poland. Although she has only lived in the District for about three years, she has quickly become part of the local arts community.
She has taken art classes at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria and also at the Smithsonian. Her work has been exhibited at Mid City Caffe and sold at the 17th Street Festival. Just last year, she joined Mid City Artists and recently she curated her first art show titled (Re)Discover at Bistro La Bonne on U Street.
(Re)Discover features paintings from Spicer, as well as work from Charlie Gaynor, IURRO (Jiri Stavovcik) and Deborah Saks. According to Spicer, the idea for the show was not only to exhibit work she enjoyed, but also to help her rediscover her home country of France.
Despite growing up just outside of Paris, Spicer found little inspiration from her experiences in France. She remembered the landscapes to be mostly gray and was surprised at other artists’ colorful representations of her homeland. In regards to Gaynor’s photography, she said, “He found colors everywhere in Paris. I was completely speechless.”
