Visual Notes: Hosted by Art Whino

A few of us took the time to travel down to National Harbor this past Saturday night to visit Art Whino, an art gallery which houses tons of great work from local artists, as well as from some around the nation, and even around the globe.  Specifically, they were hosting a show for the series of paintings by Lou Pimentel that night, named "Visual Notes."  As always, there was an overwhelming amount of visual pleasure inside, and although the above work is not Lou's, there was plenty of his pieces to be seen.

When we first walked in, I was surprised by the abnormal amount of people that were inside and how packed it was.  There was also a Crab and Beer fest that was held earlier in the day, which I think a lot of the traffic derived from.  But with such an inviting atmosphere and storefront, it wasn't too much of a shock that so many people were drawn into the gallery.

To be honest, I really didn't get too many photos of Lou's featured art because there was so many other pieces to look at as well.  But above are just a few of the paintings of his that were on display for the solo show.  Check out his web page for more info:

http://www.lou-pimentel.com/

One of my favorite aspects of Art Whino is their plethora of vinyl toys.  Keep the above Ewok, and Star Wars theme in general, in mind while viewing the rest of the photos.  Either Shane, the owner of Art Whino, really loves his Star Wars creatures or those of us from around the nation's capital have a thing for it.

Here's a piece from Caia Koopman, who has one of the coolest styles I've seen.  It's very recognizable and I love her infusion of Dia de los Muertos and Sugar Skull themes.

Some miniature pieces from Josh Taylor, that were hiding overhead through a walkway.

And tons of other artists' pieces extended onto the adjacent wall.

Some Boba Fett action for you.  The long wall of the gallery had A LOT to take in.  Displaying tons of work from several different artists, this has to be where most of visitors' time is spent.

Of course, what's an open show without some good tunes, and fine people to hang with?  Art Whino so generously offered up free PBR's and some red and white wines for other folks.

Some of the Putrid Pals collection by Crazy Label in the background, with their little ice cream girlfriends.

Thanks to Josh Taylor, his "Daiku Gorou - Fabled Ronin of the Forbidden Forrest," had to be one of my favorite pieces on display within the gallery.  Just something about his whole aura really appealed to and stuck with me; I think it has a lot to do with what he stands for connecting to what Bushido is all about anyway.

Some traditional style meets new age subject matter - This piece with Stormtroopers was somewhat comical.

A little Kid Robot: Dunny displayed in the casings.

More Dunny - 2013 Series 3-Inch version.

Even MORE from Kidrobot x Marvel.

The "signature" piece on the coffee table..

Get it..? 

I know, I suck.

I'm telling you, they have more vinyl toys that you know what to do with.

Here's a shot of another casing with more rare toys.  Also you can see that they have tons of tees for sale too.  I didn't get a chance to really look at any, but from what I saw, they looked really cool!

Limited edition CrappyCat vinyls were atop one of the first displays you see when you walk in.

Some of the Angry Woebots series (look for pandas) by Aaron Martin is seen here.  I might actually be looking into acquiring a piece from this collection for myself.  They're so...sinister, but you just want to hug them!

And just one last look at the shop before we headed out - you can see how people might be attracted to this storefront like teenyboppers to the Apple store.  If you ever find yourself in the D.C. area, be sure to stop by National Harbor and take a stroll through Art Whino!  You won't be disappointed. Bushido!