The space above the Scottish Merchant has been a part-time gallery for some time, but as of October, it’s open full-time and filled with artwork from local artists. The gallery is a new business and a whole new line of work for owner Jennifer Schutzendorf.
“I’m from upstate New York and studied accounting at Boston College,” Schutzendorf said. “I know; accounting and art aren’t very connected.”
Neither are art and commercial real estate, but that’s what Schutzendorf did for ten years after she moved to the Washington metropolitan area. She worked for the Oliver Carr Company and then on the transition team when Carr America was born. Ultimately, she became the director of customer relations there, planning special events for Carr America’s customers.
“It was a great job,” Schutzendorf said. “I really loved what I did and Carr is an amazing company to work for. Over the last five years I was there, though, I just began to feel that I needed to do something with my art. I wanted to paint and I knew I wanted to study.”
So, she sold her home in Arlington, quit her job at Carr America, moved to an efficiency apartment on Du Pont Circle and enrolled at The Corcoran as a freshman.
“The first day of class was a bit frightening,” she said. “Everyone went around the room and talked about why they were there. There were all these 18 and 19-year-old kids who were there because they knew they were artists. When it was my turn I introduced myself and said “Hi, I’m Jennifer and I’m 30.” What a crazy thing to say.”
She got an Associate of Fine Arts degree at the Corcoran and may eventually go on for a master’s degree. In the meantime, there’s the rent to pay and the need not to starve.
“I started painting kids’ rooms,” she said. “You know, whimsical, neat things on walls, beginning with my friend’s children.”
AS SHE PAINTED MORE, friends began to encourage her to show her work. She met the owner of the Scottish Merchant and leased the gallery space above his shop.
“When I got here, the space was in terrible shape,” she said. “I’ve had such fun turning it into a real full-time gallery and just love the artists I’m showing.”
The gallery space is divided into areas by color. While there are white walls, Schutzendorf has added her own touch by using color to define areas. Her first show opened on Dec. 1 and will run through the end of the month.
Martha Brumbaugh has a studio on the third floor of the gallery and is one of the featured artists. She paints interpretations of 25,000-year-old cave drawings from Lascaux, France and Altamira, Spain. She uses paper and layering to bring texture to her work. She has also begun adding sunflowers to the drawings because she discovered them browning near the caves on her visits to Spain and France.
Ira Bloom is the other featured artist at this first show. He is a sculptor who makes trees. He makes 30-inch welded steel replicas of famous and historic trees, mounted on wood bases made from the tree itself. One of the sculptures depicts Maryland’s more than 200-year-old Wye Oak, which fell during Hurricane Isabel. The State of Maryland gave Bloom a piece of the tree on which the sculpture is mounted.
“I love the artists’ work,” Schutzendorf said. “They go well together and are the perfect pair for my very first show.”
Gallery G is located at 215 King S. in Old Town. Stop in for a whimsical look at old and new themes.