First, I look at the persimmon

The oil paintings, richly colored, are dominated by hues in the red-to-gold spectrum and feature fruits, vegetables, Chinese-food cartons, shopping bags, wooden produce boxes and other objects drawn from pop-culture references, many of them East Asian. The artist, Jo Ann Barbis, wrote in a statement posted inside the door of the Art Foundry Gallery that her objective was to update a compositional form drawn from Dutch still lifes from the 17th century by depicting more modern subject matter. Out of the 23 pieces on display, at press time, 17 were sold already. Of course, money may not equal taste (see Thomas Kinkade), but it does indicate that Barbis has done something that resonates with the gallery-going public. Art Foundry Gallery is located at 1021 R Street, where Barbis’ paintings will be on display through November 6.