Some like it wet

For centuries, artists have been inspired by nature, and quite often it is their immediate surroundings that move them to create. Such is the case with Chris Reding. In her new show, which opened Jan. 5 at the Artists Contemporary Gallery, Reding demonstrates that she is fascinated by koi fish and the water in which they swim. Only one or two of the images, which range from rather large to medium-small, feature a koi. Most depict the water, the lilies, the rocks. Reding is so focused on the intricacies of this spectacle that most of these paintings read more as abstract than representational. Even the more noticeable objects exist in an unrecognizable background. Nevertheless, the paintings are striking, colorful and full of movement. Water, recent paintings by Chris Reding, through Jan. 30 at the Artists Contemporary Gallery, 1200 K St., Mall No. 9.