The color of Curtis Park

Miles Hermann’s paintings are well-known in the local art scene. It’s quite a feat that in a town with so many landscape painters, Hermann can distance himself from others in the category, but he does. It’s not only the omnipresent cobalt blue and angular brush strokes that make his canvases more unique but also the subjects he chooses. Instead of employing formulaic compositions, Hermann instead seems just to paint what’s in front of him—say, trees in Curtis Park, with indefinable houses in the background. When he paints images of the Delta (a popular spot for landscape painters) there always seems to be a speeding boat in the picture. But maybe it’s his other paintings that help keep him from being pigeonholed: simple Cezanne-esque still lifes of fruit or, better yet, self-portraits on cigar boxes. They aren’t what one usually expects from a landscape artist, but they help illustrate Hermann’s desire to paint the world more so than just the land. Some of Hermann’s paintings are on display at Art Foundry Gallery, 1021 R Street, through October 4.