Fun and Whimsy for Commercial Mortgage Office

Artists Circle recently completed a project for a D.C. commercial mortgage office. The newly renovated office is full of light and sleek finishes, and they wanted bright, fun artwork to add color to the primarily white space. 

Artists Circle commissioned a textile artist to create unique work for the main conference room to accent the fabric wrapped walls, seen above. 

Artists Circle commissioned a textile artist to create unique work for the main conference room to accent the fabric wrapped walls, seen above. 

Downtown DC Law Firm Lobby

A custom triptych made for a downtown DC law firm's elevator lobby. The blues contrast the woodwork throughout the space, while the lighter part of each piece has a subtle amount of yellow/orange to enhance the balance of color even further.

Meet Our New Installer

Meet the newest member of the Artists Circle Team: Keenan Brown. In our usual "new employee initiation" fashion, we asked Keenan to answer some questions so we could get to know him better:

What I Love: I am an avid ice hockey fan. Go Pittsburgh Penguins! My favorite hobby is cooking; I can make a fantastic teriyaki sauce from scratch and my go-to dinner is usually fried rice. I also spend my free time constructing and painting toy soldiers, something I was really into as a kid and recently picked back up.

What I Hate: Gridlocked traffic (argh DC!), flying, mayonnaise, and humidity.

What I Listen to in the Car: In the morning, it's Elliot in the Morning on DC 101, in the middle of the day it's either whatever catches my ear on the radio or standup comedy on Pandora. At night it's more standup or the John Batchelor Show.

Little Did You Know: I was in several campaign commercials during the 1996 presidential election for Bill Clinton.

Just a few days into the job, Keenan is installing a complex wall sculpture for one of our clients in Bethesda.

Just a few days into the job, Keenan is installing a complex wall sculpture for one of our clients in Bethesda.

Circle Towers

Artists Circle was brought onto the design team by GTM Architects who redesigned the Fitness and Business Centers at Circle Towers, a multifamily development in Fairfax, VA. We were charged with the task of finding art with an urban feel, as well as a bit of a typographic theme.

These fun, graffiti-esque pieces greet residents and visitors in the lobby.

These fun, graffiti-esque pieces greet residents and visitors in the lobby.

The lounge area.

The lounge area.

The Business Center has six conference rooms. Each room calls out it's name - One! Two! Three! - by way of oversized, historically sourced typographic numbers on sheets of aluminum.

The Business Center has six conference rooms. Each room calls out it's name - One! Two! Three! - by way of oversized, historically sourced typographic numbers on sheets of aluminum.

This energetic canvas greets residents when they enter the Fitness Center.

This energetic canvas greets residents when they enter the Fitness Center.

Art in the Rouge

Wanting the art to key off the red accent wall in their large conference room, a DC law firm asked Artists Circle to Source options. The task was made a little more challenging due to the dividing wall that enables the space to be broken into two; additionally, the art committee was split 50/50 between those wanting more conservative realism and those desiring abstract. These prints on canvas of leaves and water are the perfect answer!

Downtown DC Lobby

Look at these GORGEOUS prints we just installed in a lobby on 14th Street! To keep with the sleek design of the space, we had our framer mount these to Plexiglas for a clean, frameless look.

Thematic Artwork: Real Estate Investment

Artists Circle recently completed a project for Bentall Kennedy's new office space in Bethesda. The real estate investment and advisory firm wanted new artwork that tied into their mission as well as complemented their sleek new facility. 

The sculpture commissioned for the reception area used aluminum and wood panels to allude to the company's emphasis on sustainable, green building. 

This 4 panel painting placed outside the kitchen and lounge area reflects the city plan of Washington, DC viewed from Rosslyn, VA. The company provides advice for multi-residential, industrial, retail, and corporate properties throughout the country and abroad.

Conference room artwork reflects both abstract and and literal interpretations of architectural landmarks in the DC area by local artists. 

M Flats in Crystal City

"I love working on projects when there is a theme involved!" says Sr. Associate Katie Giganti, shortly after wrapping up a recent installation for M Flats, a multifamily building in Crystal City. "In this case the designer came to us with the concept; the project site was so close to various methods of transportation: the airport, metro, and roads that they felt it was only natural for those conditions to drive the art. We sourced mostly local artists for the project, all whose work - whether more literal or abstract - responded to movement and transportation."

A huge photo of a DC taxicab visually grounds the reception desk.

A huge photo of a DC taxicab visually grounds the reception desk.

This series of prints, installed in the lounge area, feature the floor plans of airports. 

This series of prints, installed in the lounge area, feature the floor plans of airports. 

Artists Circle commissioned a photographer to take a custom panoramic photo of Reagan Washington National Airport.

Artists Circle commissioned a photographer to take a custom panoramic photo of Reagan Washington National Airport.

Artists Circle also custom-created these wall-mounted street grid maps (one of DC and one of Crystal City). The sculptures were laser cut out of steel with standoff hardware added on the back to project them from the wall.

Artists Circle also custom-created these wall-mounted street grid maps (one of DC and one of Crystal City). The sculptures were laser cut out of steel with standoff hardware added on the back to project them from the wall.