My visit to Olga Korper Gallery the other day was an occasion for some pretty rookie mistakes on my part. It started out okay as I arrived at the gallery to chat about the space and its lengthy history. But about half way through our talk, I happened to mention that the John Brown paintings on display at the time reminded me of certain abstract pieces by the German artist, Gerhard Richter.

On the surface, this might not sound like a particularly foolish thing to say. But here's a confession: I had only taken a passing glance at Brown's paintings before making the comparison. Dumb move. Thankfully Korper didn't go to town on me - in fact she took pains to assure me that I could see whatever I liked in the paintings - but the initial look of perplexity that washed across her face post-observation was humbling to say the least.

It got worse, too. As we proceeded to walk out into the exhibition space so that I could take some photos, I realized my camera battery was completely dead. But because I've been looking for silver-linings lately, instead of allowing aggravation and embarrassment to take over, I relished the opportunity to be given a one-on-one tour of Brown's exhibit by one of the most experienced art dealers in the city.

Find our more about the gallery and take your own tour of Olga Korper in the gallery section.