Monthly Archives: January 2011

Photography 30 @ Perkins Center for the Arts – DoN Brewer “light beings (Sid & Nancy)”

Photography 30 @ Perkins Center for the Arts - DoN Brewer “light being Sid & Nancy”

light beings (Sid & Nancy), digital photograph, 2009, DoN Brewer @ The Perkins Center for the Arts in Moorestown, NJ.  The Photography 30 show is the cover story of the Weekend magazine section of the Philadelphia Inquirer!

DoN uploaded a new group of photographs from his “light being” series to DoNBrewerPhotography.com, click on the slide-show button in the top bar.

Today is a good day!

DoN

Philly Photography Now – DoN’s View

Rick Wright Late Petroleum Age Vessels Philly Photography Now

On a cold Saturday night, DoN walked over to the Fleisher Art Memorial Gallery on Christian Street for the closing party of Rick Wright‘s long running exhibition, Late Petroleum Age Vessels; a unique portrait collection of ordinary household plastic containers, bottles and jugs.  The anthropomorphic effect embedded in the rich black and white photographs of plastic bottle faces actually activated the face recognition technology in DoN‘s new camera – a Kodak Z981 with 14 megapixels and 26x zoom!

But, Rick dimmed DoN‘s camera shine a bit by demo-ing an iPhone app that simulates a variety of SLR cameras from a Brownie to a Leica with a wide selection of “film” and developing effects; no wonder the camera was so cheap, it’s already obsolete!?! – camera’s are not only everywhere, they’re in everything.  The ubiquity of cameras and smart phones has created a nation of photographers, to be noticed in a sea of competition you have to step outside the boat and create an experience for viewers, the same way musicians now depend on creating a live experience since the bottom fell out of traditional music marketing.  Rick Wright‘s photographs engage the viewer in a staring contest, some of the faces so alien and strange that an awkward exchange of glances like meeting a foreigner speaking a different language takes place.  Fortunately, Rick is a photography teacher at Fleisher Art Memorial, his grasp of the language of photography, image-making, symbolism, content, composition, light and texture not to mention his depth of knowledge of print making in all manner of media is impressive making his art understandable.  Rick is very approachable and sharing, by helping others, by teaching and lecturing he has set himself apart as a “real” photographer who is also a fine artist.

Rick Wright Late Petroleum Age Vessels Philly Photography Now

Rick Wright will be presenting a lecture at Perkins Center for the Arts, 395 Kings Highway, Moorestown NJ, February 27th, 2011, 2 – 4:00PM.  Wright is the sole juror of the Photography 30 annual photography exhibit at the august art space, DoN is honored to be included in this year’s show – the opening reception is January 30th, 2011, 1 – 4:00PM.

Rick Wright Late Petroleum Age Vessels Philly Photography Now

Rick Wright, Late Petroleum Age Vessels @ Fleisher Art Memorial

The Photographic Society of Philadelphia holds monthly meetings at The Plastic Club with lectures by expert Philadelphia photographers, last week’s lecture was presented by super-blogger and uber-cool photographer Kyle Cassidy, author of Armed America: Portraits of Gun Owners in Their Homes and Who Killed Amanda Palmer, a Collection of Photographic Evidence, his talk a sort of primer on how to get un-stuck in the creative process by involving his audience and using exquisite corpse techniques in exhibitions to involve the community and stimulate interest in his work.  By using social media Cassidy has connected with fans and followers, currently he has an exhibition of photographs traveling the world and cities across the USA, at each stop a new image, selected in a process DoN did not completely comprehend, is added to the collection.  During the Q&A, Kyle was asked how he selects his models and he replied they needed to live in a 3 block radius; Cassidy involves his friends and beautiful wife, Trillian Stars, in impromptu photo shoots, creating characters, narrative and dramatic effects with often really simple cameras and ambient light.  Like Rick Wright, Kyle Cassidy is also glued to his iPhone, tweeting his fans with pics and ideas, keeping his brand in the public eye in a friendly, inclusive, tech-savvy manner, creating a model for the new reality of self-promotion in the art world.  DoN has resisted a smart phone so far, seeing the glowing blue faces walking the streets like zombies is off-putting, but he may soon join the pod people.

The Photographic Society of Philadelphia maintains an on-going exhibit of member photographers at the Bonte’s Cafe’s in Center City.  Even though it’s coffee shop space, the vibe is insider artist with photographers working together to keep photography viable as a sale-able product in a world full of available free images and home schooled photographers.  DoN wanted to show off his new camera to PSoP VP, Morris Klein,  but he was trumped by Klein’s Photoshop app on his freakin’ smart phone – it’s 4G, whatever that means.

Obviously, photography is in a state of flux with new, faster technology putting high-end features in the hands of the masses; digital photography bumped traditional photography and is now being bumped by smart phones and social media.  DoN sees people sharing pictures on their phones with each other, clustered around the tiny glowing screens, oohing and ahhing.  Lady Gaga has introduced a new line of Polaroid cameras incorporating instant pictures, with social media upload capability and a little wireless printer you can send pictures to from your phone so you can print them out and share with friends.  Photography is inherently friendly but can be isolating and frustrating when people misunderstand the meaning of image making.

The Center for Emerging Visual Artists is very supportive of photography as art; a school of photography is growing with each new group of fellows completing their fellowships.  Leagues of photographers like Amie Potsic, Julia Blaukopf, Genevieve Coutroubis, Peter Prusinowski are working in consort, teams and individually, imprinting a new vision of how to create, produce and market photography to a generation of collectors who think photography is easy.

DoN‘s photography will be included in a group show of photographers and painters, Bud Boehringer, Yeoun Lee, Bill Myers, Lorna Kent, Lee Muslin, Edna Santiago & Marcy Morris, at the Da Vinci Art Alliance Gallery opening February 25th, reception 5 – 8:00 PM.

Hold your phones up!

 

 

Structure and Gesture @ Da Vinci Art Alliance

Ona Kalstein @ Structure and Gesture @ Da Vinci Art Alliance

Ona Kalstein @ Structure and Gesture @ Da Vinci Art Alliance.

Structure and Gesture @ Da Vinci Art Alliance

Paintings by Jane Liang, photo by John Benigno @ Structure and Gesture a Da Vinci Art Alliance event.

Sandi Nieman Lovitz Structure and Gesture @ Da Vinci Art Alliance

Sandi Nieman Lovitz @ Structure and Gesture, a Da Vinci Art Alliance event. Lovitz won 3rd prize for her painting on plexi with vivid color, bold brushwork and scratching away of paint, the result is very seductive and beautiful, eclipsing the other paintings in the room as far as brightness and movement goes.

Structure and Gesture @ Da Vinci Art Alliance

Structure and Gesture @ Da Vinci Art Alliance – W. Lukens, E. Lukens & S. Myers, the tableau of earth tones contrasts with the brighter color creating a subtle ebb & flow of emotion, narrative and excitement through the gallery.

Bud Boehlinger Structure and Gesture @ Da Vinci Art Alliance

Bud Boehringer @ Structure and Gesture, a Da Vinci Art Alliance event.  Boehringer‘s painting was a jury favorite and is now attracting attention as a prime example of contemporary Philadelphia expressionist painting with a cool vibe, accessible abstraction and joyful abandon.

Structure and Gesture @ Da Vinci Art Alliance

Lilliana Didovic, Sandi Neiman Lovitz, Pat Wilson-Schmid…there are more than 20 Philadelphia artists included in this exuberant show celebrating art making of all kinds.  The Da Vinci Art Alliance continues to offer cohesive, thematic shows which challenge the artist and the viewer to see, think and communicate more.

Carol Wisker Structure and Gesture @ Da Vinci Art Alliance

Carol Wisker, Marilyn, mixed media @ Structure and Gesture a Da Vinci Art Alliance event.  Carol Wisker turns ordinary wire screen mesh into a luxuriously lustrous confection, earning her second prize in the juried competition.

Lois Schlachter Structure and Gesture @ Da Vinci Art Alliance

Lois Schlachter @ Structure and Gesture, a Da Vinci Art Alliance event.  Lois is super-charging her art career after a long run as exhibitions co-chair at The Philadelphia Sketch Club with surrealistically changed landscapes reminiscent of Charles Dumuth over-lapping super-flat planes of color, defining spacial concepts.  Check out her web-site for all the events Lois is participating in; even though she won an honorable mention for the above print, DoN found her large painting in the Da Vinci show to be much more enthralling.  Visit this art gallery gem in South Philly, with the collection of outstanding work by a diverse group of artists, to see what DoN means.

Structure and Gesture @ Da Vinci Art Alliance

Structure and Gesture @ Da Vinci Art Alliance – check out this line-up of paintings, drawing and print by a cluster of influential Philly artists – Lois Schlachter, Roz Bloom and Alden Cole. 

The Structure and Gesture exhibition features the artwork of:

J. Benigno, R. Bloom, S. Bloom, B. Boehringer, A. Cole, L. Didovic, J. Engle, D. Foss, O. Kalstein, C. Kelly, Y. Lee, J. Liang, M. Loippo, W. Lukens, E. Lukens, L. Mills, S. Myers, S. Neiman-Lovitz, L. Schlacheter, A. Strosser, P. Wilson-Schmid, C. Wisker.

 

Winter Exhibition @ Off the Wall, MARLISE M. TKACZUK, ELI VANDENBERG & DANA MCELROY

Winter Exhibition @ Off the Wall, MARLISE M. TKACZUK, ELI VANDENBERG & DANA MCELROY

The WINTER EXHIBITION brings together three artists of exceptional talent:

MARLISE M. TKACZUK, whose bold, imaginative and at times wickedly humorous silkscreens document her observations of the world…and have led to her being one of the top-selling artists in OFF THE WALL’s 32-history (for no little reason);

ELI VANDENBERG, who, with a brand-new collection of ink drawings, continues his riveting “Objectifying Identity” series…a body of work we first encountered over the summer as part of IDENTITY; and,

DANA MCELROY, who has created her first-ever 3-D installation for this show after setting our community on its collective ear with her large photographs of hand-constructed dioramas in IDENTITY (with an encore in the just-closed DEJA VU).

As you know, our Opening Receptions are never stuffy affairs.  They are great ways to spend a Thursday night out, have drinks with friends, sample some light fare (especially if you haven’t had dinner yet), ENJOY THE ART and MEET THE ARTISTS!

If you’re coming later than 10, don’t worry.  You may miss the artists, but we will be there and the 22 pieces in this showing will be waiting for you.  At least they will be through Friday, March 4.

Togo Travalia

Photography 30 @ Perkins Center for the Arts, Moorestown, NJ

DoN Brewer in Photography 30 @ Perkins Center for the Arts, Moorestown, NJ

DoN Brewer’s light beings (Sid & Nancy) is included in Photography 30 @ Perkins Center for the Arts, Moorestown, NJ.  DoN‘s Grandparents lived in Moorestown and family still lives there, DoN is so proud to represent the Hayes clan especially in a photo competition ; )  Photography has been big deal in DoN‘s family for a long time, his first photography experience was developing film with a kit Grandpa gave him with a red light bulb; Grandpa was a teacher, engineer, photographer and filmmaker, it must be genetic.  DoN’s MoM is going to freak out that her son is in a show in her home town!

Photography 30
The opening reception will be Sunday, January 30, 2011
from 1:00 to 4:00 PM with an awards ceremony at 2:30. Free and open to the public.
Gallery Hours, January 30-March 6:
Thursday and Friday, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM; Saturday and Sunday, 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM