Monthly Archives: October 2011

Jerry KaBa @ Crane Arts Center, Fishtown, 9/8/11


Jerry Kaba at The Crane Arts Center

DoN had the photos and the interview from a Second Thursday art crawl September 8th, 2011 at the Crane Center for the Arts in Fishtown.  But, DoN could not find the artist’s name!?!  By chance, Jerry KaBa‘s business card surfaced and DoN can now share with you the scariest Halloween costume design – ever!

Video & Photos by DoNBrewerMultimedia

Street and Free Art, Power to the People, Karen M & Anthony C

Street and Free Art, Power to the People, Karen M & Anthony C

Karen M & Anthony C Philadelphia Street Artists

Karen M contacted DoN prior to the start of the Philadelphia Open Studio Tours East weekend to tip him off to drive by the baseball field on Wharton Street near Geno’s and Pat’s Steaks.  Karen and DoN talked recently about the economic situation of artists, the unreliability of sales and income to cover the expense of making art.  Art costs money, usually.  Karen M and Anthony C have been tagging the city, graffiti style, with their own collectible paintings.  Using the same technique as their high end paintings on canvas, the pair uses found cardboard and posters to paint their iconic portraits, like Wisdom Kid, with stencils and spray paint, then install them where people can steal the art.  During the recent Philadelphia Open Studio Tours West, they stapled a beautiful portrait on glittery paper to the bedraggled knit-bombed telephone pole at the end of DoN‘s block.  Luckily while walking KaTy the ArT DoG and Lady Doofus, the geriatric St. Bernard / Chihuahua, DoN was able to carefully retrieve the piece, the scars torn into the paper from the staples a secret prize of provenance.  Collectors across South Philly follow their messages, like the one DoN was texted, to go to a particular spot for some prime art loot.  It’s all the fun of stealing without any of the guilt.  Karen M and Anthony C prove that art can be free and fun, provocative and intellectual, thoughtful and carefree in a public arena with no fees, no charges, no costs, no juries, dealers or committees or money.  Free Art = Free Money.

Karen M & Anthony C,  Street and Free Art

Karen M & Anthony C,  Street and Free Art.

Read more of DoN‘s art adventures at Philly.SideArts.

Photos by DoN.

Philadelphia Open Studio Tours 2011 – Tim McFarlane

Philadelphia Open Studio Tours 2011, Tim McFarlane

Philadelphia Open Studio Tours 2011, Tim McFarlane in Old City, Saturday, October 15th.

Tim McFarlane‘s studio in the heart of Old City Philadelphia is the archetypical artists’ loft, a steep climb up three pea green flights of stairs to arrive gasping into a high ceilinged loft space overlooking Third Street right off of Market.  The old industrial space is divided into three studios: Carol Royer‘s figurative work greets you at the end of the epic climb, John Gatti has a spacious room in the middle and Tim McFarlane‘s studio has windows overlooking the street.  John was painting while lola, Spike & DoN luxuriated in Tim’s studio filled with his exuberant stylized abstract paintings arrayed from floor to ceiling, paint splattered everywhere, outlines of canvases layered over years of work, brushes and paints poking out of cubbies – just like you imagine an artists’ studio to be.  Tim McFarlane has participated in the Philadelphia Open Studio Tours for many years, this year he was a cover model for the catalog, allowing the public to see the progress he’s accomplished in his art over the years.  The light shining in from being near the river glows into the space activating the color fields vibrating in the paintings, DoN thought about how this is the way a true artist lives, in a bright airy studio right in the hub of the lively contemporary arts scene in Old City with the energy and time to think big.

Philadelphia Open Studio Tours 2011 - Tim McFarlane

Philadelphia Open Studio Tours 2011, Tim McFarlane

Philadelphia Open Studio Tours 2011, Tim McFarlane

Philadelphia Open Studio Tours 2011, Tim McFarlane

The swirly cellular structures from Tim McFarlane‘s memorable abstract paintings are still present and prominent in his new work but now layers of patterns from stencils are laid in then painted over and into, deep layers of color, shape and contrasts make his individual canvasses vibrate.   A room full of Tim’s works in various stages of progress is really a privileged experience because his work is usually seen only in art galleries like Bridgette Mayer Gallery on Walnut Street.  In fact, Tim McFarlane‘s work will be included in the upcoming show, Karmic Abstraction, November 15th through December 31, 2011 – “The show’s title reflects gallerist Bridgette Mayer’s “interest in the idea of the karmic cycle of an artist’s history of painting and ideas.” The selected works, by sixteen nationally- and internationally-recognized artists reveals, “how, at a given moment in time, standing in front of a work of art, the viewer is faced with the multiple layers and concepts that create a painting as well as a lifetime of ideas, actions and history that make up the career and art history of a contemporary artist.” (Bridgette Mayer Gallery website).

Philadelphia Open Studio Tours 2011, John Gatti

John GattiDoN loves this picture of the artists’ studio, comparing and contrasting the shapes, tones and marks on panels against one another creates an energy field of color.

 

Photos by DoN.


Kodak Store

Artists’ House Gallery: Frances Galante and Robert Bohne

Artists’ House Gallery: Frances Galante’

Frances Galante, Overlooking San Miguel, oil at Artists’ House Gallery.

The exhibition at Artists’ House Gallery includes many fine artists and beautiful artworks, check the website or better yet go to the gallery, but when DoN walked in the front door of the well established gallery he was greeted with a group hug from old friends Frances Galante’ and Robert Bohne.  The gallery was packed on October First Friday, so Frances and DoN squeezed through the crowd packed in the hallway to see Clarissa Shanahan Schirmer’s ethereal encaustic compositions, to the quiet back room where we could sit and talk, having not seen each other in ages.  Frances Galante has been showing her atmospheric naturalist paintings at Artists’ House for twenty-one years, “I think they opened in 1990 and I was one of their first artists.  So, they’ve survived, I’ve survived; it’s a good gallery.”

Frances Galante teaches three painting classes per week at Woodmere Art Museum, “I like teaching as part of the routine because I get out of the studio and I learn things from teaching.  I like the energy and to be social and be around people who are enthusiastic about learning.”  After a sabbatical to paint on her own Frances realized she just needed to be with people again, “Share information and get feedback and energy from them.  I’ve branched out a bit, too.  I don’t know if that’s a result of teaching, the influence of some of the students, but my work has gotten more colorful than it used to be.  My colors used to be more muted.  This is something new for me.  It’s not so much about my work but what I see them doing, I pick up things, their interests and the things they’re exploring.  It gives me new ideas.  I teach adults, some of them actually exhibit, some are hobbyists but a lot of them are quite serious and quite good.”

Artists’ House Gallery: Frances Galante

Artists’ House Gallery, Frances Galante

Artists’ House Gallery: Frances Galante and Robert Bohne

Frances Galante, Musing, oil

Robert Bohne explained to DoN, “Well, I work my job with Amtrak and I do this.”  All DoN could say was, “Wow!?!”  “I work several jobs, more than two actually.”  “Really?”  “Well yeah, I work for Amtrak, I have a Union job which is related to the Amtrak job, I’m the Chairman.  I do a lot of auctions, that’s where I get most of my frames, at auctions.  So I do a lot of buy and sell at auctions and then I do this.”  This being painting modern realist artworks with a contemporary sensibility of descriptive atmospheric naturalism.  DoN asked when he has time to paint?  “There’s time.  I have everything set up in my house, so, when I go home there’s no set up involved, it’s all ready to go and I can paint.  That’s the way to do it, yeah.  It’s a mess, but it works.”  It is messy but worth it.

Artists’ House Gallery: Robert Bohne

Artists’ House Gallery, Robert Bohne

Artists’ House Gallery: Robert Bohne

Artists’ House Gallery, Robert Bohne, S.S. United States, oil on panel

“The S.S. United States is one of my most recent paintings, I worked on it this past Winter, the day after Christmas and and I set up across the street in the Chick-Fil-A parking lot.  And while I was working on the painting, they were plowing the snow.   The guy came running across the street to see what I was doing and he told me that his mother had came over on that ship.  He knew the entire history of the ship and he told me about the super-structure of the ship being made of aluminum, that’s how they kept the ship very light, it set speed records, it’s a fascinating story.  It’s interesting, the other day I was at an auction and I picked up this little silver-plate coffee pot and on the bottom was, The United States Lines, so, it’s from the ship.  A unique find.”

Artists’ House Gallery: Robert Bohne

Artists’ House Gallery, Robert Bohne

Artists’ House Gallery, Robert Bohne

Artists’ House Gallery, Robert Bohne, Turning, oil on panel.

 

Photos by DoN.

The Center for Emerging Visual Artists (CFEVA) Career Development Program Fellowship – Apply Now

The Center for Emerging Visual Artists (CFEVA)

Career Development Program Fellowship – Apply Now

Deadline:  November 1st

Open Call for Artists:  Career Development Program Fellowship for Emerging Artists.  For a select group of talented artists, our free Two-Year Fellowship includes: exhibitions and exposure opportunities around the region and beyond, a two-person exhibition in the second year of the fellowship, individual career counseling, professional development workshops, mentorship, community, volunteer opportunities, and alumni solo exhibitions and travel grants. This program serves artists residing within a 100 mile radius of Philadelphia.  For the online application and further eligibility requirements, got to http://www.cfeva.org/cfeva_programs_career.aspx .  For assistance or inquiries, please contact Amie Potsic, Director of the Career Development Program at: amie@cfeva.org or 215-546-7775 x 12.

Career Development Program Fellowship

Apply Now!

Deadline:  November 1st

 

The Center for Emerging Visual Artists™ strives to provide the essential support services and programs emerging artists need to build sustainable careers. Our two-year Career Development Program offers a select group of highly talented artists:

  • Exhibitions
  • Community
  • Career counseling
  • Mentorship
  • Professional development seminars
  • Volunteer opportunities
  • Alumni solo exhibitions
  • Alumni travel grants


Eligibility requirements include:

  • Applicants cannot be full time students.
  • Applicants must live within 100 miles of Philadelphia (NYC and the 5 boroughs, NJ, DE, and Baltimore included).
  • Applicants cannot have an ongoing contractual agreement with a commercial gallery or gallery representation.


The application can be found online at
http://cfeva.org/cfeva_programs_career.aspx  For more information, please contact Amie Potsic, Director of the Career Development Program at amie@cfeva.org or 215-546-7775 x 12.or 215-546-7775 x 12.

A M I E   P O T S I C, Director, Career Development Program

The Center for Emerging Visual Artists

237 S. 18th Street

The Barclay, 3rd Floor

Philadelphia, PA  19103

tel: 215.546.7775 x 12

fax: 215.5456.7802

amie@cfeva.org  I  www.cfeva.org

 

DoN is working on his application today – two goals and how CFEVA can help?