DoNArTNeWs

Danielle Bursk, Kiss, casein & acrylic on paper.  Danielle’s ginormous drawings seethe with energy and motion yet there is a zen like calm in the action drawings.  The compositions of flowing plumes of marks are like phosphenes flashing and blinking, like after-images inside your eyelids after staring too long, the dramatic drawings look deep inside the mind.

Cecelia Rembert, Eulogy, oil on canvas.  Now based in NYC, Rembert is a CFEVA alum currently working on a series of paintings about storytelling the human experience.  Cecelia’s paintings in the show mostly feature a bird or two reminding DoN of Steven King’s psycho-pomps - the idea that birds are messengers from another realm.  The bird images soar and connect with an internal yearning to be able to fly.

Gregory Brellochs, Gamete, graphite on paper.

Gregory Brellochs, XYZ, graphite on paper @ Dalet Art Gallery.

DoN did not meet Mr. Bullochs at the opening but the masterful drawings speak for themselves, the liquidy graphite forms cloud shapes, horizons and dream scapes then turns to large scale scientific illustration of imaginary microscopic life forms, the overall effect is introspective and alluring like the shapes that float into your mind as you drift off to sleep.

Ana B. Hernandez @ Material Motion.  Ana’s swirling scarlet fabric sculptures exemplify the tone of Material Motion, @ Dalet Art Gallery on 2nd Street, the fluid shapes float above the crowd, melding into the mood of the room.  The deep red speaks to the large graphite drawings in a secret language of color and shapes.  Material Motions is curated and organized by the fabulous team at the Center for Emerging Visual Artists; Amie Potsic has such a dream job of pairing artists with venues and Ann Koivunen works tirelessly to promote the arts in Philly, even though the work is demanding, the level of professionalism and care for the artists is gratifying and inspiring.  Works by fabulous Philly photographer James B. Abbott and Christine Elfman’s ethereal paintings complete the coherent theme the enormous space that is the Dalet Art Gallery allows, each corner is activated  and inviting.  Later this summer the gallery will be hosting the Princeton Photography Society.

Apologies to Danielle for posting photos sideways - oops!

Photos by DoNBrewerMultimedia Photography.

Robin Hotchkiss, To The Opera, oil on wood @ A Show of Hands, Salon des Amis in Malvern.

Robin Hotchkiss organized the theme show about hands, the quirky gallery near Valley Forge has a broad array of art by Philly regional artists.  Divine & To the Opera, oil on wood by Robin Hotchkiss - the sculpted ceramic hands are by Markels Roberts.

Robin Hotchkiss, From the Past, oil over antique painting, Ellen Benson, Springtime Divas, mixed media and Ann Keech, found object assemblage @ Salon des Amis.

Alden Cole, Magic Hans, oil on canvas @ A Show of Hands at Salon des Amis.

The Sunday afternoon opening drew Shoshka, Alden & DoN out to the tiny gallery on the hillside near Valley Forge to see A Show of Hands at Salon des Amis, a themed group art show of art focusing on hands - drawings, paintings, photos, sculptures, jewelry, hats…each artists’ unique approach expands and illuminates how important the image of hands are in popular culture.

Photos by DoNBrewerMultimedia.

2010 Philadelphia Open Studio Tours -  pdf

Register @ http://www.philaopenstudios.com/Opportunities.aspx

Steven L. Spathelf created a mural sensation in Dunedin, Florida when the long-time muralist started painting oranges on garage doors late at night ala graffiti tagging or Obey stickers.  Soon the artist started noticing signs on garage doors asking for an orange to be painted there; the community recognized his contribution to the reputation of the art enclave in North Tampa and commissioned the “Welcome to Dunedin” mural.  Currently, Spathelf is working on undersea scene murals for a children’s hospital and managing the artist studios at 608 Vine Avenue, an art center with gallery/studio space for local artists similar to Spring Garden Studios in Philly, The Goggleworks in Reading or the Banana Factory in Bethlehem.

Mural by Steven L. Spathelf, Dunedin, Florid.  The artist is working on three separate panels simultaneously to be stretched and framed for exhibition in a children’s hospital.  Steven & DoN chatted about how important and calming art is for kids (and grown-ups) who are being wheeled into hospital exam rooms.  Spathelf is very familiar with Philly’s Mural Arts Program since he’s done private and public murals in Florida for decades, it’s not surprising Philly has a good reputation for public art.

Steven L. Spathelf’s studio in Dunedin, Florida housed on the second floor of an office building with many solo and shared studios throughout the large art space.  The art scene in Dunedin is integrated into the community just as much as the Baseball Spring Training season with Second Friday events, lectures and art events happening though out the village.

Steven L. Spathelf of Sterling Art Studios, 668 Vine Ave., Dunedin, Florida.

The Dunedin Fine Art Center is the hub of the art scene with workshops, galleries and exhibits in a modern, thoughtful art center designed to draw the community together with art.  The center has galleries for special shows, faculty exhibits and most importantly student show spaces with professional lighting and installation.

DoN regrets he doesn’t have the artist info on this piece but it reminded him so much of work by the Philadelphia Dumpster Divers with the use of old bundt pans, their memetic nostalgia vibrating with the wacko sculpture.  Visiting the art center in Dunedin really made DoN homesick but a studio/gallery near the Gulf of Mexico is really attractive.  The artists DoN spoke with all praised the support they’ve received from the public and their community; art is the glue that holds a town together, creating conversation, developing personalities and opening lines of communication.

Jo Schmidt, 3 Feathered Friends, acrylic @ Dunedin Fine Art Center.

Mary E. Haas, The Dream, stone @ The Dunedin Fine Art Center.

Barbara Kampe, Tu Jest Przyjemny Widok, acrylic and Carol Y. Bardes, Incan Kitchen, colored pencil in the hall of the Dunedin Fine Art Center.  The art center used all viable space to exhibit art without seeming crammed.

Student gallery @ Dunedin Fine Art Center.

Carol Ann Loven, River Rock, fiber and Stephen Decaire, In The Drink, mosaic @ The Dunedin Fine Art Center.

Bill Renc of The Painted Fish Gallery  paints dreamy tropical landscapes from plein air and memory as well as managing a large gallery & frame business.  It’s a wonder the gregarious artist gets any work done since he’s more than willing to chat with all the customers wandering through; even though it was a Monday afternoon there was steady foot traffic through the art district.

That’s Bill Renc on the left, his colorful painting of the quirky Dunedin street signs is available as print and cards, the informative and fun sign posts point in all directions at once.  The variety of interesting and colorful object, especially all the bright color which feels so alien to DoN’s city eyes, comment on the lifestyle of the Tampa Bay area.

Bill Renc of The Painted Fish Gallery in Dunedin Florida.

Ira Burhans ceramics at Clay and Paper Gallery of Art are award-winning collectibles with avid clients, the ceramicist sells his work wholesale!  Yet also manages a lovely gallery and interacts with his collectors.  Burhans was familiar with the Philly art scene since he comes to trade shows here but the warmth and clear light of Dunedin is a great place to make art.  The gallery represents about 25 local artists as well as Ira’s beautiful pots.  If you’re ever in Tampa, DoN recommends visiting this enclave of art culture in the midst of beach life, it’s a great mix.

4th Generation, Janelle Adamska, acrylic scrim/screenprint and burn-out.  Janelle told DoN she uses a wood burning tool to burn out the negative space of the design totally time-tripping DoN back to the old Sears Dream Book with the cool wood-burning tools, remember the smell?  The artist fell in love with a borrowed tool so a friend gave her one of her own, Adamska’s scene-stealing piece sure isn’t like drawing a horse head into a piece of pine.

Tic-Tac-Toe, Beverly Godfrey, tapestry, 2009.

Text, Leslie Haas, paper.  This simple paper construct is such a great meme with little scrolls stuffed in a box like memories of futures passed crammed with lots of overlapping narratives and keepsakes.  Sweet.

Margin Notes, Pat depaula Klein, hand stitched with cotton floss.

Sorry, DoN doesn’t have the artist’s name for these super-kawaii postcards like old fashioned pot holders with stitched cliche’ greetings.

Pondering the Possibilities, Francine Strauss, quilted mixed media wall hanging.

Pop Can Patchwork, Caroline J. Maw-Dies, pop can labels, nails, wood in traditional patchwork/quilt/basket-weave pattern, 2009.  Like tramp art of old this collage of metal embodies that home-spun crazy quilt vibe of the DIY movement, instead of bottle top ropes or toothpick clocks Pop Can Patchwork is informed by invasive advertising and cultural collapse.  Maw-Dies represents the 21st Century Gleaner, recycling and re-purposing detritus into modern beauty and contemporary design.

Saturday evening Kathryn Pannepacker, curator of the TeXt/TeXtiLe, a Philagrafika event, held a pot luck dinner and movie party @ Da Vinci Art Alliance with a great turn out of artists, good food and chummy conversation.  The homey comfortable-ness of the event, lively with old and new friends, is sure to become a tradition - it’s a great way to get people to come see an art show.  The movie was about the current DIY scene across the country featuring artists working in art & crafts and “making a living” - DoN flashed back to December’s First Friday, it was freezing and wet out and 2nd Street had maybe a hundred kids trying to sell paintings, T-shirts, hats, fudge…while the movie was fast paced, very informative and offered insight into successful models for art business’, there’s still an underlying sense of a new kind of tactic to simply survive the Great Recession by one’s own means.

Today while walking KaTy the ArT DoG & Lady Doofus, the St. Bernard/Chihuahua mix, through Rittenhouse Square, DoN spotted a tree wearing a colorful crocheted legging - a secret crafter mafia tagging style with fiber instead of stickers or spray paint.  Obey!

Sibylie Pfaffenbichler, Sailor on Leave, oil.  The artist explained to DoN her inspiration came from the forties and the famous images of sailors returning home.  The painting is so exuberant, vibrant and distinctive it really makes you wonder why we don’t dance in the street when our soldiers make it home.  Pfaffenbichler is chair of The Philadelphia Sketch Club’s Annual Flower Show.

Paul Davis Jones, Enigma, acrylic.

Gail Morison-Hall, The Burning Bush, mixed media & Elise Arnold, Untitled One, acrylic.  With 199 works of art, Small World @ The Plastic Club would have been even bigger if more artists understood that presentation is half the battle, the exhibitions committee refused several pieces (DoN spotted a few suspect entries who passed muster).

Nick Brown, Orange Juice Cup & Mug, stone ware.  Brown brings unfired pottery to life study workshops at The Plastic Club and sketches directly onto the clay, often you can hear him scratching grooves into the design to prevent the glaze from spreading when applied.  The resultant objects are like ancient vessels found at an acheological dig - future meets ancient.

Lee Mamaluy, Popping Blooms, oil, Kathryn Russo, At Ease, mixed media and Jeanne Chesterton, Dots, oil.

Robert Stauffer’s photograph, Thorazine Can Kill The Human Spirit, with broken glass in a mirror lined shadow-box frame is like a history of modern art all mushed up like DuChamp meets Warhol meets Ansel Adams.  The broken glass reads like disaster, the desert scene feels like being stranded and the infinite reflections on all sides have secret hidden images to uncover.

 Alden Cole, Now n Then #3, Mother & Child, wax/clay, 2010 & 1964.

Bob Makoid, Avian Capers,markers.  Makoid told DoN this drawing is extra special to him because his kids surprised him by having the design made into a stained glass window.

Michele Jenkins, New Glasses, oil.  DoN LoVeS this painting!  Timeless, super-fun, nostalgic, funny, happy and executed with aplomb.

Anders Hansen, Earth Goddess, ink/watercolor, Lois Schlachter, Queen of the Night, acrylic and Joseph De Fay, The Cafe’, ink-jet print.

Lois Schlachter, Balloon Release, acrylic.  DoN appreciates Lois’ combination of real & unreal, abstract & illustrative, signs & significations - cool.

Alan Clawans, Small Shed, photograph, DoN Brewer, light being (Farrah Fawcett), photograph (it’s not DoNArTNeWs without some DoN news), Sylvia Schreiber, White Flower, acrylic, Susan Wierzbicki, Saim, acrylic and Elise Arnold, Cats, acrylic.  DoN is so pleased to have his entries placed so strategically in the beginning, #3, and the end, #196 - the magic of 3.

Photos by DoNBrewerMultimedia Photography.

Trina Mansfield, Eiffel Tower, quilted fabric collage @ The Cosmopolitan Club.

Trina Mansfield is a multi-media artist working primarily in fabrics but she also takes the photographs, plots the designs on the computer then pieces together elaborate “quilts”.

Trina Mansfield’s labels for her exhibition @ The Cosmopolitan Club are truly exceptional - hand-written notes in pencil with tiny sketches like getting a nice letter from a friend.

Trina Mansfield @ The Cosmopolitan Club.

DoN LoVeS quilts and fabric art (he watches all those geeky sewing shows on TV), maybe because there’s an emotional link to Grandma’s crazy quilts from childhood.  Mansfield’s quilts are painterly and impressionistic, even though the concept is based on crazy quilts these designs are exceptionally lucid and lush with witty contrasts and meticulous details.

Crocheted abstractions from Rachel Udell @ The Various & Sundry Group Exhibit in the Skybox Gallery, 2424 York Street.

Hana Cho, photography @ The Skybox.

The group show at the Skybox had a carnival air as 50 artists and their friends mingled in the huge space called the Skybox Gallery, part of a new artist studio complex at 2424 York Street.  Some of the work was a bit on the creepy/grotesque side with nods to horror flicks, HR Giger and Manga but a lot of the work by the young artists was thoughtful and hopeful.

As the 2424 website states, “Located in Fishtown at the corner of York and Gaul streets, right off of I-95, and convenient to public transportation, 2424 Studios consists of over 100 work studios and/or office suites that range from 350 to over 6,000 square feet. The rents start at $399 per month and units are now available! Also located within 2424 Studios is the “Skybox,” an unparalleled and climate controlled event space of over 6,200 feet that is for tenants’ use, for community use and for rent to the public. 2424 Studios is now open to the public so please feel free to come by any time to take a look. If you are interested in leasing options, please contact Jessica at 215-284-8804.

It’s interesting how the arts community moves into neighborhoods, transforming them into desirable destinations to visit and live; it’s almost become cliche to take a downtrodden district like Fishtown and restore the area to a creative, affordable, vibrant place to live and work.  2424 York Street is anchoring new development, drawing a younger crowd and offering affordable studio/office space for artists as they get pushed out of neighborhoods they helped to revive - think Manyunk, Old City, South Street, Northern Liberties even Walnut Street used to be lined with galleries.  The neighborhood where 2424 York Street is situated also has other art galleries such as High Wireand Proximity, it’s definitely worth the trip to Fishtown to check out the fringe of the Philadelphia art scene.

Girl.Bike.Dog. creates messenger bags, backpacks, side-bags for dogs - all with super-kawaii, urban street designs featuring trippy mushrooms, clever cosmo cowgirl symbols & iconic girl graphics.  Lindsay Duggan tells DoN she’s working hard to meet the demand for Girl.Bike.Dog.  gear.  The shop offers T-shirts by various artists, cycling hats, knit hats, uber- cool dog collars & leashes and essential bike gear.

Photography by Center City West photographer/dog walker, Jeremy Burger of The Philly Pack - the ubiquitous Center City West dog-walking service who offers high endurance exercise for dogs, social & behavioral conditioning and Pack Leader coaching.  Messenger bags by Girl.Bike.Dog.

The bike and messenger community in Philly is tight-knit and owner Lindsay Duggan is knowledgeable of the needs of the biking enthusiasts, urban dog lover and fashion design lovers.  Duggan is well informed about the current discussions around bike laws in the news, bike lanes in the city and the rise of human powered transportation, the perils of being a bike messenger, dog walking services and urban dog owner needs. And, she makes really awesome hand-made bags.  The block where the shop where Girl.Bike.Dog is located includes Betty’s Speakeasy Cupcakes (best of Philly Mag), The Balkan Restaurant with the best Serbian recipes from Radovan’s family recipes and Grace Tavern, the best fries in town.  The view of Center City is spectacular, too - DoN was surprised to see the cherry trees in bloom for Indian Summer.

Photography by Jeremy Burger @ Girl.Bike.Dog.

Lindsay Duggan mastermind behind Girl.Bike.Dog.

David Foss, The Grid, acrylic on wood panel, plastic, foam, 2009.

David Foss, Between I and Thou, acrylic on canvas & foam.  Kathryn Pannepacker, Art Trick & I Am A Magnet, embroidery coated with wax.

Kathryn Pannepacker weaves anything within reach, including yarn, rags, thread, rope, book matches, even left over aluminum foil creating other-worldly decor as if for a Star Trek set.  Both Pannepacker and Foss have an aura of tranquility and inner peace causing DoN to wonder if maybe they have been taken up, up, up…each donates much of their time doing outreach in the community.  Foss is Executive Director of Da Vinci Art Alliance mentoring and promoting art carreers and Pannepacker has created several public murals and is currently weaving art with homeless people as part of Activities and Advocacy to End Homelessness every Thursday & Friday @ Arch Street Cafe, 740 Arch Street.

David Foss, Field Shift, acrylic on canvas, plastic & foam, 2009.

Kathryn Pannepacker & David Foss at the opening of Parallel Lines @ Smile Gallery.  Matt Lyons calls the art space “the biggest little gallery in town“; the gallery continually shows modern, edgy, sometimes difficult art by a continuum of Philly’s best artists.