Category Archives: Ceramics & Sculpture

Art made from ceramics that is sculptural, functional and decorative.

Betsy & Burnell’s Art House @ Salon des Amis

Introductions ’09 @ The Galleries at Moore College of Art & Design, Widener Foundation Memorial Gallery

Introductions 09 at The Galleries at Moore College of Art & Design, Widener Foundation Memorial Gallery, 20th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia is just so amazing lots of wild mixed metaphors, deep narrative streams of consciousness and memes within memes within memes. Brenna K Murphys Roots #3 is a prime example of an artwork weaving multiple meanings of normal images, encountered daily, into an interesting story that plays in your mind like a movie. Brennas roots are wrapped in human hair, completely encasing real tree roots, which are arranged lovingly on a large white wall. DoN asked Murphy about the origins of the work, Wrapping the roots is about home and the body. Growing up as a nomad, to Brenna the hair represents the body as home. Donald Carter, who is rooted in Philadelphia, asked Brenna how she would sell the work. Good question: the piece has already been exhibited at Eileen Togninis house but hanging from the ceiling, so the piece is growing and changing all the time. Time, growth, security, luxury and fun all swirling together like twisted dreadlocks, representing culture and sub-culture, luxury and lunacy, safety and insanity all wrapped up in hair. “Roots #3” is an adventurous idea, realized with meticulous craft, enthusiasm and industriousness – what more can we ask of art?

Brooke Hines ceramic mixed media sculpture also has slippery hidden narratives, These are a Few of My Favorite Things is composed of ceramic, slip, stains, glaze and whiskers. Real cat whiskers.

Daniel Traubs large format c-print is hyper-realism with a hypnotic story to tell about Chinese Cities Edge; the incomplete skeletons of future luxury housing is occupied by industrious people gleaning the pervasive demolition of old China and reselling to the secondary market. An amusement park is on the horizon while stacks of doors and windows, each a metaphor, lean against the concrete. Fabric and plywood fill the vacant windows like layers of pages from a book.

Diane Savona, “Sewing Bag Number One“.

Brenna K Murphy, “Roots #3“.

Brooke Hines sculpture, Danielle Bursk, drawing.

Daniel Traub, photograph.

Ben Volta @ Introductions ’09.

It’s A small World After All

Women’s Creative Alliance @ Zeidler Gallery

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Catherine Zeidlers eponymous gallery at 2207 South Street has become the Womens Creative Alliance featuring the art of Philadelphia area women. The current exhibit features 3D work by Dorothy Roschen, jewelry by Barb Baur as well as pastels and paintings by Patricia Woodruff. The theme throughout the show is how spirituality is filtered through the creative arts. Roschen, who taught art in high school for many years, creates mysterious sculptures of glass, clay and objet trouve suitable sitting on a table or hanging on the wall. Dorothy develops designs exploring positive and negative space, hard and soft surface and translucence vs. solidity.

Woodruffs drawings and paintings depict sprites, spirits, fairies and gods of old in fluid, sensuous lines and serious color, her high school friend Barb Bauer creates designs reminiscent of Lord of the Rings or Celtic knots in silver. Both Woodruff and Bauer enjoy spending time in Floyd, VA, and a vibrant arts community enabling them both to find expression through the sense of community and variety of artists who migrate there. Bauer has begun experimenting with hard metals such as steel and is developing a series of pennular brooches appropriate for clasping an ancient cloak or a modern scarf.

The art party Friday evening brought out a good crowd even though it was only 19 degrees outside but with warmth and friendship found inside this great art space on South Street.

Wall sculpture by Dorothy Roschen @ WCA.

Dorothy Roschen @ WCA.

Silver jewelry by Barb Baur.

“Thought and Memory“, pastel by Patricia Woodruff depicts Odin with his ravens.

“Gentle Thoughts” by Patricia Woodruff.

The Green Exhibit @ Art in City Hall.

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October 23rd, Alden Cole and DoN attended the opening of the Green Exhibit at Philadelphia City Hall, the 56th group exhibit for local emerging and professional artists with the exhibit focussing on concerns about our environment. The art display cases have been updated with improved lighting and larger exhibition space allowing the 45 participating artists to show their own take on what it means to be green. Carol Cole has always reused cast away objects to include in her striking sculptures which appear to made of metal and stone but usually turn out to be styrofoam and plastic – so clever.

Sculptor Carol Cole @ The Green Exhibit.

Dolores Poacelli @ Art in City Hall’s Green Exhibit. Dolores reuses used aluminum printing plates which she dumpster dives for even though the rats scare her. These two amazing pieces still reveal traces of the imagery that came before she sanded, rusted and glued the panels onto wood.

Gregory Farrar Scott‘s Mask # 40 and Mask # 41 @ The Green Exhibit.

Junk Mail Shag by Valerie Linhart created with shredded junk mail. DoN LoVeS iT!!! The Green Exhibit @ Art in City Hall runs through January 23, 2009. Support your local artists and go buy some art since their are no commissions and the quality is so high. DoN even got to say,”Hi!” to Mayor Nutter.