Category Archives: Coffee Shops

Prints

Joanne Isaac, Old City Coffee

OLD CITY COFFEE PRESENTS JOANNE ISAAC: PRINTS IN THE CAFE

Art Show will run from November 2 – February 1, with opening reception on First Friday

PHILADELPHIA – On Nov. 2 during First Friday, Old City Coffee will serve as the setting for the first posthumous showing of work by storied artist, Joanne Isaac. A reception will be held for guests to experience the charming, graphic world of an internationally-applauded printmaker.

With a specialty in etching, Isaac made a name for herself and attracted a loyal following with her series focusing on Pennsylvania Dutch barns and depictions of scenes from nature. Other notable career milestones include her books, Tom Thumb’s Alphabet (Putnam, 1970) and Amanda (Lerner Publications, 1968), the recipient of the 1968 award for years’ best illustration from the Society of Illustrators, New York. Isaac’s works can be found in the private collections of the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Embassy in Paris, and the Free Library of Philadelphia. Her work has also been presented internationally in Germany, Italy, Poland, Japan, Canada, Brazil, and Spain.

Joanne Isaac, Old City Coffee

As the creator of Old City Coffee’s original logo, Joanne’s influence is evident as soon as you walk into the café. The 4 oz. espresso cups, also designed by Joanne, encompass her thoughtful style with each deliberate detail adding to the overall feel of the brand. The simple, yet sophisticated, cups encircled by six, multi-hued, brown bands designed to evoke the taste, smell, and texture of the quintessential espresso experience. This thoughtful attention to detail communicates to customers the love and appreciation the business has for coffee as a whole. Isaac’s impact is also felt in the way Old City Coffee operates with a commitment to tradition and high quality goods, traits that have become synonymous with the specialty coffee brand. Her designs not only carry on a piece of family history, but also embody a holistic mindset inherited by her family.

Joanne Isaac, Old City Coffee

A woman ahead of her time, Joanne rejected the notion that she should work only as a homemaker and, instead, prospered as an artist with the full support of her family. As the mother of four, Joanne successfully juggled her career and family, and her influence can be seen in her two daughters who organized the exhibition. Joanne’s daughter Ruth is the founder and co-owner of Old City Coffee. Elder daughter Rachel, inspired by Joanne’s passion for art, followed in her mother’s footsteps as a professional artist and a framer.  Joanne’s legacy carries on through the two most important pieces of her life: her family and her artwork.

“Her commitment to and passion for her craft shone through in every piece and we want to continue sharing her work with the world,” says daughter, Rachel Isaac.

The showcase will be open to the public, with a kickoff opening reception on Friday, Nov. 2 from 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. Pieces will be on display in Old City Coffee’s café area every day during operating hours. The display will end with a closing celebration on Feb. 1 from 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. to commemorate the life and artwork of Joanne Isaac. For more information go to: www.oldcitycoffee.com

Thank you to Alex Styer, Senior Account Executive & Director of Digital Media at Bellevue PR for the content of this post.

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Silver Emulsion

Silver Emulsion, Red Hook Coffee and Tea

Silver Emulsion, Red Hook Coffee and Tea, 765 South 4th Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19147. Opening Reception: Friday December 20th, 2013, 6:00 – 9:00pm

Please come see some fabulous silver gelatin darkroom printing by a talented group of Fleisher Art Memorial students this Friday Night (6:00- 9:00PM) at Red Hook Coffee and Tea! This is our 3rd Annual Show of photography by my “Art of the Fine Print” students. Each student is showing 2-3 framed prints, hand-crafted in the old-fashioned chemical darkroom! All work for SALE. I will have two prints of my own on display too. Come for some frivolity and pre-Holiday delight. Beer and Wine. Red Hook Coffee and Tea is on 4th Street, just north of Catharine! See you all there this Friday night!!!

Rick Wright

Paula Brumbelow, Amanda Abramson, Katie Marcucci, Rachel Glidden, Alicia Fastman, Dave Jannetta, Laura Storck, Rick Wright, Gene Renzi, Jane Volin, Amy Bach, Ben Buhl and Neil Marcello.

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Rob Lybeck, Abstract and Ornamentations

Rob Lybeck, Abstract and Ornamentations at Black n Brew

Rob Lybeck, Abstract and Ornamentations at Black n Brew

Read DoN‘s interview with photographer Rob Lybeck at the new DoNArTNeWs Philadelphia Art News Blog.

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Bob Bruhin at Cafe Twelve – Images from Eraserhood

Bob Bruhin at Cafe Twelve - Images from Eraserhood

Bob Bruhin at Cafe TwelveImages from Eraserhood

The Photographic Society of Philadelphia‘s current solo show is photographer and blogger Bob Bruhin, at the reception in the comfy Cafe Twelve, 212 S. 12th Street,  Bob explained to a group of society members his collection of photographs.  “This is a small selection that I call Images from the Eraserhood, it’s photos that were taken originally for my blog eraserhood.com, which is discussing the neighborhood North of Vine Street, South of Spring Garden Street, East of Broad Street and West of 7th or 8th depending on how you determine it.  It’s an historically industrial neighborhood that used to have the Reading Railroad running through it, there a big old thing called the Reading Viaduct which was where the railroad ran before they built commuter tunnels.  It’s filled with old industrial properties, beautiful stunning buildings.  In the mid to late 60’s the artist David Lynch lived there, he was a student at the Pennsylvania Academy and the geography and the look and the tone of that neighborhood of that time inspired his first feature film entitled Eraserhead (Import, All Regions).  So recently as the neighborhood has developed it’s taken on the name Eraserhood, it kind of stuck to the neighborhood,”

Bob Bruhin at Cafe Twelve - Images from Eraserhood

Bob Bruhin at Cafe TwelveImages from Eraserhood

“All that fascinated me when I came to work there, I work in a building called the Wolf Building which is an emblem of the factories and condos and offices and apartments, all manner of things.  Rick Wright has his studio in that building.  At the time I was originally photographing only using a cell phone, so what I was doing was taking composite images panoramically, specifically to build up a large enough image to make it worth the trouble.  Eventually I found it amusing enough that I started to use a real small Nikon point and shoot, a simple Nikon Coolpix L20 10MP Digital Camera. But since I became addicted to the panoramic process at that point, I continued to do that and started building larger images, I worked with exposure stacking and high dynamic range to intensify the color and textures of the images.”

Bob Bruhin at Cafe Twelve - Images from Eraserhood

Bob Bruhin at Cafe TwelveImages from Eraserhood

“So it’s kind of an historical study but it’s supposed to be a bit of a twisted historical study just because of the twisted history of the neighborhood, the tone of David Lynch‘s work kind of inspired that. I was further inspired by the fact that it is now a National Historic Landmark called the Callowhill Historic District which has all of these buildings in this show are from the Callowhill Historic District set…these have all been done with the panoramic process and have been enhanced with exposure stacking and high dynamic range.  I bracket all my exposures and combine them digitally at the end wih a more even exposure and also to capture all the texture that I can possibly capture.”

All photographs courtesy of the artist, Bob Bruhin:
http://bob-bruhin.com/
http://eraserhood.com/
http://LandMarrx.com/
Read other reviews of PSoP photographer Karen Schlechter on DoNArTNeWs Philadelphia Art News Blog and Jeff Stroud on Side Arts Philadelphia Art Blog

Movies by David Lynch

Lost Highway

Wild at Heart [Blu-ray]

Mulholland Dr.

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20th Street Art Scene – studio christensen, Prelude Gallery and Beauty Shop Cafe

Matthew Ostroff @ Studio Christensen

Matthew Ostroff @ studio christensen

Matthew Ostroff @ Studio Christensen

Matthew Ostroff @ studio christensen

Matthew Ostroff is like a graffiti artist using wheat paste and torn paper the way a tagger over-writes earlier tags.  But Ostroff doesn’t deface property, he confines his low-fi technique of pasting painted colored paper onto a painting background then tearing away the paper like old posters shredded on a South Street Wall.  The deep layers of color, intense saturation and feeling of the hand emanates from the surface in perfect abstract expressionism.   Curator Jt Christensen is an interior architect who has transformed the old storefront at 333 South Twentieth St. Philadelphia into a hip, aspirational showcase for art, furniture and chic urban style.  The Ostroff show with big, bold contemporary art pairs with the modern and mid 20th Century classic furniture in a hip, clean living space vibe gallery, emblematic of the changes taking place along 20th Street, offering a street view tableau of cool desirable furnishings.

Brian Lauer @ Studio Christensen

Brian Lauer @ studio christensen

Brian Lauer was the featured artist at studio christensen for June but Jt decided to keep many of them because they just look so damn good.  DoN noticed them while we discussed Ostroff’s work and thought they were paintings, from the street they read as paintings but on closer inspection the detail emerges from the color and a photograph coalesces.  The photo above is Jesus being made up as a Zombie at Tattooed Mom’s on South Street, the chiaroscuro of light across Jesus’ wounds is like a Rubens.  The photo below are guys standing along the river in Camden but feels like some Nordic outpost with sad characters staring to sea but it’s just folks enjoying the view of a blizzard on the Delaware River.

Brian Lauer @ Studio Christensen

Brian Lauer @ studio christensen

Anna Shukeylo @ Prelude Gallery

Anna Shukeylo @ Prelude Gallery

Prelude Gallery is dedicated to promoting emerging artists in a gallery setting.  DoN talked with Creative Director Gaby Heit about their mission and she explained how the gallery is collaborating with art schools to help under-grad and master level artists have opportunities to get their work seen.  Heit said the neighborhood has been very welcoming, the gallery a perfect addition to the hip restaurants, salons and shops – Pamcakes is their neighbor, Yum!  July 1st was Prelude Gallery’s soft opening but look for new work for the Second Friday art crawl on August 12th.

Kyle Deal @ Prelude Gallery

Kyle Deal @ Prelude Gallery

Christopher Enty @ Prelude Gallery

Christopher Enty @ Prelude Gallery

Gaby asked DoN what his favorite paintings are, a tough question since it was his first visit but Christopher Enty’s portraits of urban youth stand out with a rough beauty that is almost brutal.  The characters in Enty’s paintings express the self consciousness of youth in a socially networked society where a profile is suddenly important, revitalizing the significance of portraiture; Heit confided in DoN she felt Christopher Enty is Prelude Gallery’s Soutine.

Benjamin Gonzales @ Prelude Gallery

Benjamin Gonzales @ Prelude Gallery

Gaby Heit expressed to DoN she thought the revitalization of the 20th Street Corridor was coming from the North, the Rittenhouse Square district, but DoN explained how the Beauty Shop Cafe staked out the corner of 20th and Fitzwater Streets when there were still gangs hanging on the corner.  And now students and young professionals make the trek to Center City from GHo all the way from Washington Avenue and get their morning coffee at the corner cafe.  Art shows were part of the Beauty Shop Cafe plan from the beginning and the current show is really good.

Caitlin Beattie @ Beauty Shop Cafe

Caitlin Beattie @ Beauty Shop Cafe

Caitlin Beattie is an emerging artist photographer, this is her first art show.  It is so gratifying to know that artists have showcases like The Beauty Shop, Prelude Gallery and studio christensen to exhibit their work where it can really be seen by a lot of people but it makes the neighborhood so much more vibrant, intellectual and welcoming, too.

Sabik @ Beauty Shop Cafe

Sabik @ Beauty Shop Cafe

Dreamcatcher, NFS

Beauty Shop Cafe

Beauty Shop Cafe

Beauty Shop Cafe

Beauty Shop Cafe

Jewelry and etchings by Kenzie Gemz.  The Beauty Shop looks like an old library or museum with terrariums, collections and photos creating a vibe of a secret society meeting room.  As the GHo neighborhood transforms with modern new houses wedging between old row-homes, young families with strollers, hipsters with porkpie hats and folks who have long lived in the neighborhood are now enjoying a renaissance of sorts along 20th Street helping to delineate a terrific art crawl up 20th, across Walnut Street to Sande Webster, down 22nd Street to Twenty-Two Gallery and on to 21st & Pine and the fabulous Gallery 339.  Second Friday, now a Center City West tradition, is August 12th.

 

Photos by DoN