Category Archives: Drawings

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Untitled

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Nancy Neill, Untitled, Muse GalleryUntitled 5.16.2, Acrylic and oil pastel on mylar, Nancy Neill

Abstract Landscape-Inspired Paintings On Mylar

Nancy Neill “Untitled”

November 2 – 27, 2016                                                  

Artist Reception: Sunday, November 13, 2:00 – 4:00pm

Muse Gallery, 52 N. 2ND STREET, PHILADELPHIA, PA 19106

www.musegalleryphiladelphia.com

215-627-5310 

Muse Gallery is pleased to present “Untitled”, an exhibition of recent paintings by Nancy Neill.   The paintings will be on view from November 2 through 27, with a First Friday opening on November 4 from 5-8 PM and an Artist Reception on Sunday, November 13, from 2-4 PM. Gallery hours during the exhibition are Wednesday through Sunday, 12-5 PM.

Nancy Neill’s body of work at Muse Gallery was mostly inspired by the New Jersey shore and the coastlines of Maine and Canada. Some paintings in the show were inspired by various bodies of water near cities. Her abstract paintings capture the feelings of these places that exist in her memory.   She does not paint from photographs.

According to painter and art professor Kassem Amoudi, “Neill’s current exhibition includes landscapes that are full of mystery. Some are black and white and some are luminous and colorful but there is always an element of surprise.”

neill2Untitled 6.16.1, Acrylic and oil pastel on mylar, Nancy Neill

Her exhibition is called “Untitled.” All of the paintings in this exhibition are named “Untitled” and identified by numbers. She wants the viewer to be transported by what they see and make each painting part of their own reality.

neill3Untitled 7.16.4, Acrylic and oil pastel on mylar, Nancy Neill

Nancy Neill uses mylar, a material that provides a fluid surface for ink, paint and the other drawing mediums she works with. The energy of the landscapes is portrayed by gestural marks and scratches. Her color palette is unorthodox for landscapes – combining strong colors with muted colors of blue and grey to create an energetic yet calm surface.

Nancy Neill has been painting for 20 years and her work has been exhibited in numerous shows throughout the region. She has won several awards and has been featured in a number of publications. Most recently her work was in a group show at West Chester University. She received her B.S. degree from Miami University of Ohio and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

neill4Untitled 4.16.10, Acrylic on mylar, Nancy Neill

“In my most recent paintings, the work is inspired by my time near the ocean and also by natural elements near an urban location.  Many of the paintings suggest water or sky. Sometimes they suggest an atmosphere of a city location.

My work is abstract, yet it captures the feeling of these places because of the lines and shapes used and the strong contrast of light and dark. The imagery in each painting is suggestive of nature and atmosphere, but it also has a sense of mystery because it’s not immediately obvious what it is. The paintings have a unique look because of how they are painted – on mylar, which gives a contemporary feel to the work and because of the color palette used. There is a significant use of strong colors that are combined with a very soft atmospheric color-palette, and there is energy from the mark making.

I paint on mylar. This plastic medium is archival and provides a fluid surface for ink, paint and other drawing mediums.    I paint with brushes and cloths but also sharp instruments to scratch into the paint to give energy to the surface.   The mylar paintings provide a serene yet energetic and saturated surface.” – Nancy Neill

“Muse Gallery Mission: Established in 1978, the Muse Gallery is an artists’ cooperative dedicated to encourage and promote its members’ artistic expression through abstract, conceptual and representational forms. Reflecting an aesthetic that awakens awareness, the Muse Gallery affirms the shared experience of art between the artist and the community.

To join the Gallery: Muse Gallery is always interested in potential new members. We are often fully staffed and maintain a waiting list. Please visit our membership page.” – Muse Gallery

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Thunderbird

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Thunderbird Lodge

Thunderbird Lodge in Rose Valley Pa., Life Drawing Workshop

Written and photographed by Robert Bohne

Every now and then, you find an overlooked gem in your own back yard. And so it was with the Thunderbird Lodge in Rose Valley Pa. I’ve lived in this area my entire life, and I’ve driven by this location at least a thousand times, and yet I’ve never really noticed the Thunderbird Lodge. Hidden from view by decades of overgrown trees and wild vegetation, the Thunderbird Lodge on Rose Valley Road is now in the process of being renovated. The trees and vegetation have been trimmed and removed, and the building now takes it’s rightful place among the historic architecture of Rose Valley.

Thunderbird Lodge

Originally a circa-1790 stone barn, the building was converted into a home and studio for artists Alice Barber Stephens and Charles Stephens by architect William L. Price in 1904.  Charles was an authority on American Indians, and he named the Lodge after a legendary North American indigenous creature. Charles was a teacher at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and Alice was a successful illustrator. They raised their son, D. Owen Stephens (1894–1937) in Rose Valley, and painted there until their deaths.

Thunderbird Lodge

The Thunderbird Lodge then became the home of Allen Seymour and Mildred Olmstead. He was a lawyer, member of the Men’s Commission for Women’s Suffrage, and helped in the founding of the ACLU. Mildred worked with the American Birth Control League and was a director of the U.S. section of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. Together they worked with the American Friends Service Committee, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The house was used as a safe meeting place for other activists, including Jane Addams, James Farmer, George Washington Carver, and Martin Luther King, Jr.

In 2015, the house was given to the community of Rose Valley and is now in the process of being converted into a museum that will feature the arts and crafts of the region, and on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016, the Lodge held it’s first drawing workshop in the studios that were originally built for the Stephens. Studios that haven’t seen artists put pencil to paper in well over a hundred years.

Thunderbird Lodge, Robert BohneRobert Bohne, Carol, charcoal and white pastel on tan paper. 12 x 9 from the first Thunderbird Lodge drawing session.

So here’s a tip of the hat to the volunteers at the Thunderbird Lodge for their hard work and for their vision of preserving the past and presenting the artists of the future.

Written and photographed by Robert Bohne

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Open

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Philadelphia Open Studio Tours 2016THIS OCTOBER: Explore. Discover. Enjoy.

Philadelphia’s Vibrant Visual Arts Community

Discover Philadelphia’s visual arts community this October with the Philadelphia Open Studio Tours, a free citywide arts festival Oct 8 – 9 and Oct 22 – 23 #POSTPHL

 Explore open studios and art experiences in every Philly neighborhood this October with the Phl Open Studio Tours #POSTPHL www.philaopenstudios.org

Starting October 8, 2016 The Center for Emerging Visual Artists (CFEVA) is pleased to present the 17th Annual Philadelphia Open Studio Tours. As Philadelphia’s premier fall visual arts festival, the Philadelphia Open Studio Tours (POST) presents a behind-the-scenes glimpse of visual artists at work through self-guided tours of artist studios and creative workspaces, hands-on workshops, gallery exhibitions, demonstrations, artist talks, special receptions, and more. Great for all ages, POST is the most comprehensive tour of artist studios in the region. For complete program information, including a list of more than 200 participating artists and community partners, neighborhood maps, artwork and studio images, and a detailed schedule of events, visit philaopenstudios.org.

Featured Exhibition Series

CFEVA and POST are pleased to feature several noteworthy exhibitions and events in all corners of the city, springing from ongoing collaborations with commercial galleries, local businesses, fellow arts organizations, educational institutions, and non-traditional studio spaces. Of the many corollary programs taking place throughout October, POST is proud to announce its 2016 Featured Exhibitions:

Philadelphia Open Studio Tours 2016, Nick Cassway Above the Sounds of Ideologies Clashing, Nick Cassway

Above the Sounds of Ideologies Clashing

An exhibition of work by Nick Cassway, the Antonia W. Hamilton Fellow

October 8th – November 10th, 2016

Gallery Hours: Monday – Friday, 10am – 5pm

Opening Reception: October 13, 5 – 7pm

Open during POST West and POST East, noon – 6pm

The Center for Emerging Visual Artists, 237 S. 18th Street, Suite 3A, Philadelphia, PA 19103

Nick Cassway merges a fine arts practice with commercial design, iconography, and illustration to create vibrant works with bold and impactful imagery. Coinciding with POST, “Above the Sounds of Ideologies Clashing” will transform CFEVA’s gallery into an immersive room-sized installation. Inspired by the story of Johannes Kelpius, the Hermit of the Wissahickon, Cassway’s custom designed wall coverings explore systems of belief through an evolving scene of an encounter between a believer and a skeptic.

Philadelphia Open Studio Tours 2016, Kelly KozmaDance Magic Dance, Jump Magic Jump by Kelly Kozma

CFEVA@Sonesta

An Exhibition Highlighting Five Philadelphia Artists

January 15th – December 15th, 2016

Open during POST West and POST East, On view 24 hours

Sonesta Hotel Philadelphia, 1800 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103

Grab some food and drinks at the Sonesta Hotel’s Art Bar and see CFEVA@Sonesta: Highlighting Five Philadelphia Artists. This exhibition features work by: Kelly Kozma, Brienne Rosner, Kristin Schattenfield-Rein, Amy Stevens, Michael Yoder.

Philadelphia Open Studio Tours 2016, Kristen Schattenfield-ReinKristin Schattenfield-Rein

 ArtBox at Shirt Corner

An exhibition of work by Kristin Schattenfield-Rein

August 1st – October 14th, 2016, Open during POST West

ArtBox @ Shirt Corner, 259 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106

Kristin Schattenfield-Rein’s paintings utilize various mediums (epoxy resin, glass, sand, graphite flake and silvered tar) to produce a layered, reticulative effect. Rein’s current work adheres, just barely, to the convention of wall hangings—they creep past their edges to become sculptural and suggestive of something beyond the obvious. Kristin’s work is on view in the Art Box street level window gallery located in Old City on the north side of Market Street just east of 3rd Street.

Philadelphia Open Studio Tours 2016, Rob MillerAerospatial 14, Rob Miller

POST—Philadelphia Artists in the Community

An Art Gallery at City Hall exhibition

October 10th – November 10th 2016, Monday – Friday, 10am–4pm

Art Gallery at City Hall, City of Philadelphia’s Office of Arts,

Culture and the Creative Economy, City Hall, Room 116, Philadelphia, PA 19107

Celebrating the diversity of Philadelphia neighborhoods and the artisans that thrive within, “POST—Philadelphia Artists in the Community” will showcase works by selected POST participants in City Hall during the month of October. The exhibition will be organized by neighborhood, demonstrating the uniqueness and strength of our city’s artistic community.

Philadelphia Open Studio Tours 2016, Ben VoltaPattern Process, Ben Volta

Ben Volta: Pattern Process

A Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts exhibition

September 21st – November 20, 2016, Open during POST West and POST East

Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 10am–5pm, Wednesday 10am—9pm, Saturday—Sunday, 11am –5pm

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Alumni Gallery, Historic Landmark Building

118-128 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102

www.pafa.org

Ben Volta (Certificate ‘02) creates intricate public murals and sculptures, working at the intersection of education, restorative justice, and urban planning. His practice stands on the belief that art can be a catalyst for change, within individuals as well as the institutional structures that surround them.

His exhibition in the Alumni Gallery at PAFA will draw from multiple projects created with students and recently incarcerated youth throughout the city. These projects use a collaborative drawing process to generate complex wholes that are more than the sum of their parts.

Thank you to Julia Fox of the Philadelphia Open Studio Tours (POST), a program of The Center for Emerging Visual Artists for the content of this post.

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Reunion

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SAGE Reunion TourALL NEW WORK by David Foss, Don Kaiser, Heather Rachel Phillips, Henry Bermudez, Jon Manteau, Michelle Marcuse, Nic Coviello, Raphael Fenton-Spaid, Robert Solomon and Vincent Romaniello

SAGE REUNION TOUR

BLAM Projects Brooklyn
Opening reception: 6 to 9pm, Friday, October 7
Show runs through October 30, 2016
Hours: 11am to 6pm, Friday, Saturday and Sunday
BLAM Projects 56 Bogart Street, Brooklyn, NY 11206

The Sage Reunion Tour will bring together 10 of the original members, each showing how their work has evolved since their Philadelphia project space closed in 2009. A variety of media are planned including: painting, sculpture, photography, performance, banners and video.

About Sage Projects
In late 2008 a group of Philadelphia artists organized visits to each other’s studios. Many of the artists enjoyed the tours and other artist’s work so much that they wanted to take the group a step further.

The perfect opportunity to form a cooperative came in early 2009 when the US economy crashed leaving many small businesses in dire straits. A team of business leaders in a popular tourist area, known as South Street, put out a call asking for arts groups to occupy vacant storefronts, cost free, in the hopes of bringing life back to the area. That’s when David Foss, artist and director of DaVinci Art Alliance, and Vincent Romaniello applied for and got the green light on a 2,000 sq ft, two story, empty storefront.

During the run of Sage Projects over 250 artists, musicians, filmmakers and other artists were given the opportunity to share the space and to bring their work to a wider audience.

Performance Information
Conceptual Punk-a-Rock-a-Billy-Blues ensemble MagicCarpet ManCave will be
performing both original compositions and covers during the opening reception on Friday,
October 7, between 6-9pm during the exhibition reception.

As a mixed race artist Heather Raquel Phillips takes her experience of marginality to
create spaces for bodies using personal story telling and attempted acrobatic feats. Phillips, along with musicians Meg Widholm and Mike Woloszczuk, will be performing on Saturday, October 22, at 8pm during the Exchange Rates expo.

Contact: Vincent Romaniello   blambklyn@gmail.com   267-902-1115
Hi-resolution images of works in the show available upon request
BLAM

 
BLAM Projects 56 Bogart Street, Brooklyn, NY 11206 www.blamprojects.com
sage3

Shadow Overcome by Memory plus No Logic in Line, Michelle Marcuse

“Part of 2016 was involved in my making work for the 39th Wind Challenge Exhibition.  My preparation was over 18 months and the show opened in September.  It will be up till November 2nd.  I exhibited with Amber Johnston and Brian Richmond.” – Michelle Marcuse

Michelle Marcus, Wind Challenge

“HOUSE Gallery 1816 has kept us busy, we have had some good shows up until June. After a summer hiatus, we are set to start up again.  POST 2016 east side….and our November show will be with Erik Ruin.   http://erikruin.com/

Henry Bermudez is off to Peru October 1st for a solo exhibition in Lima. He will spend 2 months there on research for a project. Maybe i will get to visit him in November. We will both exhibit at BLAM in Brooklyn.  It is a reunion with other SAGE artists from Philadelphia, some of them you probably know. BLAM has a counterpart gallery in Los Angeles. My images of the Challenge show were photographed by John Carlano.” – Michelle Marcuse

Thank you to Michelle Marcuse for the content of this post.

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Save

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Save the World, Judy EngleJudy Engle, You’re Going to Love It Here, mixed media collage, Off the Wall Gallery at Dirty Frank’s

How Would You Save the World? Off the Wall Gallery at Dirty Frank’s,

11th Annual Community Juried Show

“Today is hanging day for HOW WOULD YOU SAVE THE WORLD?, the driving question of our 11th Annual Community Juried Show. Please come in and watch the show go up over the next 7-8 hours (though please don’t show up until we open at 11:00!). Then come back for the OPENING RECEPTION next THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 7-10 PM, when about 20 of our 27 SAVE THE WORLD artists will come together to celebrate, and share, life-changing ideas. We’ll let JUDY ENGLE kick things off with a community-oriented collage. Judy’s thesis is all about “A Place to Call Home: a safe, stable, comfortable place to lay one’s head down at night and wake to each new day.” Her definition compels her to invest in her neighborhood and care about her neighbors: one small but important step in the right direction. Stay tuned — and look closely at our Wall and 3D space over the next eight weeks — for more ways to improve the world!” – Togo

How Would You Save the World?

How Would You Save the World? Off the Wall Gallery at Dirty Frank’s, 11th Annual Community Juried Show, through August 5th, 2016, NE Corner 13th and Pine Streets, Philadelphia, PA

How Would You Save the World?How Would You Save the World? Off the Wall Gallery at Dirty Frank’s, 11th Annual Community Juried Show

“Here are two more reasons to stop in today (starting right now!): #1) EXPERIENCE IN PERSON the exceptional 3D case, which contains the world of eight of our 27 SAVE THE WORLD artists, including two exciting discoveries: TREBS THOMPSON, who created “The Peace Bomb” lamp and bejeweled bear head, which speaks to our attitudes to some of the great species of our planet, and MARCO A. VELASQUEZ, whose “Burrowing Seed” living assemblage speaks to the end of our journeys as human beings; #2) WELCOME BACK HEATHER RAQUEL PHILLIPS, Dirty Frank’s bartender and OFF THE WALL artist, who is on her first shift back since receiving her MFA. CONGRATS, HEATHER!” – Togo”

How Would You Save the World?

It’s easy to fall into superhero jargon when you answer the question underlying our 11th Annual Community Juried Show, HOW WOULD YOU SAVE THE WORLD? But you — yes, YOU! — can be an everyday hero. More often than not, it’s the little things — volunteer or civic duty, changing old habits, sharing good advice with Facebook friends (or even in person…imagine that!), a vote purposefully cast — that make the real difference.

Here is one more way: COME TO OUR OPENING RECEPTION for SAVE THE WORLD this THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 7-10 PM. You can spend time with eye-opening, perspective-shifting art and strike up meaningful conversations with our talented artists, as well as fellow art lovers. We’ll also announce JURY CITATIONS, from specific categories, to honorable mentions, to one artist who will take home BEST IN SHOW.

Plus, as always, we’ll have your favorite beverages on tap and in bottles…our curator, JODY SWEITZER, behind the bar…and light hors d’oeuvres to munch on. Which is not to say the art or conversation will be heavy. We like to think they’ll be accessible and engaging. This is exactly what should happen in a great democracy — and in a city that is welcoming America in a fortnight and hosting the DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION in seven weeks! Our Wall and 3D case are overflowing the ideas that drive to the heart of HOW TO BE THE CHANGE YOU BELIEVE IN, as Gandhi famously put it.

It’s individual change you can help bring about:

* JUDY ENGLE emphasizes community connections, while CHUCK SCHULTZ portrays a caring safety net for those without community.

* On a similar plane, ROB LYBECK bemoans the toll that “progress” and gentrification take on our city, and fellow urban photographer MATT COHEN vividly portrays both activist and activism.
* DAVID CHATFIELD paints a standard for all artists to rally to: Creativity Is Activism.

* NOA TRAVALIA says Amazon (.com, not the mighty rainforest) should have a reduced role in our lives, while GENE RENZI would have us buy nothing online — but rather just kick back and appreciate the simplest things.

* JOOP VAN DER WAGT revels in the immediacy of life, and MARCO A. VELASQUEZ reminds us of the inevitable circle each of us will traverse, returning to nature. (These are also two of our newest artists — and most distant ones: Joop is in the Netherlands and Marco in Miami.)

And this amazing juried show is also about macro-level issues that have never mattered more:

* ELIZABETH H. “BETTY” MACDONALD, a printmaker with few peers, and JESSICA BARBER and ELIZABETH STRICKER, from a younger generation of this same craft, all take up the call that better practices — personal and corporate — and a richer understanding of ecosystems will make the world a better place.
* TREBS THOMPSON directly addresses the extinction we are exacting on some of the world’s most majestic creatures.

* Then the pressing need to avoid the potential push-button finality of war take center stage for both TREBS and EMI TRAVALIA, while ceramist DOROTHY ROSCHEN chooses to simply raise the white flag — at least to half mast.
* JIM BIGLAN, whose art is more often personal in nature, adopts a riveting political tone with his new 3D and 2D work, and in the latter category, acclaimed political cartoonist JOHN JONIK offers three works, each deftly attuned to a specific issue.

And that’s just 17 of our 27 crusaders sans capes!

Said another way: a mere email cannot translate the richness of viewpoints, topics and artistic media in play. Like the process of change itself, it requires your hands-on participation.

We very much look forward to seeing you Thursday and beyond and…

Up, up and away!

Togo

Togo Travalia, Manager

OFF THE WALL GALLERY at Dirty Frank’s, NE Corner, 13th & Pine Streets, Philadelphia, PA  19107

offthewallgallery@gmail.com

facebook.com/OTWDirtyFranks

@OTWDirtyFranks

(215) 732-5010 (bar)

(484) 357-6440 (cell)

OPENING RECEPTION this Thursday, June 9, 7-10 PM. Who will win their accolades?

How Would You Save the World? Off the Wall Gallery at Dirty Frank’s, 11th Annual Community Juried Show, through August 5th, 2016, NE Corner 13th and Pine Streets, Philadelphia, PA.

Thank you to Togo Travalia for the content of this post!

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