Category Archives: Fabric Art

Art primarily using fabric as its basis.

199 “Small Worlds” @ The Plastic Club

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 – Fabric Collage @ The Cosmopolitan Club

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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.

Various & Sundry Group Exhibition @ The Skybox Gallery, 2424 York Street

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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. @ Bainbridge & Grays Ferry

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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.