Category Archives: Philadelphia Floral Paintings

Art with flowers as the primary motif.

Art Ability International Juried Exhibition of Art & Fine Craft @ Bryn Mawr Rehab Center – Mixed Media Art

Beverly Kohn, Resting Deer, Art Ability International Juried Exhibition of Art & Fine Craft @ Bryn Mawr Rehab Center.

Beverly Kohn won Honorable Mention in the category of Fiber Arts, Glass and Fine Crafts at the Art Ability Exhibition. The gorgeous piece of a fiber wrapped deer feels so modern, like Jeff Koons or DuChamp, not crafty at all but using simple, nostalgic materials and shapes, the sculpture mixes media in a delightful and desirable design. Click the thumbnail for a close up.

Elizabeth Core at Art Ability International Juried Exhibition of Art & Fine Craft @ Bryn Mawr Rehab Center. The balance of color, hue, tone and textures mingled with sophisticated pattern and composition is exuberantly engaging.

Click the thumbail to check out Sriharsha Sukla, Bombay 01, collage. The artist lives in Cuttack, Orissa, India, and has been a part of Art Ability International Juried Exhibition of Art & Fine Craft @ Bryn Mawr Rehab Center for many years, submitting fascinatingly detailed collages, so painterly and naturalistic they appear photographic from a distance.

“The Art Ability Program at Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital is a year-long program which serves as a showcase for, and celebration of, artists with disabilities. Through art, we hope to inspire patients to reach beyond their limitations, and to encourage people with disabilities to explore their own creativity.

Established in 1996, Art Ability includes the following major components: an annual international juried exhibition and sale of art and fine crafts produced by individuals with disabilities; community outreach and education opportunities including satellite exhibitions and interactive demo days; our permanent collection of artwork and the incorporation of artwork into the patient experience; and a corporate art acquisition program.

The Programs goal is to foster a better appreciation of people with disabilities through the achievements and stories of our artists. As art enriches their lives, we hope their creativity, talent and exuberant spirit will enrich your life.” – Art Ability

Read DoNArTNeWs report about Allen Bryan, Art Ability Artist

Artists’ House Gallery: Frances Galante and Robert Bohne

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Frances Galante, Overlooking San Miguel, oil at Artists’ House Gallery.

The exhibition at Artists’ House Gallery includes many fine artists and beautiful artworks, check the website or better yet go to the gallery, but when DoN walked in the front door of the well established gallery he was greeted with a group hug from old friends Frances Galante’ and Robert Bohne. The gallery was packed on October First Friday, so Frances and DoN squeezed through the crowd packed in the hallway to see Clarissa Shanahan Schirmer’s ethereal encaustic compositions, to the quiet back room where we could sit and talk, having not seen each other in ages. Frances Galante has been showing her atmospheric naturalist paintings at Artists’ House for twenty-one years, “I think they opened in 1990 and I was one of their first artists. So, they’ve survived, I’ve survived; it’s a good gallery.”

Frances Galante teaches three painting classes per week at Woodmere Art Museum, “I like teaching as part of the routine because I get out of the studio and I learn things from teaching. I like the energy and to be social and be around people who are enthusiastic about learning.” After a sabbatical to paint on her own Frances realized she just needed to be with people again, “Share information and get feedback and energy from them. I’ve branched out a bit, too. I don’t know if that’s a result of teaching, the influence of some of the students, but my work has gotten more colorful than it used to be. My colors used to be more muted. This is something new for me. It’s not so much about my work but what I see them doing, I pick up things, their interests and the things they’re exploring. It gives me new ideas. I teach adults, some of them actually exhibit, some are hobbyists but a lot of them are quite serious and quite good.”

Artists’ House Gallery, Frances Galante

Frances Galante, Musing, oil

Robert Bohne explained to DoN, “Well, I work my job with Amtrak and I do this.” All DoN could say was, “Wow!?!” “I work several jobs, more than two actually.” “Really?” “Well yeah, I work for Amtrak, I have a Union job which is related to the Amtrak job, I’m the Chairman. I do a lot of auctions, that’s where I get most of my frames, at auctions. So I do a lot of buy and sell at auctions and then I do this.” This being painting modern realist artworks with a contemporary sensibility of descriptive atmospheric naturalism. DoN asked when he has time to paint? “There’s time. I have everything set up in my house, so, when I go home there’s no set up involved, it’s all ready to go and I can paint. That’s the way to do it, yeah. It’s a mess, but it works.” It is messy but worth it.

Artists’ House Gallery, Robert Bohne

Artists’ House Gallery, Robert Bohne, S.S. United States, oil on panel

“The S.S. United States is one of my most recent paintings, I worked on it this past Winter, the day after Christmas and and I set up across the street in the Chick-Fil-A parking lot. And while I was working on the painting, they were plowing the snow. The guy came running across the street to see what I was doing and he told me that his mother had came over on that ship. He knew the entire history of the ship and he told me about the super-structure of the ship being made of aluminum, that’s how they kept the ship very light, it set speed records, it’s a fascinating story. It’s interesting, the other day I was at an auction and I picked up this little silver-plate coffee pot and on the bottom was, The United States Lines, so, it’s from the ship. A unique find.”

Artists’ House Gallery, Robert Bohne

Artists’ House Gallery, Robert Bohne, Turning, oil on panel.

Photos by DoN.

148th Annual Exhibition of Small Oil Paintings @ The Philadelphia Sketch Club

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Eric Hall, Collimation No.40 (Harbor 3) @ 148th Annual Exhibition of Small Oil Paintings @ The Philadelphia Sketch Club.

Arthur Ostroff, A Patch of Spring @ 148th Annual Exhibition of Small Oil Paintings @ The Philadelphia Sketch Club on the Avenue of the Artists.

148th Annual Exhibition of Small Oil Paintings @ The Philadelphia Sketch Club.

Patrick Monaghan, Roses and Mango @ 148th Annual Exhibition of Small Oil Paintings @ The Philadelphia Sketch Club. Monaghan’s presentation is among the best with the black wood frame and gold liner drawing the viewer into the moment, accentuating the painting with it’s own light, really tasteful and desirable.

Jon Redmond & Sybylle-Maria Pfaffenbichler, 148th Annual Exhibition of Small Oil Paintings @ The Philadelphia Sketch Club

Jurors James J. Himsworth III, Julien Robson & Alexandra Tyng managed to include two thirds of the submissions with a mind blowing presentation of contemporary regional oil painters represented in a wide variety of styles; the exhibition committee is to be commended on the wonderful narrative the show communicates with vignettes, groupings and highlights.

Peter Schnore won a special abstraction award in The 148th Annual Exhibition of Small Oil Paintings @ The Philadelphia Sketch Club. DoN found the minimalistic, boundary busting, in your face simplicity of this simple block of color to be true genius.

David M. Stallings, Summer’s Last Eve @ 148th Annual Exhibition of Small Oil Paintings @ The Philadelphia Sketch Club.

Albert Tacconelli, Daniel’s Dilemma (Reflections on 9-11) @ 148th Annual Exhibition of Small Oil Paintings @ The Philadelphia Sketch Club.

The award winners of the spectacular 148th Annual Exhibition of Small Oil Paintings @ The Philadelphia Sketch Club; it’s like the American Idol of the Philadelphia Art Scene – who’s your favorite painter? DoN often jokes that when a Susan Barnes or a Doris Peltzman painting is entered in a show then you know where at least one prize is going; DoN has observed these fast friends grow from art class buddies into accomplished Philadelphia artists with gallery shows, awards and sales, it’s so cool to see them winning!

Philadelphia Sketch Club president Bill Patterson takes great pride in this show, it’s his baby; DoN eves-dropped on a conversation Bill was having with a visitor and heard him say, “I’m interested in helping these artists sell their work.” DoN saw some red dots, too; awards are great but sales is the ultimate reward and compliment for an artist. Patterson is generous, supportive, energetic and business oriented assuring the stability of a major Philadelphia art institution many artists rely on for exposure.

Faith Corman @ 148th Annual Exhibition of Small Oil Paintings @ The Philadelphia Sketch Club. Faith is not a painter, she’s a loyal art patron and accomplished jewelry designer, Faith Corman is selling her custom “Sun earrings” to benefit Japan relief efforts. She didn’t want her picture taken (pretty women never do) but DoN thinks she’s fabulous!

Photos by DoN.