Philadelphia Open Studio Tours 2011, Tim McFarlane in Old City, Saturday, October 15th.

Tim McFarlane‘s studio in the heart of Old City Philadelphia is the archetypical artists’ loft, a steep climb up three pea green flights of stairs to arrive gasping into a high ceilinged loft space overlooking Third Street right off of Market.  The old industrial space is divided into three studios: Carol Royer‘s figurative work greets you at the end of the epic climb, John Gatti has a spacious room in the middle and Tim McFarlane‘s studio has windows overlooking the street.  John was painting while lola, Spike & DoN luxuriated in Tim’s studio filled with his exuberant stylized abstract paintings arrayed from floor to ceiling, paint splattered everywhere, outlines of canvases layered over years of work, brushes and paints poking out of cubbies – just like you imagine an artists’ studio to be.  Tim McFarlane has participated in the Philadelphia Open Studio Tours for many years, this year he was a cover model for the catalog, allowing the public to see the progress he’s accomplished in his art over the years.  The light shining in from being near the river glows into the space activating the color fields vibrating in the paintings, DoN thought about how this is the way a true artist lives, in a bright airy studio right in the hub of the lively contemporary arts scene in Old City with the energy and time to think big.

Philadelphia Open Studio Tours 2011, Tim McFarlane

Philadelphia Open Studio Tours 2011, Tim McFarlane

The swirly cellular structures from Tim McFarlane‘s memorable abstract paintings are still present and prominent in his new work but now layers of patterns from stencils are laid in then painted over and into, deep layers of color, shape and contrasts make his individual canvasses vibrate.   A room full of Tim’s works in various stages of progress is really a privileged experience because his work is usually seen only in art galleries like Bridgette Mayer Gallery on Walnut Street.  In fact, Tim McFarlane‘s work will be included in the upcoming show, Karmic Abstraction, November 15th through December 31, 2011 – “The show’s title reflects gallerist Bridgette Mayer’s “interest in the idea of the karmic cycle of an artist’s history of painting and ideas.” The selected works, by sixteen nationally- and internationally-recognized artists reveals, “how, at a given moment in time, standing in front of a work of art, the viewer is faced with the multiple layers and concepts that create a painting as well as a lifetime of ideas, actions and history that make up the career and art history of a contemporary artist.” (Bridgette Mayer Gallery website).

John Gatti.  DoN loves this picture of the artists’ studio, comparing and contrasting the shapes, tones and marks on panels against one another creates an energy field of color.

Photos by DoN.