Category Archives: Philadelphia Art Installations

Art installations in Philadelphia.

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

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.

Tetsugo Hyakutake – Ephemeral Existence @ Gallery 339

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Tetsugo Hyakutake – Ephemeral Existence @ Gallery 339.

Tetsugo Hyakutake explained to DoN how he stitches together panoramic images by combining, in the above five separate photos, into hyper-realistic renderings of industrial infrastructure scenes; the naturally black and white man-made landscape, so fluid and frail is punctuated with red signs, warning lights and smeared reflections. Tetsugo has been studying the Japanese infrastructure for years, and uses color sparingly and symbolically. Ephemeral Existence at 339 is a large collection of alien landscapes that kind of look like Philly out by the airport but are Japanese highways, overpasses, power stations – slightly Jetson futuristic. Hyakutake’s photos are highly realistic but actually the landscapes are outside our actual perspective, the panoramas wider than our vision, the industrial installation images glow unblinkingly, water turned into a restrained painters palette, each image is ephemeral narrating our fragile existence on Planet Earth.

Tetsugo Hyakutake – Ephemeral Existence @ Gallery 339 through May 7, 2011.

Tetsugo Hyakutake – Ephemeral Existence @ Gallery 339.

Photos humbly taken with Tetsugo Kyakutake’s permission by DoN.

Dale Levy, Perception @ Twenty-Two Gallery

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Dale Levy, Perception @ Twenty-Two Gallery.

Tonight is the Center City Art Crawl but last Friday DoN attended the opening reception for Dale Levy‘s Perception one-person show at Twenty-Two Gallery. Dale told DoN that Helen Frankenthaler is an influence for her abstract expressionist paintings; the wild colors which appear so immediate actually takes a lot of time as each color dries before the next is added.

Dale Levy, On Edge, acrylic on canvas.

At the opening party a group of Dale Levy’s college girl friends were snapping pictures and hanging out with their old friend in support of her great artistic achievement. Encouragement and persistence is so essential to an artist’s ability to persevere. Dale Levy has developed her own recognizable style that looks back to the invention of abstraction but with a contemporary palette and stylish presence. Make 22nd Street part of your art crawl tonight.

Photos by DoN.

David Guinn – Mural Dedication, Garden of Delight, Locust Street, between 11th & 12th Streets, Philadelphia, Friday, April 15, 2011, 5:00 PM

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David Guinn – Mural Dedication, Garden of Delight, Locust Street, between 11th & 12th Streets, Philadelphia, Friday, April 15, 2011, 5:00 PM.

Philadelphia owes David Quinn a lot for it’s friendly reputation, as you come off the Schuylkill a beautiful mural greets you, drive down Bainbridge Street and Quinn’s Four Seasons murals offer color in the depth of Winter and accents for Spring, in West Philly he’s brought together community members to form coalitions that revitalize the neighborhood and he regularly exhibits his own paintings in galleries across the city all with apparent calm and secure leadership. The new mural on Locust looks like a David Guinn painting instead of a community collaboration; Guinn has more than earned the right to decide what should be painted or maybe the community taste of the Gayborhood is more refined, either way, Friday night is the perfect time to experience a unique Philly tradition – honoring a great artist, leader and taste-maker with speeches and heart felt thanks for improving the vitality of the city with art and beauty.

An early 21st Century mural by David Guinn, his style is evolving from the cubist realism to fluid naturalism. In the new mural is a door representing the house of his parents; David Guinn opens a portal for all of us to see the world around us as home.

Photos by DoN.

R.L.Washington – Cross Currents @ Sande Webster Gallery

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R.L.Washington – Cross Currents @ Sande Webster Gallery

The rainy Spring evening didn’t stop DoN from gallery hopping in Center City; Sande Webster Gallery is an elegant stop on a perfect loop around Rittenhouse West with CFEVA, Twenty-Two Gallery and 339 Photography, the spacious Walnut Street space is luxurious, accessible and inpiring. R.L.Washington’s Cross Currents show of lyrical paintings explores urban landscapes and deep emotional interiors, his portraits are seethingly expressive. Washington explained to DoN,”I put myself into each piece, I put soul into the work or it’s plastic.”