Category Archives: Paintings Philadelphia

oils, acrylics, watercolor, mixed media, ink, philadelphia

Digging

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As By Digging

As By Digging, Jaime Alvarez, Olivia Jia, Michelle Marcuse

InLiquid @ The Painted Bride

As By Digging features three artists—Jaime Alvarez, Olivia Jia, Michelle Marcuse—working in distinct media, whose works suggest an archaeological position to their subjects. Materials are used to draw out contradictions in our relationships to things and spaces with unclear origins: Photographs pronounce their subject with a different accent; paintings reflect on tangible objects without pointing us in the direction of where exactly we are; cardboard is put together to seem like lumbering parts reclaimed from a shipwreck. Split personalities can be sensed in the work, and each of the artists use their medium to collapse the distance between what we expect something to be and our fantasies of how it actually performs. The Indiana Jones franchise is a useful comparison in popular culture, in which the medium of film is a bridge between an intellectual’s quiet scholarly pursuit and their alter ego’s perilous adventure.

In contrast to an action movie, the excavations here unfold more quietly and without black and white good and bad guys. Jaime Alvarez’s photographs of small, synthetic figurines appear giant and alive; Michelle Marcuse’s bits of cardboard and glue take on machinic obscurity; Olivia Jia manipulates paint illusionistically in an idiosyncratic approach to cataloging personal documents and art history fragments. Amidst these approaches, we become conscious of our connection to a vast lineage of human remains, and the strange moment when our distance to these emergent totems is both closed and accentuated.

Jaime Alvarez’s work introduces us to some of the fundamental poles of the photographic medium. His large prints of uniformly painted figurines, trinkets, and other left-behinds, in either jet black or white, offer a sumptuous version of familiar things while they remain at the distance imposed by their singularity and iconized stature. Amidst these delectable yet cold memento mori, there appear straightly documented rooms of an empty, crumbling home. In their quiet, irreversible decay, we find we can pay attention.

Olivia Jia calls on the sleight of hand in painting to place us into an object’s space. Curious specificity meets ambivalent setting. Busts of classical, familiar statues are captured in a moment of focus, and provide little context for their inner fracturing. Fragments of personal ephemera, art historical reproductions, and more abstracted yet referential piles of historic matter are similarly reverent yet concise in what they appear to describe.

In the cardboard and glue sculptures of Michelle Marcuse, we encounter flexible understandings of reverence and delicateness. That which is flimsy is not necessarily weak; lightness in weight is not bound to a lightness in being. Her objects, while small in stature, imply something grand, aged and important, and indeed heavy. Each one is a space that is found out, by a process of physical conflicts and resolutions with the material. We come to detect them, not by a definitive allegation from their author about their personalities, but by the clear relationship between the object and the hands constructing it.

The Painted Bride Cafe Gallery, 230 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106

Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, noon – 6:00pm

As By Digging: November 1, 2017 – December 16, 2017

Reception Dates: Friday, December 1, 2017 · 5:00 pm–7:00 pm

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

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Gerbstadt

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David GerbstadtDavid Gerbstadt, Artist Shopping for a New Art Gallery

Artist and author David Gerbstadt of Berwyn, Pennsylvania is shopping for a new art gallery to handle his artwork as a stable artist.   David has been in galleries, solo, and group shows worldwide since 1993. Now in over 15 countries and most of the United States.

Lower Schoool Making Buttons with visiting artist David Gerbstadt from Westtown School on Vimeo.

“My vocabulary is full of creatures – both real and imagined.  I often incorporate words phrases and doodles into my paintings.  I recycle materials found on the street that become part of and inspire my work.       

“After my near death experience on December, 28 2007 my life changed.  My hospital chart read, man on bicycle vs. 14 wheeled tracker trailer truck.  The doctor’s told me they don’t know why I am here but I am. I believe I was spared to continue to make art, make people happy, and to let people know they are loved.  Since then life has been a consent struggle.  I get through the day with my doctors, art, friends, and my three legged rescue dog Noel.”   

“Art heals me on a daily basis”.

David Gerbstadt, 484-995-1541                                                                                                              davidgerbstadt@gmail.com                                                                              www.facebook.com/david.gerbstadt

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Happily

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Happily Ever After, Main Line Art CenterEmily Smith, when a man decides to hurt you series_existential

Investigating the Female Gaze in Happily Ever After

at Main Line Art Center

October 2 – 29, 2017

Artist talk and opening reception: Friday, October 13, 5:30 – 8:00 pm
2017 Digital Artist in Residence Jenny Drumgoole debut presentation
DESIGNPHILADELPHIA featured event
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Panel Discussion: October 26, 6:00 – 8:00 pm

Happily Ever After and the Female Gaze: Philadelphia
Women Artist Trailblazers – Then and Now
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Portfolio Review with Main Line Art Center’s
Artistic Advisory Board: October 20, 1:00 – 4:00 pm

Main Line Art Center investigates the female gaze, modern femininity, and contemporary challenges to women’s rights with Happily Ever After, an exhibition of works by female artists running October 2 through October 29.

Curated by Amie Potsic, Executive Director & Chief Curator of Main Line Art Center, the show features the work of artists Aubrie Costello, (Philadelphia, PA), Jenny Drumgoole, (Philadelphia, PA), Jes Gamble, (Philadelphia, PA), Erica Zoë Loustau, (West Grove, Pennsylvania), Mari Ogihara, (White Plains, New York), Glynnis Reed, (Egg Harbor, NJ), and Emily Smith, (Philadelphia, PA). From self-defined vantage points of power, these women artists address the human experience through a female lens in the 21st century – a post-feminist era rife with demands for a new feminism. Addressing pre-pubescent characters, trans and female identities, emotionally charged language, and complex female forms, a single definition of woman is defied. In today’s fairytale, Cinderella is breaking the glass slipper and “happily ever after” remains elusive. A free artist talk and opening reception will be held on Friday, October 13, from 5:30 – 8:00 pm at Main Line Art Center, and starting at 6:30 pm, Aubrie Costello will be doing a live installation that will carry throughout the evening.

Happily Ever After, Main Line Art CenterMari Ogihara

Taking inspiration from the majesty and strength of samurai armor as well as the vulnerable sensuality suggested by women’s undergarments, Mari Ogihara creates ceramic chastity belts and female figures alluding to corporeal desire and implied violence.  Directly confronting the emotional impact of violence against women, Emily Smith’s paintings reveal the psychological and physical trauma of being attacked by a male stranger processed through paint, fabric, and memory.

Jes Gamble uses photography to document performance and fiber based works that explore an emotional journey from fear to empowerment, all the while referring to the inescapable history of female experience and the act of mending to build human connection. Celebrating the authenticity of female kinship, Glynnis Reed’s photographs meld confident female and transgender subjects with natural imagery to create auras of complex spirituality.  Influenced by the natural landscape, her girlhood home, and architecture, Erica Zoë Lostau creates site specific installations of repeated shapes on geometrically arranged lines of mono-filament seeking a sublime level of illusion and metaphor.

Happily Ever After, Main Line Art CenterGlynnis Reed

Imagining what would happen if the sexual awakening of puberty were averted, Jenny Drumgoole’s videos present her alter-ego named Soxx who turns traditional women’s behavior on its head by throwing parties for sanitation workers, eating pudding for hire, and running for Mayor of Philadelphia.  As if applying punctuation to the same city, Aubrie Costello’s silk graffiti speaks to women’s physical and emotional struggles, the power of language, and unrelenting natural elements.

The artists in Happily Ever After resist and embrace the traditional trappings of women’s beauty and identity while rewriting urban legend, redefining women’s work, and re-forging paths to power. In doing so, they not only actualize the female gaze, they stare you straight in the eye.

In conjunction with the exhibition, Main Line Art Center is proud to present the lecture “Happily Ever After and the Female Gaze: Philadelphia Women Artist Trailblazers – Then and Now” led by Cindy Veloric, MA, research assistant at the Philadelphia Museum of Art,  Artistic Advisor at Main Line Art Center, and independent art historian.  Veloric will explain an extended series of circumstances particular to Philadelphia that enabled a number of “firsts” for trailblazing women artists. In the context of Main Line Art Center’s exhibition Happily Ever After, Veloric will also lead a panel discussion with women artists in the show (Aubrie Costello, Jenny Drumgoole, Jes Gamble, and Emily Smith) looking at the female gaze and politics of influence in the their work today.

Main Line Art Center is the community’s home to discover, create, and experience visual art. The mission of Main Line Art Center is to inspire and engage people of all ages, abilities, and economic means in visual art through education, exhibitions, and experiences. Committed to increasing the visibility and accessibility of art, the Art Center presents innovative exhibitions and events in the community, including Panorama: Image-Based Art in the 21st Century, a Greater Philadelphia-wide celebration of the photographic image and digital media. Main Line Art Center’s educational offerings for all ages, abilities, and economic means span from traditional to contemporary, and are all held to the highest level of excellence. In 2015, Main Line Art Center received the Commitment to Cultural Access Award from Art-Reach for the Center’s Accessible Art Programs for children and adults with disabilities. Additionally, the Art Center grants over $10,000 in need-based scholarships annually. Last year, Main Line Art Center engaged 21,000 people through classes, exhibitions, and Summer Art Camp, and touched the lives of over 78,000 through Exhibitions in the Community and festivals across the Philadelphia area. Main Line Art Center is located at 746 Panmure Road in Haverford, behind the Wilkie Lexus dealership just off of Lancaster Avenue. The Art Center is easily accessible from public transportation and offers abundant free parking.

As the oldest design festival of its kind in the country, DesignPhiladelphia highlights the work of thousands of local designers, architects, and creative professionals to demonstrate Philadelphia’s reemergence as a 21st century city shaped by thoughtful design, collaborative business practices, and community engagement. Over the course of ten days each October, places such as universities, cultural institutions, civic associations, city agencies, retailers, manufacturers, and startups across the city participate in over 100 engaging events including panel discussions, fashion shows, participatory workshops, studio tours, book signings, professional development classes, design exhibitions, and imaginative celebrations.

For more information about Happily Ever After, please visit www.mainlineart.org or call 610.525.0272 X 116.

Thank you to Amie Potsic for the content of this post.

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Tom Brady

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Tom Brady, Borrelli's Chestnut Hill GalleryTom Brady, Cottman Bus People, oil on canvas, 40″ x 53″

Tom Brady, New Paintings

Join Borrelli’s Chestnut Hill Gallery. One East Gravers Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19118 for an Artist’s Reception with renowned oil-painter, Tom Brady 10/7/17 6:00 – 8:00 pm, Exhibit 10/1- 10/21

Thomas G. Brady attended the Heatherly School of Art, London, England in 1972. He received a BA from Amherst College, attended the New York Studio School and received his MFA from the Tyler School of Art in 1982. Tom has exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the East Coast. He was the recipient of a painting Fellowship from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a Pew Fellowship Award and the Pollock Krasner Foundation Grant in 2000. His work is included in the permanent collections of  the Eleanor D. Wilson Museum, The Woodmere Art Museum, and the Mead Art Museum. His work is also in numerous private and corporate collections throughout the country including Widener University, Morgan Stanley, Lenfest Foundation, SmithKline, Saul Ewing, Drinker Biddle, Blue Cross and Core States Bank.

Tom Brady, Borrelli's Chestnut Hill GalleryTom Brady, Maggie’s Car Repair, oil on canvas, 30″ x 40″

Tom Brady’s paintings differ from the antiquated 19th century Philadelphia tradition of realism, the aesthetic associated with the teachings of the Academy. They are instead in the tradition of the Blaue Reiter and Fauvist art movements. This aesthetic emphasizes painterly qualities and strong color more than realistic representation. The metaphor created by Brady’s work speaks to the experience of the moment and to the place where reality meets abstraction..

Group Show in Center Gallery

Don’t Miss the exceptional Artists in Borrelli’s Chestnut Hill Gallery during the month of October, as well.  Featuring Helene Halstuch, Judy McCabe Jarvis, Dan Brewer and Betz Green.  Most will be on hand at 10/7 reception to greet and meet.  Please check the Gallery website for examples of their work.

Tom Brady, Borrelli's Chestnut Hill GalleryTom Brady, Through The Trees, oil on canvas, 28″ x 37″

Artist Statement

“Art always makes a political statement. Half of art is what you choose to paint, the other half how you paint it. I choose to paint workers, people on the streets, landscapes inhabited by family farmers invisible to the corporate life. I grew up the only son of a truck driver when unions equaled freedom and workers were crusaders in the cause.

On a chilly morning, I stand off to the side, color pastels and sketchbook in hand; people are huddled, waiting and watching; cabbies sip coffee; black suits rush by. The bus pulls up, the old guy stands, cane leading, he moves in line to board. The bus, the line, the man and the cane create the moment, and my frantic drawing begins.

In the studio with fifty colors and just as many brushes, music blaring, I attack the painting. All at once, creation in a moment, cover all the canvas, mark against mark, movement and counter movement, yellow always yellow, gobs of white, cans of turpentine, piles of rags. Paint over paint, colors upon colors makes new colors, sensuous and gestural. What are the essentials, what is real, what is important, what is true?

Two processes are intricately related, the initial inspiration of the street pastel and the physical transformation of the image into paint. These are simple processes as long as you are willing to throw out forty of the fifty initial pastels and from the few that are really are inspirational, willing to make fifty new preparatory drawings. Then you paint for 40 years, hope and pray and with a little luck, the culmination of the processes has magically taken on a life of its own.”

Check Out Tom’s Youtube channel for more samples of his work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AB0O5O9GJbE&t=2s

Thank you to Tom Brady for the content of this post.

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#POST2017

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Philadelphia Open Studio Tours 2017THIS OCTOBER: Explore. Discover. Connect with a vibrant artist community during Philadelphia Open Studio Tours

October 7: South | October 8: Northeast | October 14: Northwest | October 15: West | FROM NOON – 6:00 PM

PHILADELPHIA, PA – September 11, 2017. From October 7 through October 15, 2017 the Center for Emerging Visual Artists (CFEVA) will present the 18th annual Philadelphia Open Studio Tours (POST)—a behind-the-scenes look at a day in the life of a visual artist. Discover Philadelphia’s creative gems—artist studios, house galleries, maker spaces and community workshops—as hundreds of artists throw open their doors and bring the artistic process front and center in twenty Philadelphia neighborhoods.

POST is a community building initiative designed to strengthen bonds within the visual artist sector, foster meaningful interaction between artists and the public, and promote a greater awareness for the creative minds that make Philadelphia a vibrant place to live, work, and visit. New this year, POST is four distinct quadrants: South, Northeast, Northwest and West. The program spotlights the vitality of each neighborhood’s visual arts scene and underscores the important contributions artists make to our city’s economy and civic life.

Philadelphia Open Studio Tours 2017Lucas Kelly by Matthew Bender

Great for all ages, POST makes connecting with local artists easy in an approachable and easy-to-navigate, self-guided tour over two consecutive weekends. The program provides attendees with a rare glimpse at the creative process through open studio visits, hands-on demonstrations, workshops, artist discussions, receptions, guided tours, and featured exhibitions. No other open studio event in the region provides a rich and diverse cultural experience to the public, free of charge.

Philadelphia Open Studio Tours is made possible with generous support from Sonesta Hotel Philadelphia, myCIO Wealth Partners, LLC, Reed Smith LLP, University of Pennsylvania and 40ST Artist-in-Residence Program. Additional support is provided by Brandywine Realty Trust, Stifel, MJB Wealth Management, The William Penn Foundation, Philadelphia Cultural Fund, and the Independence Foundation. Promotional support is provided by Fireball Printing, HeavyBubble, Metro Philadelphia, ici, and Design Philadelphia.

The Center for Emerging Visual Artists receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. 

Philadelphia Open Studio Tours 2017Rachel Constantine by Mae Belle Vargas

Featured Exhibitions and Events

Comprehensive festival information is available at philaopenstudios.org, the best source for the most up-to-date details about participating artists, venue locations, and events. Audiences can search POST participants alphabetically by last name, geographically by neighborhood, and thematically by type of work or media. Printed Directories are available for free at all participating POST venues starting in mid-September. CFEVA and ici are proud to offer studio visitors a free POST mobile app and smartphone guide, powered by the ici platform. Information about the mobile app and smartphone guide is online at www.icihere.com, or by following the ici User Guide, available immediately after download.

SOUTH

POST @HBHQ

October 7 to 8 │ NOON to 6PM

Reception: October 8 │6 to 8PM

Featuring Elena Bouvier, Bill Brookover, and PD Packard. @HBHQ is an exhibition, workshop, and demonstration space housed at 1241 Carpenter Studios, and curated by the artist team at Heavybubble.

1241 Carpenter St, 3rd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19147 │heavybubble.com/hbhq

Da Vinci Art Alliance (DVAA) OPEN HOUSE

October 7 │ NOON to 5PM

Get in the Halloween spirit early with Da Vinci Art Alliance (DVAA)! Enjoy an afternoon of art-making, cider-sipping and glass pumpkin patch picking all while supporting DVAA, Tyler School of Art, and CFEVA’s Philadelphia Open Studio Tours. Featuring Periphery”, a group of multi-disciplinary artists whose production and conceptual queries are articulated on the outer boundaries of their material communities.
704 Catharine St, Philadelphia, PA 19147 │ www.davinciartalliance.org

Philadelphia Open Studio Tours 2017POST Artist Katherine Fraser in her studio at 319 N. 11th St.

NORTHEAST

Over the Rainbow

August 20 to October 15
Artist Talk: October 15 │ Noon
Featuring new work by CFEVA Fellow Mi-Kyoung Lee

ArtBox at Shirt Corner │ 259 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19106 │ www.cfeva.org

Glen Foerd on the Delaware

October 8 │Tour/Artist Talk: 11AM & 12:30PM Reception: 4 to 6PM
Featuring installations by Talia Greene, Lewis Colburn, Myung Gyun You, and Aislinn Pentcost-Farren with Camp Little Hope. 2017-18 Resident, Karina Puente, will be working on site.

5001 Grant Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19114 │ www.glenfoerd.org

Old City Fest

October 8 │11AM to 6PM

Old City Fest is a celebration of art and design, fashion and food, creativity and culture on the streets of America’s most historic square mile.

3rd and Arch St │ www.oldcitydistrict.org/oldcityfest

NORTHWEST

LandLab

October 14 │ NOON to 6PM

A partnership between The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education (SCEE) and CFEVA, LandLab Residents will spend the next year engaging with SCEE’s property, conducting research, and developing creative installations that intervene with the land. Visit them during POST f to learn more about ways in which they will be working to remediate the ecological issues found in the 340-acre wooded property.

Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education │ 8480 Hagy’s Mill Rd, Philadelphia, PA 19128 │ www.schuylkillcenter.org

Local Engagement at Awbury Arboretum
September 20 to October 20 │ 9AM to 5PM
Post-POST Reception: October 19 │ 6:30 to 8:30 PM

Awbury Arboretum is a historic landscape in Northwest Philadelphia that is free and open to the public 365 days a year. The parlors of the beautiful Francis Cope House will feature 2017 POST Northwest artists.
Awbury Arboretum │ One Awbury Rd, Philadelphia, PA 19138 │www.awbury.org

WEST

CFEVA@Sonesta

Through December 31 │ Artist

Featuring works by: Henry Bermudez, Andrea Krupp, Robert Miller, and Dolores Poacelli.

Sonesta Hotel │1800 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19103 │www.sonesta.com

40ST Artist-in-Residence

October 15 │ NOON to 6PM

A year-long studio program catering to West Philadelphia. Residents include Santiago Galeas, Khiry W. Worrell, Serena Muthi Reed, Josh Graupera, and Margaret Kearney.

4007 & 4013 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104 │ www.40streetair.blogspot.com

For Our Ancestors
October 9 to November 14
Artist Talk: October 15 at 2:00 PM

Featuring new photographic pop-up books by Colette Fu that “speak, mediate, express, delight and inform.” Constructing pop-ups allows Fu to combine intuitive design and technical acuity with her love of travel and curiosity about the world around her.

CFEVA │ 237 S 18 St, 3A, Philadelphia, PA 19103 │www.cfeva.org

Philadelphia Open Studio Tours 2017

About CFEVA

With of mission to cultivate, nurture, and advance the careers of emerging visual artists while simultaneously expanding opportunities for the public to discover and connect with art, CFEVA’s services are designed to: raise the profile of Philadelphia’s professional artists, foster artistic experimentation and innovation, and showcase how vibrant artistic communities boost cultural tourism and foster economic development. Through fellowships, residencies, educational outreach, exhibitions, professional development, and city-wide events, CFEVA provides artists with the tangible resources needed to develop viable and sustainable careers.

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Explore Philadelphia’s visual arts community this October with POST, a free citywide event. #POSTPHL #POST2017
Hundreds of artist workspaces open this October during Philadelphia Open Studio Tours! #POSTPHL #POST2017

Thank you to CFEVA for the content of this POST.

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