Category Archives: Paintings Philadelphia

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

Niki Bombshell @ The Beauty Shop Cafe

Niki Bombshell @ The Beauty Shop Cafe

Niki Bombshell @ The Beauty Shop Cafe, 20th & Fitzwater Street.

Niki Bombshell @ The Beauty Shop Cafe

Niki Bombshell, Hands, oil & ink on canvas board, 9.5 x 12.5″.

Niki Bombshell @ The Beauty Shop Cafe

Niki Bombshell, Word Vomit, ink & pencil on paper.

Niki Bombshell @ The Beauty Shop Cafe

Niki Bombshell, Outline (Purple), ink on canvas.

Niki Bombshell @ The Beauty Shop Cafe

Niki Bombshell @ The Beauty Shop Cafe.

The Beauty Shop continues their history of promoting exciting new artists; the current show by artist/illustrator/designer Niki Bombshell combines brutalist abstract expressionism, naive primitivist drawings and bold drippy paintings.  Unframed and tacked to the walls, the works are real eye-catchers and very reasonably priced.  DoN especially enjoyed the sloppy hand-written labels and the total lack of self consciousness in presentation; you can tell the artist loves splashing paint, layering images, ripping the edges and moving on to the next project.  And, oh yeah, the coffee is great – The Beauty Shop Cafe has totally transformed the neighborhood from a place to avoid to a destination for hipsters, moms and geeks – thanks Jon!

DoN Brewer – Philadelphia Open Studio Tours 2009

DoN Brewer & Arthur OstroffDoN Brewer with artist Arthur Ostroff @ DoNBrewerMultimedia, POST – X, 2009.

Mina Smith-Segal

 

Artist, Mina Smith-Segal checking out DoN’s central command post.  Mina leads the studio workshops at the Philadelphia Sketch Club.

 

Clif AndersonArtist, Clif Anderson visited DoN‘s open studio with his lovely wife Henny.  Clif is a terrific musician and artist, his work will be on display at Bryn Mawr Rehab Center’s annual exhibit, Art Ability fearturing work by artists from around the world – opening 11/7/2009.

POST 2009

Neighbor Melody, DoN & artist/framer/teacher Rob Stauffer @ DonBrewerMultimedia POST-X 2009.

POST 2009

Photographer, Morris Klein @ DoN‘s POST open house.  Klein is VP of The Photographic Society of Philadelphia.

Saturday afternoon, DoN hosted more than 25 visitors to his studio – art dogs KaTy & Doofie (the St. Bernard/Chihuahua mix)  guarded the gate and made sure all visitors are dog lovers.

DoNBrewerMultimedia – POST-X 2009

DoN Brewer

DoN Brewer, self portrait, acrylic, collage, 1976.

Ben Cohen

Ben Cohen, pastel, 2008.

Kim Martin

Kim Martin, oil, 2009.

Mike Guinn

Mike Guinn, pencil, 2009.

Karl Olsen

Karl Olsen, oil, 2009.

Paul DuSold

Paul DuSold, oil, 2007.

Alden Cole

Alden Cole, oil on wood, 2008.

POST 2009

Michael Tantaros, pencil, 2009.

Participating in the annual Philadelphia Open Studio Tours means really putting yourself out there for all to see.  Being an artist model also puts one under a focussed gaze, the experience inspired DoN to ask some of his artist friends to contribute works created when DoN modeled at The Plastic Club and the Philadelphia Sketch Club.  Thank you to all the fine artists who provided their work, it feels so narcissistic but DoN LoVeS the attention!

Legacy of Leonardo

DoN Brewer, self portrait, charcoal, chalk & conte on paper @ The Da Vinci Art Alliance.

Kim Martin & Karl Olsen – Make me Crazy, Make me Think @ The Plastic Club

Kim Martin & Karl Olsen - Make me Crazy, Make me Dance @ The Plastic Club

Collaborative paintings by Kim Martin & Karl Olsen in the upstairs gallery/studio of the venerable Plastic Club allowing the large scale unmounted paintings pride of place.  Many visitors to the club remarked how the space looked so chic, like an atelier in Paris.

Kim Martin & Karl Olsen - Make me Crazy, Make me Dance @ The Plastic Club

Kim & Karl worked together for eleven months to produce the fantastical installation of paintings; the first floor gallery is dedicated to works created by the artists as individuals with the room split right down the middle.

Kim Martin & Karl Olsen - Make me Crazy, Make me Dance @ The Plastic Club

 Al Gury said he liked this collabo the best because of the composition.  Even though the distinct styles are visible, the two halves work together as a cohesive whole.  The simple materials, limited palette, fast hand and apparent mind-meld produced this trippy drawing.

Kim Martin & Karl Olsen - Make me Crazy, Make me Dance @ The Plastic Club

This painting was one of the duo’s latest collaborations with no restraint, no bumping elbows, no hard feelings even if one painted out the others favorite patch, it’s also one of the first collaborations they started.

Kim Martin & Karl Olsen - Make me Crazy, Make me Dance @ The Plastic Club

Karl Olsen’s self portrait is reminiscent of Ralph Stedman, Hans Bellmer and Thomas Hart Benton’s prediliction to distortion, confusing perspectives and introspective investigation.