Category Archives: Prints

Art prints by Philadeelphia area artists

Arthur Ostroff @ Montgomery

Philadelphia artist, Arthur Ostroff escorted fellow artist Jed Williams and DoN to see his one-person installation of prints and drawings at Montgomery County College Library which is continuing through 12/19. The college is in Pottstown PA, the library anti-room is spacious and bare, allowing Ostroff to install what amounts to be a retrospective of a career in graphic design and fine art since the late 1950s. There is a powerful image Ostroff painted of a fellow soldier, in uniform, ready for battle, the beautiful desire to create art lives in the painting: the artist as a young warrior battling for his life. On board a fighting sea vessel, Ostroff would trade his drawings of boats for beers to his fellow shipmates while sailing off to war. Other images in the show represent artistic growth and the development of expertise in method and procedure such as multi colored prints. DoN will post more on the show soon but strongly urges all who can to visit the Library at Montgomery County College not only to experience the fine art of Arthur Ostroff but to learn something new about the art venues outside of Philly who provide the opportunity for such an expansive show over 75 works of art by one artist, in one room. Artist, Arthur Ostroff. Arthur is so interesting, he has truly forged his own way as an artist in a highly innovative mode.

Under $100 @ Off the Wall @ Dirty Franks Bar

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Tonight is the opening of the Under $100 show at Off the Wall Gallery @ Dirty Franks Bar. DoN is delighted that his photo, Chick, has been selected by the jury to be included in the show. Chick was shot with a 35mm camera on black and white film, developed in the darkroom at Philadelphia University by DoN (gotta say that as much fun as Photoshop is theres nothing like un-spooling the film in complete darkness, then developing the negatives with liquid chemicals; whoever invented this process must have been touched somehow by a higher being). The negative was then scanned and enlarged in the computer and printed on pearlized photo paper on a digital printer. So even though in theory the image can be endlessly reproduced, the piece in the show is one-of-a-kind since the printer no longer feeds paper properly and the printer heads are worn out. DoN now uses Shutterfly for most of his photo printing and sometimes Kodak. Its so much more cost effective to produce art this way since all the hassles of paper jams and ink running out are handles by a vendor plus they do a really good job. DoN now uses the rather expensive Epson printer to print letters and such; maybe he shouldnt have tried to feed through that thick watercolor paper just to see how it would turn out.

In a Kerouac-ian manner, DoN is posting this from warm and rainy Florida, so he wont be at the opening tonight to hang out with the groovy art crowd Dirty Franks attracts but hopes that the party is fun and that Chick wont be coming home to roost in DoNs studio but will find a new home instead.

Download full size copies of the poster by clicking here. Chick is featured in the lower right.

Bobbie Diamond Adams, Mark Donahue, Melissa Quinter and Ted Warchal @ Hopkins House

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The Hopkins House Art Gallery is hosting a facinating exhibit of contemporary art by established and emerging Philadelphia area artists curated by Bruce Garrity of Rutgers University featuringBobbie Diamond Adams, Mark Donahue, Melissa Quinter and Ted Warschal. The gallery is located on the banks of the Cooper River in Camden NJ in an historic old stone house with sculptures on the lawn (shark fins swim through the grass) and sailboats glide on the river. The art assembled by Garrity in the warmly sun-lit space includes mixed media sculpture, experimental papers and innovative printing techniques on fabrics.

Bobbie Diamond Adams creates collographs on pigmented handmade paper, beautifully presented in hardwood frames, the creativity and craft of fine art prints is evident in each unique piece. Adams also has a “gaggle” of ceramics which the artist refers to as “organized chaos”.

“Ancestral Sands“, pigmented pulp with lithograph and xerox printing by Bobbie Diamond Adams @ The Hopkins House.

Bobbie Diamond Adams “gaggle of pottery @ Hopkins House.

Artists, Mark Donahue and Bobbie Diamond Adams @ Hopkins House Gallery.

Mark Donahue’s sculpture installation is composed of fiber and hydrocal without any armitures; Triffid-like the constructions seem infused with energy as if at night they creep about in the dark. Donahue includes ready-made plaster objects in the installation insinuating wit and satire into the mysterious fabrications. Paired with Melissa Quinter’s enormous orange panel on the wall, the room is like an alien landscape. More about Donahue later.

Melissa Quinter created each of the fabric patterns in her psychedelic quilt by various methods including scanning images, patterns and batiks then changing the colors and saturation in Photoshop and finally printing and quiltmaking. Boldly, the artist splashed day-glo green plasticized paint over the delicate handwork, obscuring and illuminating the pulsating patterns.

Melissa Quinter @ Hopkins House Art Gallery.

Mellisa also has several mixed media pieces in the show; working with fabric, collage and other media, she brings craft and fine art together in vibrantly luminous objects of desire. Working towards her Senior Thesis at Rutgers, this artist has pulled out all the stops mixing materials, techniques and media with abandon and enthusiam. Alden & DoN LoVeD the trippy, drippy paintings, Shoshka was eyeing up the wacky quilts – all of us were inspired by the inventiveness and clear sense of direction found in the art.

Ted Warchal’s wall-hung open boxes filled the first floor gallery space with dark, spooky combinations of images, objects and symbols. Dada-like and surrealistic, the found art constructs are each packed with synthetic narrative, poetic streams of consciousness and dream-like combinations of thought patterns. DoN has viewed several of Warchal’s art works at Da Vinci Art Alliance shows but this collection of variations on a theme is wildly unexpected in it’s intensity and drama. Warshal is expert at combining materials to create the elusive objet trouve.

“Fetish I“, mixed media, Ted Warshal @ Hopkins House.

Hopkins House is only 15 minutes from Center City; DoN suggests you scoot on over to Camden and check out some very cool art by established and emerging local talent.

NTPE4

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NTPE4 means NewsToday Print Exchange 4. Newstoday, which now is simply QBN.com , is a website where artists, designers and web coders network on-line. For the last four years someone organizes a print exchange with the first 20 people who sign up – the idea is to send 19 prints to other artists and they each send you one resulting in a collection of twenty artworks by some truly talented artists and designers from around the country. DoN has started receiving prints in the mail and it feels like Christmas in July; DoN will run a special edition of DoNArTNeWs featuring images of the works from NYC, Denver, Anaheim, Phoenix, OFallon, Il.,Brooklyn, Tampa, Portland, Or., Woodland Hills, Milwaukee…and of course, Philadelphia.

With all the art clubs in Philly, wouldn’t it be cool to so the same here? Let DoN know what you think. So far I’ve heard from Anthe – maybe we could do a drawing exchange.

Welcome America

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DoNArTNeWs – 7/6/8

Wednesday evening, Sho and DoN wandered over to the Sunoco Welcome America event on the Avenue of the Arts. Broad Street was closed off from the Academy of Music down to Dorrance Hall (the University of the Arts temple on Pine Street) with stages set up in each block featuring performances by Philadelphia International Records performing artists MFSB, Soul Survivors, Bunny Sigler and more. DoN totally flashed back to clubbing in Philly at theSecond Story, Harlow’s and the Catacombs – OMG! The Catacombs! – DoN would emerge from the underground as the sun came up after an entire night of disco dancing. But for Sho and DoN the draw was the artist’s booths set up along the avenue including Mark Campana, Charles Cushing, Lilliana Didovic and more.

Artist Mark Campana paints iconic scenes of Philadelphia; DoN spots him regularly in Rittenhouse Square, Fitler Square, Washington Square…in fact, Campana is probably the only painter DoN observes working plein air with such dedication. Mark’s work is wonderfully evocative of the cosmopolitan nature of the city, finding warm light, stealthy shadows and fine textures of buildings, trees and monuments with his oils and canvas.

Painting of Rittenhouse Square by Mark Campana @ Welcome America Celebration.

Campana is friends with Charles Cushing who had his tent set up along side his on Broad Street; Cushing was working on a painting of the Divine Lorraine Hotel on his French easel and drawing quite a crowd of admirers while he developed the theme of jazz musicians and dancers on the roof of the gothic manse. Charles also paints scenes of Philadelphia for which he has become quite well known – if you look around the city you’ll find Cushing images in the Kimmel Center, the Italian Market, and art stores, Charles sells excellent quality prints of city scenes including a new cityscape including the Comcast tower which seemed to be moving briskly. DoN is sure you’ve seen the images of the Victorian Lady entering the Bellevue Stratford or snowy scenes of Rittenhouse Square; Charles informs me he’ll be doing some painting in Finland this Summer – cool!

Charles Cushing painting The Divine Lorraine Hotel on the Avenue of the Arts.

Artist Jessica Barber helped with the booth for Charles Cushing @ Welcome America.

Charles is a good friend to many artists in town, he told DoN he speaks with Mark Campana almost everyday, he helped Jed Williams get a terrific gig at One Penn Center and was in the audience for Henry Martin’s concert on Forbidden Drive. Cushing is a real class act and a truly inspiring artist.

Lilliana Didovic, a board member of the DaVinci Art Alliance, had a tent with a wonderful display of her vivid paintings for the holiday event. Didovic is a dedicated artist and with a singular style and drive; looking like a rock star, Lilliana warmly greeted visitors and friends in the summer heat. Joseph, Lilliana’s devoted husband was on hand as usual – DoN really appreciates the support he offers his lovely wife as she works to develop her ouvre.

Lilliana Didovic, Rowan University’s Deb Miller and Ray Costello on the Avenue of the Arts.

Landscape painting postcards by Lilliana Didovic.

Steve Martin of CHARGESKATE.com

Charles Cushing recommended DoN check out Steve Martin‘s booth to discover original screen printed skate punk T-shirts with striking designs, unusual artistic quality and great prices. Martin is planning to move to the Deep South – Atlanta and such to pursue his graphic design skills as a tattoo apprentice. Meanwhile, check out his website, CHARGESKATE, for interesting skateboard and apparel designs; DoN bought the funky black one with the green scaley design (Steve wrote to DoN and advised him the pattern is a chevron).

T-Shirts from CHARGE on the Avenue of the Arts, Welcome America Festival.

Barbara Whiteman of the Philadelphia Doll Museum at the Welcome America Festival.

DoN tried to interview Barbara Whiteman about the Philadelphia Doll Museum located at 2253 North Broad Street but she was so busy helping eager customers with questions about the unusual Raggetty Ann’s, African beaded baby dolls and accessories that he agreed to stop by the museum one day to chat. The Philadelphia Doll Museum is one of America’s few museums dedicated to black dolls and their historic importance.

Photographer Jon Hagen of Wonderful Machine selling photographs on Broad Street.

DoN wanted to learn more about his business but the disco music was too loud – is that an oxymoron? Loud Disco Music? Check out Hagen’s stylish photography at WonderfulMachine.com. DoN did advise Jon to get out from behind his table; with Jon Hagen’s model good looks he should have no problem drawing in the ladies to buy some photos ; )

July Fourth, Shoshana and DoN traveled to NYC to have dinner with good friend and art collector, Dee Brodzik and partner John Renck. DoN delivered the photo Dee bought from his “light beings” exhibit at The Beauty Shop Cafe and was surprised to be part of an unveiling ceremony for his oil painting, “Three Bridges”, which Dee purchased during last year’s Philadelphia Open Studio Tours – what an honor to have a patron and friend to offer pride of place in such a wonderful art collection. Thank you, Dee – you are the best!.