Category Archives: Philadelphia Sculpture

sculpture in Philadelphia

Philadelphia Open Studio Tours 2010 – Center City West

Lauren Sweeney edited her display of art for the Philadelphia Open Studio Tour so visitors could get a good grasp of her style. Lauren is a member artist of Gallery Twenty-Two and has established herself as one of Philly’s finest watercolorists, her prints and giclee’s are high quality and affordable. Sweeney’s studio was DoN‘s first stop on an art crawl through Center City West last weekend; this weekend is POST East of Broad Street.

Twenty-Two Gallery smartly participated in the annual open studio tour allowing art lovers to discover this gem of a gallery on 22nd Street; Derek Jecxz‘s large format prints are exquisite. Jecxz is a new member of the Twenty-Two Gallery.

Derek Jecxz @ Twenty-Two Gallery on the Philadelphia Open Studio Tour West of Broad the first weekend in October – a new show opens tomorrow, 10/08/10, with new work by Karen S. Davies.

Jacque Liu @ Area 919 in Cityspace @ 22nd & Chestnut Streets. Michael Garden of Area 919 is hosting Liu’s “drawings” made of folded mylar creating enlarged architectural details which meld beautifully into the fabulously ornate interior of the luxurious office space – Jacque Liu’s: An Abstraction of Details is on exhibit through 11/13/10.

Jacque Liu @ Cityspace Area 919.

Moe Brooker @ Sande Webster Gallery @ 2006 Walnut Street, Philadelphia. Moe Brooker’s bold, big abstractions look fantastic in the large main gallery space, it was a nice respite to sit in the quiet gallery and take in the stunning array of masterworks before setting out to see more studios. Charles Kalick is in the salon gallery.

Of course, DoN Brewer had to stop by Bonte’s Cafe @ 17th & Sansom Streets to check out his own one-person show of photographs called Dark Matter – a Photographic Society of Philadelphia event through 10/13/2010. The space offers PSoP members the opportunity to display their own work as long as it fits the 16 x 20″ format, the warm toned walls and intimate space is a perfect accent for the art work.

DoN‘s last stop of the day was at #1 on the Center City POST list – Jerry DiFalco and his etching filled studio. The bright room on the 9th floor is jammed with fabulous etchings for which DiFalco has gained wide-spread notoriety, the quality of his work is timeless and ethereal.

Jerry DiFalco is well known for his liturgical art which graces many places of worship; as the sun set over the Schuylkill River the light poured over the large golden painting in DiFalco‘s studio while Jerry and DoN chatted about DiFalco‘s true passion – teaching art. Jerry told DoN he was inspired by his visit to DoN‘s place last year – such a great compliment assures DoN will participate in next year’s tour.

Photos by DoN.

Seven – Da Vinci Art Alliance @ The Noyes Museum of Art

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Roz Bloom, Divided by Seven, mixed media and Bobbie Adams, The Seven Signs, ink @ The Noyes Museum of Art in Hammonton, NJ.

Liz Nicklus, The Mick, mixed media. Liz mixes media & metaphors with this clever assemblage, a memento mori mashed up with meme Micky Mantle, the narrative vibrates with liveness and death. Nicklus, a Da Vinci board member is an a accomplished muralist and educator, her determination and drive is inspiring.

Seven, a Da Vinci Art Alliance event @ The Noyes Museum of Art in Hammonton, NJ is a wonderful symbiotic relationship between a contemporary art space looking for work to show and a grass roots community art group of the stature of the South Philly art collective known as Da Vinci. The significance of the number 7 is explored in a myriad of media in the naturally lit large gallery, the opening night party was attended by board members of Stockton College, Noyes Museum Executive Director Michael Cagno, assistant to the director Brittany McPherson, Da Vinci board members and artists with the comfortable setting buzzing with conversation.

Seven, Da Vinci Art Alliance @ Noyes Museum of Art – Rex Sexton, Peter Seidel, Gerald DiFalco.

Alden Cole sandwiched between Carol Wisker‘s 3D mixed media sculpture, Yemaya Oqqutte:Goddess of the Seven Seas and Cole’s own epic painting, Burning Men, oil on canvas.

With the success of the Noyes Museum of Art in Hammonton, NJ, Stockton College is planning to expand into a nearby building with enough room for workshops, offices and galleries, Michael Cagno, executive director of Noyes told DoN he hopes to continue the relationship with Da Vinci Art Alliance with future events

Photos by DoN.

The Photograph that got DoN Banned on QBN.com

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DoN posted as donbrewer for almost 10 years on QBN.com, the design social network website formerly known as Newstoday.com. DoN occasionally posted links in the public forum on QBN to DoNArTNeWs stories that he felt were of interest to not just the Philly art scene but the global art, design & culture community. donbrewer participated in many Friday Photoshop Battles and two Newstoday Print Exchanges, sharing art with friends around the world and participating in the broad discussion about design and art.

QBN has blocked donbrewer from posting on the website and deleted his contribution to the history of the network. DoN appeals to QBN to restore his cyber-identity; if you are on QBN and you appreciated links to DoNArTNeWs stories, please let QBN know donbrewer’s posts belong in the public forum.

The photo is a closeup of a David Foss sculpture currently on display at LGTripp Gallery in Old City, Philadelphia. Censorship sucks.

Photo by DoNBrewerPhotography, 2010.

Bangkok & Black Light @ Smile Gallery

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Photo by Timothy J. Moersh.

Model Meredith Battite of ExploreTalent embodied the spirit of International Superstar Leon Rainbow‘s genius black light art show in the dark back room of Smile Gallery. The intense blue light is projected across the room with two big projectors and a Dan Flavin-like florescent mounted on the wall – the paintings vibrate with day glo color and bikini girl Meredith time tripping right out of Laugh In like a Goldie Hawn for the modern age. The similarities between then & now are nostalgic yet with a grok of how the futuristic 60’s was like while we fought the American War in Viet Nam compared to the exit this morning from Iraq – it’s a party @ ground zero, baby.

Jim Hancocks, Untitled, mixed media & black light in the back room @ Smile Gallery. Artists in the show include Leon Rainbow, Mike Ciccotello, Joe Iurato, Josi Luv 1, Aja Washington, Jim Hancocks, Papermonster, Dave Orantes, Demer, Kortez, Jon Connor & Will Kasso. Super-Kawaii!!

Bangkok & Black Light @ Smile not only stirred memories of the 60’s, in the trippy vibrant glow, dreams of absinthe drinkers and green fairies emerged from the purple haze.

Vichoke Mujdamanee

is using light in a completely different way, reflecting the ambient light off metal, embelleshed, hammered, painted and polished into ethereal worlds all unto themselves, each one gives a different feedback experience as you move about the gallery. The collision of hard edge metal reflections and the zany black light art creates a dynamic inversion of perception & reality like a Star Trek holo-lab.

Vichoke Mujdamanee, Philadelphia, mixed media @ Smile Gallery on 22nd Street near Chestnut.

Photos by DoNBrewerPhotography.

“Sculpting Nature” Featuring Career Development Program Fellows Susan Benarcik, R. Noel Shaak and John Woodin @ CFEVA

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Susan Benarcik installed thousands of toothpicks on the walls of the CFEVA Gallery @ 15th & Locust Streets as part of Sculpting Nature, a three person show of CFEVA Career Development Program Fellows . Benarcik’s wooden installation wraps around a corner paired with hanging tear-drop shaped sculptures made from white wire hangers, some of which were rusted from hanging in a private garden (hmm…do the initials E.T. come to mind?).

Susan Benarcik’s wire sculptures are light and airy yet angsty and filled with emotion casting shadows of doubt in the gallery’s alcove.

Susan Benarcik @ Sculpting Nature.

R. Noel Shaak‘s pen, ink & marker drawings are goth & Goethe mash-ups each telling an entire movies worth of narrative like some steam-punk Gorey for 2010.

John Woodin talked about how his vineyard photos are actually Long Island and not some exotic European country. The large scale photographs have a strange geometry, formal compositions drawn from informal resources like walking through a warm East Coast forest in summer. DoN knew the photos were Woodin before he knew they were Woodin, that’s style.

The cohesive show is an amalgam of styles each somehow tuned into the concept of nature changed by the gaze of people, Benarcik’s sculptures energize the room, Shaak’s drawings whisper weird secrets and Woodin’s photos traverse space and time.