Category Archives: Self Taught Artist

Artists who are self taught, outsider art

Coalition Ingenu Farewell Party

Leave a reply

Coalition Ingenu Self Taught Artist’s Collection

Coalition Ingenu Farewell Party and Relocation Fundraiser

As we near the final months of our 18 year history in Philadelphia, we cordially invite you to attend  a very special event at a very special place — the gated property surrounding the oldest standing residence in Philadelphia: The historic Thomas Wynne estate known as Wynnestay.

Live music, hot and cold buffet, beer and wine bar, silent auction and prize all on the grounds of the spacious and historic Wynnestay estate, 2335 North 52nd Street, Philadelphia PA, 19131.

Saturday October 19th, 2013, 1:00 – 5:00pm, $20.00 in advance, $25.00 at the gate.

Advance purchases of these reasonably priced tickets are important for attendance at our farewell party and relocation fundraiser, because we need to know how many to prepare for. We sincerely hope that all of you can attend.  Reservations for advance tickets can be purchased by visiting our web site at www.coalitioningenu.org.

Please give us this one last chance to say good-bye to the city of Philadelphia and help us to continue to provide opportunities for low income artists as we relocate to central Florida in December.

Sincerely   —- The Coalition Ingenu Self-Taught Artists’ Collective

Like Coalition Ingenu on facebook

Like DoNArTNeWs Philadelphia Art News Blog on facebook

Follow the new DoNArTNeWs.com

Follow DoN on Twitter @DoNNieBeat58

DoNArTNeWS on Tumblr

DoN Brewer on Pinterest

@donniebeat on Instagram

Affiliate Marketing [disclosure page] Shop on-line and help support DoNArTNeWs

Inside/Outside, Art by Prison Inmates & Ex-offenders – Art in City Hall

1 Reply

Art in City Hall - Inside/Outside

Morning Sun, Darrel Van Mastrigt, acrylic on canvas, courtesy of SCI Graterford.

Inside/Outside @ Art in City Hall is a juried exhibition of art created by Philadelphia prisoners and ex-offenders in cooperation with the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program.  Jurors Ona Kalstein and Michele Marcuse traveled to Graterford Prison several times to evaluate and select art created within the high walls of the prison system.  DoN was immediately drawn to the immediacy and sense of detail many of the pieces incorporated as if every little bit of the world around us is so important it must be memorialized.  The painting above is a typical street scene to any Philadelphian, just close your eyes and think about how much we ignore on your own street and what you would remember if you were not allowed to go home.

Art in City Hall - Inside/Outside

Mayor Michael Nutter explained how over the years prisoners have gifted him with portraits as thanks for visiting the prisons on New Years Day each year.  After the collection grew the Mayor suggested the Art in City Hall team take on the challenge of displaying the work resulting in an emotional, beautiful, historic and unique exhibition of art.

Art in City Hall - Inside/Outside

Bugs, Thomas Schilk, melted plastic spoons.  Using found objects, prison artists must glean materials from their environment, Schilk’s Bugs are fun, fantastic and subtle with realism and wit.

Art in City Hall - Inside/Outside

E. Sherman Hayman, Inside/Outside, Art by Prison Inmates & Ex-offenders @ Art in City Hall.

Glamorous guns depict the emotional reliance on weapons and the signification of the silhouettes is contemporary and on trend with embellished frames.  Showing images of guns in the show is a display of courage by the Art in City Hall team; guns are glamorized in pop & rap culture from Lady Gaga & Beyonce’s Video Phone music video to Michael Jackson’s Smooth Criminal to movies, TV and games – guns are sexy and scary.  By not editing content, the show offers a glimpse into the psyche of those attracted to weapons and violence.

Art in City Hall - Inside/Outside

A simple thing like watching a dog play at the beach is a pleasure lost when you’re incarcerated.  DoN can’t imagine being kept away from watching KaTy the ArT DoG & Lady Doofus play in the water.  DoN believes this  painting is by Bernardo Ruiz, the label slipped – if incorrect, please comment.

Art in City Hall - Inside/Outside

J. Johndi Harrell, Young Weezy, anyone who knows rapper Lil Wayne knows this portrait is superb with a hard look at a pop culture hero who’s spent time in jail yet is super-successful in the entertainment world creating a conundrum for young people who worship pop heroes.

Thanks so much to Tu Huynh, Art in City Hall Program Manager, the art shows in City Hall put a spotlight on the creative talent in Philly both Inside & Outside.  Kudos to Jane Golden and The Mural Arts Program for their outreach into the Philadelphia prison system and Mayor Nutter for connecting the dots in a way that helps prisoners and ex-offenders as well as the citizenry at large.  The show is free through October 29th, 2010 – go see some great art today.

DiPrinzio & Son @ Da Vinci Art Alliance

1 Reply

Michael DiPrinzio @ Da Vinci Art Alliance

Grotesque Profile / Dean’s Song, Michael DiPrinzio @ Da Vinci Art Alliance.

Michael DiPrinzio @ Da Vinci Art Alliance

Michael DiPrinzio encourages his son, Dean, age 5, to grab some art supplies and work with his Dad in the studio while he creates his abstract expressionist /naive primitivist paintings.  Unlike the Philly Dad who let’s his kid swig beer at a ball game, DiPrinzio is familiarizing Dean with the arts and culture of all kinds – Dean was a cool art star at the opening, drawing and posing for pictures.  DiPrinzio the Younger’s work was hung on clothes pins scattered around the gallery among DiPrinzio the Elder’s paintings.  Seeing familiar household objects and surfaces incorporated into DiPrinzio’s dream-scapes plucks on childhood nerves like time traveling back to a younger day when a clothes-pin was the coolest thing ever.

Michael DiPrinzio @ Da Vinci Art Alliance

Michael DiPrinzio, Give Thanks, A Heart Felt Toast @ Da Vinci Art Gallery in South Philly.

Michael DiPrinzio @ Da Vinci Art Alliance

Michael DiPrinzio, Year of the Rat @ Da Vinci Art Alliance. 

Michael DiPrinzio @ Da Vinci Art Alliance

Dinosaur by Dean DiPrinzio, crayon on ceiling tile.  Having a kid’s art perspective bouncing off the adult abstractions creates a vibration between childish mark-making and child-like abandon.

Michael DiPrinzio @ Da Vinci Art Alliance

With Dali-esque coloration, Michael DiPrinzio gets down & dirty with this large scale mixed media painting, the paint battles across the canvas, mixing like a wacko fractal model.

Learn more about the DiPrinzio family project @ the Da Vinci Art Alliance website including info on Daniel DiPrinzio‘s novel, “New U“.

Michael DiPrinzio @ Da Vinci Art Alliance

Untitled, Michael DiPrinzio @ Da Vinci Art Alliance @ 7th & Catharine Streets.  The gallery is a hidden gem in South Philly, offering artists the opportunity to have one-person or group shows along with themed members only exhibits throughout the year.  Just a few blocks from The Italian Market, Da Vinci Art Alliance offers contemporary art in a lovely town-house gallery across the street from Fleisher Art Memorial.

 

Photos by DoNBrewerPhotography.com

ArtFirst @ University of Princeton Medical Center

Leave a reply

artfirst

“Tiffany Wallops the Drome” by Bridgette Riversmith won an honorable mention award; DoN LoVeS the idea of whacking a monster with a frying pan, demonstrating the strength, fearlessness and determination of people living with disabilities.

ArtFirst is an artshow in it’s 7th year, developed with the intention of promoting artists living and working with disabilites; the show in the University of Princeton Medical Center was well attended by patrons resulting in sales and support for talented artists using art to express themselves whether they have to paint holding a brush with their mouth, reach out from a wheelchair or struggle with pain. The term disabled seems to be a misnomer when the quality of the art stands on it’s own – DoN is honored to be included in this outstanding cadre of talented artists.

artfirst

Musician Adam Parker-Lavine entertained the crowd with beautiful, unobtrusive music -if you need a musician for an event, this artist has a wide repertoire sure to entertain your guests.

The ArtFirst team put together an outstanding party, drawing patrons to the medical center to enjoy an open bar, fabulous food and dedicated volunteers who helped to make sure that the art sells.

artfirst

Philadelphia artist Clifton Anderson’s still life paintings are brilliantly colored, expertly painted and visually captivating. Clif is an art teacher in Philly, a member of the Philadelphia Sketch Club and a cello player with the Jefferson orchestra – this is one brilliant artist who doesn’t let a wheelchair keep him from doing anything. DoN was so pleased to see a friend at the show and to hear that he was explaining to patron’s that DoN‘s photos are award-winners, surely helping to make some sales. Thanks, Clif!

artfirst

Elayna Alexandra is a self taught artist working in digital media; her work incorporates drawings, photographs, digital manipulation and her own x-rays. Elayna won 2nd prize; DoN is inspired by her mixed media works and her willingness to expose the inner beauty of a disabling physical problem. The two of us kept high-fiving as sales, prizes and compliments came our way.
artfirst

“Girl with a Mirror“, sculpture by Arnie Segal. DoN & Arnie are developing a website for Philadelphia area artists with disabilities called NUVISIONS for Disabled Artists. Arnie encouraged DoN to participate in the show; it’s difficult to “out” oneself as a disabled person but this show is such high quality, so well managed and supported by kind and understanding leaders and patrons, it’s easier to deal with the stigma and continue to create art.

artfirst

Etching, “Each to it’s Own Kind” by Michael Jameson.

DoN chatted with a patron about the symbiotic relationship between crows & wolves, how they are totem animals and work together to find food. DoN advised her to buy it; at first she said she couldn’t afford it but all of a sudden she decided she couldn’t leave without this fine, expressive etching. The first rule of sales? Ask for the sale!

artfirst

DoN Brewer’s “light beings (Dora & Pablo), light being (Leo Seeger) & light being (Barbara Gittings)” @ ArtFirst, University of Princeton Medical Center.