Photo West Gallery @ 3625 West Lancaster Ave currently is exhibiting “Photography – Out of the Blue“, works by 25 Philadelphia photographers and artists.  With works including multimedia, assemblage and conceptual art, Out of the Blue includes a broad range of art using photographs as their basis; the show runs through April 20th.  DoN has discovered that West Philly is totally cool; it’s not just the Science Center, the Bridge and the ICA anymore.

Untitled by John Schlesinger @ Photo West Gallery

Trippy Indian Snapshots by Nancy Lisagor @ Photo West Gallery

DoN then zoomed back to Center City’s Plastic Club, 247 South Camac Street, to view works by Eleanor J. Hall.  Previously Ms. Hall has participated in group shows at Art Around Gallery, the October Gallery in Old City and ArtJaz Gallery but this was her first solo show and she took full advantage of the historic space.  The walls were covered with lovely florals, still lifes done in acrylics, sensual nudes in pastels, crisp pencil studies and smart shaped canvases of abstracts, figures and animals.  Even though Hall has returned to painting after a long career in business, she’s surely making up for lost time with exuberance and style.

Eleanor J. Hall (right) with her granddaughter at The Plastic Club.

Shaped canvas by Eleanor J. Hall.

Back in West Philly, DoN visited the extraordinary ViX Emporium @ 5009 Baltimore Ave; the place was packed with guests munching on snacks while gleaning the array of pottery, prints, clothing, jewelry and art.  Everything was priced right, especially the fine pottery by Steven J. Hoke and the darling Starling fabric prints by Rebecca Westcott (with all the proceeds from sale of the prints going to Morris Animal Shelter – cool.) 

Prints and pottery at Vix Emporium.

Fabric prints and jewelry @ Vix.

DoN continued on to the opening night gala @ Studio 34, a stunning space located on the second floor of 4522 Baltimore Avenue.  The space boasts a lounge area with a stage for entertainment, a huge gallery space with an excellent show by the Midwives Collective called “Finding Blue“, reiki healing and wellness rooms and a pilates studio.  Friend of DoN, Fran Staret is the resident reiki master.  The art show is exceptional with paintings, photography and sculpture by 14 artists; blue is a recurring theme, artists riff on the luminosity of the color which plays nicely off the theme at Photo West and the ongoing Democraticpresidential race.  Philly is truly blue right now.

Guitarist Walt Bibinger, and jazz singer Jessi Teich, entertaining the crowd at Studio 34.

The art gallery/dance room @ Studio 34: Yoga | Healing | Arts.

Shining Chance by Christiana Kugel @ Studio 34.

DoN has art on display at First Impressions Gallery in Salem, NJ including a cityscape of West Broadway; curator Mary Wolfe is preparing for 2nd Friday, April 11th.  Her last exhibition made front page news and is helping revitalize this historic South Jersey town.

Oil paintings by DoN Brewer and Jeff Samuels @ First Impressions in Salem, NJ.

Drawing by DoN and paintings by Mary Wolfe @ First Impressions Gallery.

DoN is pleased and honored to announce that one of his paintings is included in the 145th Annual Exhibition of Small Oil Paintings at the Philadelphia Sketch Club, 235 South Camac Street, Philadelphia, reception Sunday, April 6th 2-5PM. The exhibit is on through April 27th.

Friends of DoN, Reta Sweeney, painter and Lucartha Kohler, glass sculptor have a show called Light & Color at Gallery 50, 50 East Commerce Street, Bridgeton, NJ, April 2 – 25th, reception Friday April 4th, 6 – 9 PM.

Friend of DoN, Aida Berzins is included in Izstade, Celebration of Latvian Art at the Philadelphia Society of Free Letts, 531 North 7th Street across from the Edgar Allan Poe House.  Aida is a fine painter who sold out her last show, DoN will review the exhibit for the next DoNArTNeWs.

LoVe

DoN

All photographs by DoNBrewerMultimedia Photography except where noted. 

 DoNArTNeWs 3/23/08 Alden Cole’s is a luminarist which means he creates unusual light sculptures; not really lamps but fantastical constructs of lamp parts, glass globes and LEDs.  Cole has an exhibit of about 20 pieces at Home and Planet  at 25 East 3rd Street, Bethlehem, PA.  Home and Planet’s motto is “High Style, Earth Friendly” and Cole’s stylized constructs fit right in with the bottle cap tramp art, recycled street signs turned into tables and chairs and South American folk art.  Gallery owner Jon M. Clark is currently the cover model for Lehigh Valley Style Magazine, now that is stylin’ to the max.  Clark is a Philadelphia native (a member of the Dumpster Divers art collective) and has established his gallery as the hub of the burgeoning art scene revitalizing downtown Bethlehem. The rear gallery space of Home and Planet is dedicated to outsider artist Jim Bloom.                        Bloom’s art is hyperactive, bold, scary and inspiring; DoN could tell that Bloom paints to relieve the pain of life as an artist.  Bloom paints wildly on whatever material is at hand whether it’s canvas, cardboard boxes or even paper plates; each piece tells a bit of his personal history from family trauma, school bullying, personal relationships…it’s all out there, often with words scrawled across the image provoking inappropriate church laughter.  Some of the paintings are signed August since Bloom’s Dad thought artists would ruin the family name – DoN totally identifies.  Jim Bloom‘s art is featured in the Winter edition of Gaydar Magazine.                                     DoN promised coffee shop art and Darlings Coffee House satisfies the craving with a superlative show by David Katz at Darlings Coffee located at 20th and Pine Streets in Philadelphia.  The shop walls are covered in a variety of canvas’ all based on the theme of stylized ducks against a canary yellow sky.  Darling’s has a history of promoting area artists and this show demonstrates their willingness to let the artist really express themselves.  DoN had the first art installation at Darlings when they first staked out 404 South 20th Street several years ago – Darlings also produce Philly’s Best Cheescake and have the awards to prove it. Gallery 339 has a new show of photographs by Amanda Means of light bulbs and glasses of water.  This superb space promotes the best in contemporary photography, probably the premier art photo gallery in the region with a wonderful collection of prints.  339 is located at 330 South 21st Street, in DoN‘s neighborhood.Artist, Ben Cohen has a show called Changing the Planet opening April 2 – 27 @ Home Fine Art Gallery, 2 Church St., Mt. Holly, reception Friday April 11, 6 – 8PM.Artist  Burnel Yow! exhibits mandala art at Balance Gallery 112 South 20th Street, Philadelphia through the end of March.
Photography Out of the Blue opens Friday March 28th @ Photo West Gallery, 3625 Lancaster Avenue, Philadelphia PA, featuring a large group of Philly photographers including friends of DoN, Randy Dalton & Amy Potsic and 23 more.  The party starts at 5-8PM, Don will see you there.                          LoVeDoN