Tag Archives: Philadelphia Art News

Encaustics

Tremain Smith, New Works, Encaustics and Mixed Media at Rosenfeld Gallery

November 2nd – 23rd, 2014, Rosenfeld Gallery, 113 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106

“Tremain Smith‘s major media since the 80’s has been encaustic with mixed media. She was the first artist in my gallery to work with hot wax and has developed many technical innovations over the years. She is inspired by a wide range of spirituality from many times and places. The work is always abstract usually with geometric imagery. The recent work explores the usage of the grid.” – Richard Rosenfeld

“Tremain Smith has four works in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Her work is in corporate and private collections across the country. She has had dozens of solo exhibitions in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Scottsdale, Maine, Delaware, Florida and Hawaii. Group exhibitions include SOFA Chicago, Art Miami, the Painted Bride, the Philadelphia Art Alliance, and the USArtists American Fine Art Show. Smith was awarded a 3-month artist residency in 2004 at the McColl Center for Visual Art in Charlotte, North Carolina. She taught encaustic painting at the Penland School of Crafts in 2006 and will be again in 2015, as well as at the Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill and R&F Paints in 2014.”

Encaustic painting, also known as hot wax painting, involves using heated beeswax to which colored pigments are added. The liquid or paste is then applied to a surface—usually prepared wood, though canvas and other materials are often used. The simplest encaustic mixture can be made from adding pigments to beeswax, but there are several other recipes that can be used—some containing other types of waxes, damar resin, linseed oil, or other ingredients. Pure, powdered pigments can be used, though some mixtures use oil paints or other forms of pigment. – Wikipedia

Tremain Smith, Encaustic Painting

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Plaza

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Plaza Artist Materials, Hands on Creativity, Encaustics

Plaza Artist Materials, Hands on Creativity event brought together Philly art experts with high quality art materials for a weekend of fun, education and creativity in the well stocked art supply store on Chestnut Street. As I moved from table to table chatting with presenters I learned about encaustics, oil paints, acrylics, colored pencils, fabric dye and more. Store manager Suzanne Knodle introduced me to the Plaza Artist Materials President/owner Eric Zelenko and we talked about the business of selling art supplies.

“We have thirteen stores in six states. It’s an interesting story how we came to Philadelphia. People really don’t know that much about us, so, what we want to be able to do is let people know that there are additional options for people who are creating art. The Hands on Creativity event is typical of the things we want to do, so that people can come in and play with the stuff. Because artists like to explore and experiment.”

Plaza Artist Materials, Hands on Creativity, Faber Color Pencils

The market for art supplies in Philly has changed a lot. Pearl disappeared, I used to spend at least $100. every time I went in there, I don’t know how they decided to close. Utrecht is gone and there’s no parking near Blick’s.

“You know, the way I look at it, our job is to do the best we can do. And take as much feedback from customers as we can and if that means adding product or helping them understand how to use it, that’s what we’ll do. Every person we have working here is an artist.”

Your store is in a great location, the neighborhood in West Philly is becoming the arts destination that it deserves to be.

“It’s really interesting because, as you can see, Drexel and Penn are in a massive building zone and there are all these neighborhoods around where a lot of students live. The hope is, and the schools are committed, too, to bringing people back into the city so that this doesn’t turn into sort of a ghost town. And so these neighborhoods are becoming populated with great people. Philly is a great city, it’s a funny place, I’m from New York originally and I live in D.C. now, but Philly is a city that people really love and can live in, it’s really vibrant. Not like other cities that don’t really know what they want to be. To me, Philly is very vibrant and people really live in their neighborhoods.”

Plaza Artist Materials, Hands on Creativity, Liquitex acrylics

“My hope, with all the commitments that the schools are making, that this becomes a place that people want to wander around. There are lots of people on the street. I see people walking their dogs, so they must live close by.”

Just a few years ago this was not a neighborhood I would wander around in.

“I know, I remember when I was in college, I had some friends here, and people would say this was a terrible neighborhood. And look at it now, right?”

What are your future plans for this location?

“We’ve been here just a little over a year, we just passed the year mark. I think we’re settling in and I think it’s about making as many connections to the artist community as we can, introducing ourselves and supporting the artists in a variety of ways. People who create art, one of the things that has always struck me, is that if you look at great artists, people want to connect with each other.

I’m sure they’re competitive in some ways but the people who create art seem to need to commune. Hopefully, what we can do is be a place where people come together to do that. By the way, we have all these bare walls and we want to invite people to exhibit their work. We’ve done some things with Drexel, but that’s something we will be doing more of.” – Plaza Artist Materials President/owner Eric Zelenko

Plaza Artist Materials, Hands on Creativity

Thanks Plaza Artist Materials for all the great swag! I took home oils and solvents from Gamblin, acrylics from Liquitex, Canson pastel paper, Rembrandt pastel sampler, 1980 oils and loads of informative materials. The presenters really took time to educate me on the benefits of the products they demonstrated and possible hazards to avoid. I did not know that you should never clean your brushes with turpentine if you’re using cadmium paint because it can cause the toxins to seep into your skin.

Next time you are shopping at Plaza Artist Materials say, ‘Hi’, to store manager Suzanne for me.

Plaza Artist Materials is located at 3200 Chestnut Street, Retail E, Philadelphia, PA 19104, on the Drexel University Campus on the south side of Chestnut Street between 32nd and 33rd Streets.

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Day	Open	Close
Monday	9:00 am	7:00 pm
Tuesday	9:00 am	7:00 pm
Wednesday	9:00 am	7:00 pm
Thursday	9:00 am	6:00 pm
Friday	9:00 am	6:00 pm
Saturday	9:00 am	6:00 pm
Sunday	12:00 pm	5:00 pm

Face

History and New Technology Join Forces in Face Value at Main Line Art Center

Featuring Nick Cassway, Mark Khaisman & Steven Earl Weber

October 6 – November 5, 2014

Artist Talk and Reception: Friday, October 10, 5:30-8:30 pm

Curated by Amie Potsic, Executive Director of Main Line Art Center
Presented in partnership with Pentimenti Gallery and DesignPhiladelphia 2014

From man’s first sketches on the cave wall, to the rise of the “selfie,” the portrait has been an ever-present subject matter for artists. The power of the portrait to tell a story, illuminate social injustices, or capture a moment in time lies in the pictorial representation as well as the media and process by which it was made. In Face Value, presented at Main Line Art Center October 6 to November 5, artists Nick Cassway, Mark Khaisman, and Steven Earl Weber uniquely approach portraiture and social commentary through the manipulation of packaging tape, computer cut stencils, and printed glass. Referencing film noir, Khaisman will be exhibiting his signature lightboxes as well as a site specific installation on nine windows in the gallery. Cassway will be exhibiting a new series based on a civil war drama created with his analog-to-digital-to-analog process that incorporates drawings edited together in Photoshop and output to computer cut stencils with house paint and metal leaf. Influenced by early photographic processes and his immediate surroundings, Steven Earl Weber’s new work will be seen as shadows reflected on surfaces from mirrors and panes of glass to illicit empathy and identification with his subjects. All three artists look to the past for inspiration and embrace new technologies in production to create compelling and surprising work that is both timely and timeless.

Face Value is curated by Amie Potsic, Executive Director of Main Line Art Center, and is presented in partnership with Pentimenti Gallery, of Old City Philadelphia, as part of the DesignPhiladelphia Festival. The Art Center will host an artist talk on Friday, October 10 from 5:30 to 6:30 pm, followed by a public reception from 6:30 to 8:30 pm featuring fare from Cricket Catering and samplings from the center’s wine sponsor, Barefoot Wine & Bubbly. The artist talk, reception and gallery visits are free and open to the public. The gallery is open Monday through Thursday from 10 am to 8 pm, and Friday throughSunday from 10 am to 4 pm. Additional programs for Face Value include a Screenprinting on Non-Traditional Surfaces workshop with Steven Earl Weber on Wednesday, October 8 from 6:30 to 9:30 pm; Analog to Digital to Analog Drawings workshop with Nick Cassway on Wednesday, October 22 from 6:30 to 9:30 pm; and a workshop on Painting with Packing Tape with Mark Khaisman on Wednesday, November 5 from 6:30 to 9:30 pm. For more information about these programs and registration, visit www.mainlinert.org or call 610.525.0272.

Mark Khaisman “Lauren and Marilyn”. Packaging tape on acrylic panels with translucent resin light boxes 47.5” x 27” x 6” © Mark Khaisman 2014

Born in the Ukraine, Mark Khaisman studied art and architecture at the Moscow Architectural Institute and now lives and works in Philadelphia. Khaisman worked for several decades in architecture, animation, and stained glass design. In 2005, Khaisman began exhibiting his signature tape works. His artwork has been exhibited and published internationally with exhibitions at Pentimenti Gallery in Philadelphia; Volta Art Fair in New York; Ampersand Foundation PF in Barcelona, Spain; Contemporary Istanbul Art Fair; The Science Museum in London, England; and Vitra Design Museum, in Weil am Rhein, Germany. His works have been acquired by The West Collection, NBC, British Airlines, and The Delaware Art Museum. Additionally, his work has been featured in, Wired Magazine, Flush Magazine, and the Huffington Post.

Nick Cassway, Portrait of the Young General, latex and metal leaf on panel, 17.5″ x 22″,© Nick Cassway 2014

Nick Cassway received a BFA in painting from the Tyler School of Art in 1990. He has exhibited his drawings, prints, and site-specific installations both locally and nationally with recent solo exhibitions at James Oliver Gallery in Philadelphia. His work has been featured in The Philadelphia Inquirer, the ArtBlog, Grid Magazine, and Art News. Cassway is deeply vested in the Philadelphia arts community and was formerly the executive director of NEXUS/foundation for today’s art. He currently teaches computer graphics, editorial design, and brand identity at Drexel University’s Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts and Design, and is a current Fellow in CFEVA’s Visual Artist Fellowship program.Steven Earl Weber,“Untitled”, screen print on glass, spray paint, black house paint, 18 “x 18”, 2014 © Steven Earl Weber 2014

Steven Earl Weber received his BFA from Kent State University and his MFA from the University of Delaware. A resident of Philadelphia, his sculptures and installations have been exhibited locally and internationally with exhibitions at Summerhall Arts, Edinburgh, Scotland; Roxy Art House & The Demarco European Art Foundation, Edinburgh, Scotland; Hunter College of Art, New York, NY; and The Painted Bride Art Center, Hidden City, and James Oliver Gallery in Philadelphia. Additionally, his work has been featured in The New York Times, The Scotsman Newspaper, and Art in America. Weber has been the Gallery Director at the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym Gallery, served as adjunct faculty at the University of Delaware and Drexel University’s Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts and Design, and is currently the Exhibition Designer at the Delaware Center for Contemporary Art.

Amie Potsic, curator of the exhibition, began her tenure as Executive Director of Main Line Art Center in July of 2012. Prior to that, she served as Director of Gallery 339 and Director of the Career Development Program at the Center for Emerging Visual Artists (CFEVA) in Philadelphia where she curated exhibitions and planned professional development programming for emerging and professional artists. Potsic has curated over 70 exhibitions at venues including The Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts and Moore College of Art & Design. Potsic is also an established photographic artist who has exhibited her work nationally and internationally. In addition, she is currently Chair of the Art In City Hall Artistic Advisory Board to the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Arts, Culture & the Creative Economy.

DesignPhiladelphia, a signature event of the Philadelphia Center for Architecture, is the oldest and largest design event of its kind in the country and annually showcases the work of over 400 practicing architects, designers, and creative professionals. Experience design in unexpected ways through more than 120 exhibitions, workshops, demonstrations, tours, talks, and events held in venues across the city. Learn about wide-ranging topics, including architecture, urban planning, landscape, graphic, multi-media, product, furniture design, fashion, and the like. This year’s Festival kicks off on the evening of October 8 and events run from October 9-17. For more information on planning an event, sponsoring, advertising, or attending the 2014 Festival, visit: designphiladelphia.org.

Pentimenti Gallery, located in Old City Philadelphia, features content driven contemporary art which challenges traditional materials and aesthetics by a line of internationally established artists alongside young talent. Over time, the exhibition program has broadened to encompass abstract and figurative aesthetics to innovative works created from unconventional materials. Throughout two decades, Pentimenti Gallery has maintained a commitment to process based work and elaborate craftsmanship. The gallery is regularly invited to participate at international art fairs such as VOLTA NY, PULSE NY, CONTEXT Art Miami, MIAMI PROJECT, TEXAS CONTEMPORARY. Pentimenti Gallery is located at 145 N. 2nd Street in Philadelphia. For more information, visit www.pentimenti.com or call215.625.9990.

Main Line Art Center is a welcoming and inclusive creative home where everyone is encouraged to create, experience, and discover the value of art. Committed to making art more accessible, the Art Center has over 75 years of experience presenting art programs for individuals of all ages and abilities, including a unique series of Accessible Art programs for children and adults with developmental and physical disabilities, at-risk youth, and low income families now celebrating their 50^th anniversary. Throughout the year, Main Line Art Center presents innovative, contemporary art exhibitions in their award-winning gallery, as well as exhibitions that celebrate community. Last year over 16,000 people chose Main Line Art Center as their home for creativity.

Main Line Art Center is located at 746 Panmure Road in Haverford, behind the Wilkie Lexus dealership just off of Lancaster Avenue. The Art Center is easily accessible from public transportation and offers abundant free parking. For more about Face Value, visit www.mainlineart.org or call 610.525.0272.

Face Value Artist Workshops:

Screenprinting on Non-Traditional Surfaces with Steven Earl Weber: Wed., Oct. 8, 6:30-9:30 pm

Analog to Digital to Analog Drawings with Nick Cassway: Wed., Oct. 22, 6:30-9:30 pm

Packing Tape Painting with Mark Khaisman: Wed., Nov. 5, 6:30-9:30 pm

Thank you to Amie Potsic for providing DoNArTNeWs with this report. Images used by permission of Main Line Art Center.

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Large Format Art, Philadelphia Sketch Club

The Large Format Art show at the Philadelphia Sketch Club may not have as many paintings as a regular group art show but there is certainly a whole lot more paint. The walls are covered with large works of art that have at least one length be a minimum of forty inches, the largest painting by RJ Haas is 60″ x 60″, the size limit that could fit up the stairs to the historic gallery. The juried exhibition offers the opportunity to show large artworks that often exceed size constraints for group shows.

“The Philadelphia Sketch Club “support[s] and nurture[s] working visual artists ” by providing studio space through our workshops program as well as by providing exhibition and networking opportunities; we support “ the appreciation of the visual arts ” by providing free public access to our exhibitions; we support “ visual arts education ” through our low cost, open enrollment workshop program; and lastly, we promote “ the historical value of the visual arts to the community ” by providing free public access to our historic collections and facility.”

Large Format Art, Philadelphia Sketch Club, Thomas Del Porte, Poseurs, 48″ x 60″. oil on canvas.

“Thomas Del Porte intends to tell a visual story within each stroke of paint. His paintings are made with thousands of little jeweled, thorn like curls, each stroke acting as an individual painting. He paints from direct observation in the attempt to capture a unique portion of the infinite qualities of light, line, color and spaces that nature provides. His goal is to communicate a visual quality that reveals something new within the movement and drama of the images he translates.” – Thomas Del Porte

Large Format Art, Philadelphia Sketch Club, Reagan Lake, Big Iris 2, 48″ x 30″, acrylic mixed media, Third Prize.

Exhibitions at the Philadelphia Sketch Club attracts artists from the region, the USA and the world. To exhibit your work in the gallery is resume worthy but to win a prize is a valued award with bragging rights. I especially liked the medallions with the club’s iconic logo, a wonderful keepsake and an elegant addition to the awards ceremony.

“The Archives of the Philadelphia Sketch Club contain information on individual artists and also on how they interacted in an organization that possesses a unique camaraderie. A key part of the archives is Seventy-Five Years of the Philadelphia Sketch Club, the club history of over 1,000 pages that was compiled in 1936 by Sidney Lomas. Another key part of the archives are the individual artists files that contain information and documents gathered over the years.” – Philadelphia Sketch Club

Large Format Art, Philadelphia Sketch Club, Ruslan Khais, Last Sorcery of Autumn, Red and Yellow, oil/acrylic on canvas, 30″ x 50″, First Prize Winner.

Ruslan Khais studied at PAFA and Republican College of Fine Arts – Chişinău, his brilliant canvas, Last Sorcery of Autumn, Red and Yellow, stood out from the glorious fields of color, texture and composition of the surrounding artworks by being at once abstract yet naturalistic. When the artist was awarded his medallion and certificate he was absolutely thrilled saying to the assembled crowd, “I love Philadelphia!”

Ruslan Khais – First Place Award
Deborah Riccardi– Second Place Award
Reagan Lake – Third Place Award
Bill Jersey – Honorable Mention
Susan Uccelletti – Honorable Mention
Anne Kantor Kellett – Honorable Mention

Large Format Art, Philadelphia Sketch Club through October 18th, 2014, 235 South Camac Street, The Avenue of the Artists, Philadelphia PA, 19107. Hours: Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday 1:00 – 5:00pm.

Also on view in the Stewart Room Gallery will be a joint exhibition by two of our members:

Janet Cooke : New and Old works
Bill Patterson : PSC Legacy Auction works and some of Bill Patterson’s art collections
Reception: Sunday Oct. 12, 2014, 2-4 PM at PSC

Written and photographed by DoN Brewer except where noted.

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