DoNArTNeWs

2008 has been a big year for DoN: co-chair of the Absolutely Abstract committee at The Philadelphia Sketch Club, membership in the Plastic Club and the Da Vinci Art Alliance, paintings, drawings and photos included in shows at Off the Wall Gallery @ Dirty Franks and First Impressions in Salem NJ, a one-person show at The Beauty Shop Cafe, produced videos for Paul DuSold, Henry Martin and the Philadelphia Sketch Club, DoNArTNeWs is part of Culture Pundits and a successful open studio as part of Philadelphia Open Studio Tours.  

DoN with his grand-niece Jaelyn in Florida for the holidays. 

DoN has made so many new friends in the art world and is grateful to all who have supported his artistic ambitions.  A new member to DoN’s family along with Katy the ArT DoG is Doofie the Saint Bernard/Chihuahua mix who came to live with us because GadFly left our plane of existence to pester angels in the afterworld.  It was a difficult decision made quickly to include such a large animal in a tiny row house but Doof has brought so much love and affection to Katy and DoN that all the dog hair is worth it.  In these tough economic times it’s so important to help rescue animals from shelters; KaTy the ArT DoG is a rescue and the love she shares and the protection and safety DoN feels in her company is worth any price.Thanks and LoVe to Shoshana, Aldy, lola, Dee, John, David Foss, Barbara Murray, Mike Guinn, Lilliana Didovic, Karl Olsen, Anders Hansen, Mina Smith-Segal, everyone @ Center for Emerging Visual Artists, Helen & Joe, Debbie, and many others including my family who have whole-heartedly supported DoN throughout the year.

Peace & LoVe

DoN 

Two different artists named Patricia installed a fabulous collection of atmospheric naturalistic paintings by Trish O’Halloran and abstract expressionist works by Pat Burns creating a wonderfully stimulating atmosphere in Da Vinci Art Alliances gallery.  This was not the first time the two Patricias teamed up to put on a show; their palettes, technique and compositions complement and accent each other’s ouvre. 

Trish O’Halloran’s odalisque perfectly complements Pat Burns abstract canvas; the two paintings hanging together vibrate with the intensity of similar color and brushwork.  This grouping is a good example of the point of the show - that abstract and naturalistic art both evoke emotional responses in the viewer.

Pat Burns‘ small abstracts at Da Vinci Art Alliance.

Trish O’Halloran before one of her paintings at Da Vince Art Alliance’s Particia’s Times Two.  Apologies to Pat Burns, the photo DoN took has you with your eyes closed, my bad. 

Painting by Trish O’Halloran.  O’Halloran teaches art at the Main Line Art Center. 

 Art by Rwandan artists was also on display and for sale as a fundraiser and consciousness-raiser.  The exuberant paintings are poignant and emotional depicting life in war-torn Africa - there must be something we can do to help?  Da Vinci is selling the works to raise funds to send back to the artists in Rwanda.

The Plastic Club’s annual member’s exhibit brought out the best in the historic art club’s world class creations; from oils, to drawings, to watercolors to digital media, the Plastic Club allows each member to enter two pieces which were then juried and honored with awards.  The receptions at the Plastic Club are always fun and with the new six burner stove in the basement kitchen Bob Jackson’s monthly dinners are extra special. 

The Winners of the Plastic Club’s annual Members Exhibit. 

Members works at the Plastic Club’s Members Exhibit (that’s DoN’s oil painting of Bartram’s Garden on the right) 

Panoramic shot of the Plastic Club’s gallery/studio on the second floor of the historic space. 

Watercolor by Anders Hansen @ Plastic Club Members exhibit. 

The Plastic Club offers free membership to several student artists each year.  John Baccile, an undergrad at the University of the Arts, won first prize for one of his digital compositions (not this one).  The digital collages are printed on canvas and truly stood out from the crowd with vivid color, original compositions and masterful computer manipulation.  UArts is DoN’s alma mater, it’s gratifying to see wonderful new talent continuing to thrive on the Avenue of the Arts. 

Plastic Club’s members exhibit (that’s another one of DoN’s painting upper right). 

The Legacy Show & Sale at the Philadelphia Sketch Club is a fundraiser with club members donating art for the show.  Ostensibly the idea is for artists to unload some of their stock but DoN felt the tension of competition with each of the contributing artists donating work that somehow epitomizes their own particular style.  

Art by Lois Schlacter, Dorothy Roschen, DoN and others @ the Legacy Show @ PSC. 

McDonnell/Cortosi @ PSC Legacy Show.  The dynamic duo are showing @ Rodger Lapelle Galleries as well.

Dorothy Roschen @ PSC Legacy Show.

 Michael George Jerista @ PSC Legacy.

The Beauty Shop Café consistently displays forward thinking art, curator Jon has transformed this formerly dingy corner to a really nice hangout for locals.  The recent art opening for hobo orona, two art girls going to PAFA, each with their own distinct point of view, is quirky and deep.  The happening was fun and thoughtful, bringing out friends and neighbors to hear a local musician (whose name escapes me – I’ll get it soon.) The journals by Jamie with the repurposed book covers with lovely papers inside are cleverly displayed.  Her mom told me how a potential customer asked her to create wedding invitations from the pages of a love story, sadly the project was too big but is a wonderful meme.  The drawings and collages by Tate O are clever and thoughtful.

Jamie’s journals with repurposed book covers. 

Paper cutout with collage - cool. 

Art party @ The Beauty Shop Cafe for “hobo orona”. 

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.  

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 there’s 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.  It’s 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 shouldn’t 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 won’t be at the opening tonight to hang out with the groovy art crowd Dirty Frank’s attracts but hopes that the party is fun and that Chick won’t be coming home to roost in DoN’s 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.