DoNArTNeWs

Kimberly Witham @ Introduction 2011 - Center for Emerging Visual Artists New Development Fellows @ Moore College of Art & Design Widener Memorial Foundation Gallery, Feb 2nd - 19th, 2011.

Kimberly Witham told DoN people presuppose she Photoshop’s her work but her mise-en-scène photographs are real still-life compositions, elements of which have a limited shelf life.  The pictures of pretty headless birds in cups and on plates dredge up memories of dead birds on the street and questions of why they fell from the sky.  About half of the photos included in this ground-breaking exposition are film, half digital, a seem-less transition between mediums made transparent by Witham’s virtuosity, she’s a professor of photography at Bucks County College, a school with a long tradition of excellence in photography education.  The road kill element is shocking and beautiful, a sweet, sad commentary on urban wild life.

Maggie Mills, Crops, oil on linen.  Maggie and DoN got into an animated discussion about”fracking“, another painting in the show is titled Frack, the practice of injecting noxious chemicals into the Earth’s crust to break it up and release “natural gas“.  This clean fuel puts unknown dangers into the families and communities who live where fracking takes place by releasing toxic chemicals into the water table, scary shit, Mills’ painting shows an adolescent crouching, head to knees, while visions of matrix-like drills descend from the sky.

Daniel Kornkrumpf uses fiber like colored pencils for his portraits of on-line social network profie pics he’s found over time - a long time since the densely embroidered portraits may take months to produce, unlike a drawing which may take an afternoon.  The isolated faces floating in large blank fields of fine linen examines the connection of the isolationism of social networks and the self-portraits that make you think, “Really?  That’s their best look?”  Instead of attracting attention, ridicule and mockery may result, by the way Plenty of Fish often advertises in the DoNArTNeWs sidebar, please, click through, Valentine’s Day is coming up.  Kornkrumpf will continue his unique fiber portraits but is pursuing drawing and painting for the upcoming show at the Ice Box in late spring.

Daniel Kornkrumpf

Mami Kato created these futuristic sculptures by unraveling rope she imports from her home, Akita Japan,creating domes of fiber reminiscent of the rice fields at home after harvest and clumps of stems line the horizon.  Kato surprised her audience by picking up the light weight, yet densely compact, domes, revealing the Trompe-l’œil. 

On the left is Alison Stigora, represented in this show with a magnificent drawing of a giant cosmic crystalline flower in mixed media including drawing, prints, chalk and wax but is also in an awesome show at LGTripp Gallery in Old City through February 26th. Next to her is Maggie Mills, behind Mami is a collage of digital prints by Jennifer Williams that is a totally steal-able idea - who knew, collage could be so cool.

Lewis Colburn, The Pursuits of a Gentleman, mixed media installation with ten photographs and steamer trunk.  This assemblage was a fave of Spike Howard, Philly’s finest wind farm engineer, for it’s sense of time travel, irony and elegance.  DoN loves how CFEVA treats photographers as true artists who belong at the table with painters and sculptors.

Arden Bendler Browning @ Introduction 11

A Fishtown native who’s studio is in the Crane Arts Center, Browning obviously takes full advantage of the large work space to create massive paintings, this color field of speeding urban images, like you see out of the corner of your eye as you zoom down the Expressway, is abstract expressionist yet a kind of contemporary cubism with obtuse angles and cracked spacial warps.  DoN easily sees Arden Bendler Browning taking the opportunity of the fellowship that CFEVA offers and running with it, her work is complex yet accessible, perfect for contemporary collectors.

DoN inquired of new fellow Don Edler as to how he came to win the CFEVA fellowship and he generously explained how he meticulously researches grants and awards, looks at winners of previous competitions, discovers which other awards or grants they’ve received and applies for them, too. By making applying for grants part of his business plan, Edler makes it almost sound easy and is proof that persistence, patience, targeted yet broad research into funding, exhibition and publicity works like a charm.

Congratulations to the new fellows!

Ona Kalstein @ Structure and Gesture @ Da Vinci Art Alliance.

Paintings by Jane Liang, photo by John Benigno @ Structure and Gesture a Da Vinci Art Alliance event.

Sandi Nieman Lovitz @ Structure and Gesture, a Da Vinci Art Alliance event. Lovitz won 3rd prize for her painting on plexi with vivid color, bold brushwork and scratching away of paint, the result is very seductive and beautiful, eclipsing the other paintings in the room as far as brightness and movement goes.

Structure and Gesture @ Da Vinci Art Alliance - W. Lukens, E. Lukens & S. Myers, the tableau of earth tones contrasts with the brighter color creating a subtle ebb & flow of emotion, narrative and excitement through the gallery.

Bud Boehringer @ Structure and Gesture, a Da Vinci Art Alliance event.  Boehringer’s painting was a jury favorite and is now attracting attention as a prime example of contemporary Philadelphia expressionist painting with a cool vibe, accessible abstraction and joyful abandon.

Lilliana Didovic, Sandi Neiman Lovitz, Pat Wilson-Schmid…there are more than 20 Philadelphia artists included in this exuberant show celebrating art making of all kinds.  The Da Vinci Art Alliance continues to offer cohesive, thematic shows which challenge the artist and the viewer to see, think and communicate more.

Carol Wisker, Marilyn, mixed media @ Structure and Gesture a Da Vinci Art Alliance event.  Carol Wisker turns ordinary wire screen mesh into a luxuriously lustrous confection, earning her second prize in the juried competition.

Lois Schlachter @ Structure and Gesture, a Da Vinci Art Alliance event.  Lois is super-charging her art career after a long run as exhibitions co-chair at The Philadelphia Sketch Club with surrealistically changed landscapes reminiscent of Charles Dumuth over-lapping super-flat planes of color, defining spacial concepts.  Check out her web-site for all the events Lois is participating in; even though she won an honorable mention for the above print, DoN found her large painting in the Da Vinci show to be much more enthralling.  Visit this art gallery gem in South Philly, with the collection of outstanding work by a diverse group of artists, to see what DoN means.

Structure and Gesture @ Da Vinci Art Alliance - check out this line-up of paintings, drawing and print by a cluster of influential Philly artists - Lois Schlachter, Roz Bloom and Alden Cole. 

The Structure and Gesture exhibition features the artwork of:

J. Benigno, R. Bloom, S. Bloom, B. Boehringer, A. Cole, L. Didovic, J. Engle, D. Foss, O. Kalstein, C. Kelly, Y. Lee, J. Liang, M. Loippo, W. Lukens, E. Lukens, L. Mills, S. Myers, S. Neiman-Lovitz, L. Schlacheter, A. Strosser, P. Wilson-Schmid, C. Wisker.

Roz Bloom @ Da Vinci Art Alliance, Apocalypse Soon 2012.

Carol Wisker, Through My Window, a Da Vinci Art Alliance event at Smile Gallery, Carol won First Prize; the exhibit went on to be shown at Riverfront Renaissance Center for the Arts in Millville, NJ and the Perkins Center for the Arts in Collingswood, NJ.

Da Vinci Art Alliance -  Seven, a Da Vinci Art Alliance members exhibit went on tour to the Noyes Museum of Art in Hammonton, NJ.

Seven @ Da Vinci Art Alliance - Year in Review 2010.

Seven  @ Da Vinci Art Alliance.

Seven a Da Vinci Art Alliance event @ Noyes Museum of Art, Hammonton NJ.

The Black Light show @ Smile Gallery, a  Da Vinci Art Alliance event - DoNArTNeWs Year in Review 2010

Rachel Citrino, Picturing the Decameron, a Da Vinci Art Alliance event in collaboration with the International Opera Theater @ Smile Gallery.

Alden Cole @ Bartram’s Garden, What’s the Buzz? a Da Vinci Art Alliance event in collaboration with Bartram’s Garden Art Gallery in the oldest barn in Philadelphia. DoNArTNeWs - Year in Review 2010

DoN Brewer, Shared Passion, @ Bartram’s Garden, What’s the Buzz?  A Da Vinci Art Alliance event - DoNArTNeWs Year in Review 2010

Lilliana Didovic @ Bartram’s Garden, a Da Vinci Art Alliance event, What’s the Buzz? - DoNArTNeWs Year in Review 2010.

Ted Warchal @ Bartram’s Garden, a Da Vinci Art Alliance event - DoNArTNeWs Year in Review 2010.

Through My Window, a Da Vinci Art Alliance event @ Riverfront Renaissance Center for the Arts - DoNArTNeWs Year in Review 2010

Through My Window, a Da Vinci Art Alliance event @ Perkins Center for the Arts - DoNArTNeWs Year in Review 2010.

Karen McDonnell & Anthony Cortosi @ Da Vinci Art Alliance Tis the Season - Karen & Tony are such good friends and great artists, their collaborative spirit spills over into all areas of the Philly art scene, representing what is possible when people work together.

Tis the Season Da Vinci Art Alliance - DoNArTNeWs Year in Review 2010.

Thank you so much to the Da Vinci Art Alliance for offering innovative, inspirational opportunities to create art, meet fellow artists, and stretch the imagination.  Being a part of the board of directors is an honor, DoN edits the Vitruvian newsletter, the talent and determination of the team is strong.  Thank you to Dr. Debra Miller, President, Lucrezia Minniti, Recording Secretary, Lilliana Didovic, Treasurer, Alden Cole, Sharri Jerue, Ona Kalstein and Ted Warchal, being included in decision-making of such an august and revered alliance is a lifetime achievement.

Happy New Year

LoVe

DoN

Brooke Hine, Shadow, resin, zip-ties, acrylic @ The Center for Emerging Visual Artists, 15th & Locust Streets, Philadelphia.

The Imagined show is over now, the Center for Emerging Visual Artists is on holiday break, it’s Christmas Eve, 2010,  and DoN is grateful and thankful for the excellent art memories the good people at CFEVA generate throughout the year.  If it wasn’t for the team at CFEVA, a huge gap between artists and the public would be difficult to straddle; CFEVA manages Philadelphia Open Studio Tours as well as educational seminars, fellowships, art exhibition opportunities and more.  Art girlfriend, Brooke Hine Facebook-ed DoN, last week, reminding him to stop in the gallery before her art show came down the next day; the CFEVA team was having a meeting in their underground lair, so DoN had total private access to the uber-cool, sleek, modern space arrayed with master-works by true art stars.  The Imagined is laser-focused on craft, narrative and virtuosity with drawings, sculpture and mixed media; the art resonates with each other, feeding the sense of being lost under-ground, away from it all, alone with mysterious thoughts and things.

Brooke Hine, Philly Blossom Series, wood, acrylic, resin, porcelain @ The Imagined, CFEVA Gallery.

Brooke Hine.

These are a Few of My Favorite Things, porcelain, slip, glaze, stain, cat whiskers @ The Center for Emerging Visual Artists - The Imagined: Gregory Brellochs, Danielle Bursk, Brooke Hine.

Brooke Hine’s work is paradoxical: hard & soft, internal & external, beautiful & ugly, light & dark, whimsical & creepy, preternaturally intelligent & child-like naivete, technical virtuosity & inquisitive exploration and she’s an artist that is one tough, sexy, street-smart, chick with a thick skin and soft heart.  DoN LoVeS Brooke Hine!  No cats were harmed in the production of this blog post.

Danielle Bursk @ The Center for Emerging Visual Artists - The Imagined.

Is this cool or what?  Danielle’s drawings are like no-one else’s, instantly recognizable as a Bursk, yet each heroic drawing holds it’s own mystery and unfathomable conception of consumption of time and energy.

The Center for Emerging Visual Artists - The Imagined: Gregory Brellochs, Danielle Bursk, Brooke Hine.

Gregory Brellochs, Ganglions, 48″ x 48″, graphite on paper.

Gregory Brellochs, Sensafe, graphite on paper, 52″ x 217″ x 70″.

You know how sometime you see art and can’t imagine it in your home?  Brelloch’s immersive drawing is so magical, the feeling of primitive forests from dark tales of earlier times matched with the subtle surrealism is quite seductive, like everyone should have an art chamber to meditate in.

DoN looks forward to the New Year and the continued success and optimism for the future of art in the Philadelphia region The Center for Emerging Visual Artists provides to artists, collectors, enthusiasts, educators, businesses and government.  The services CFEVA offers to the community are essential, consider supporting their efforts by attending shows, spending money on art and making donations, they deserve it.

Deja Vu - 6th Annual Juried Competition @ Off the Wall Gallery in Dirty Frank’s.  DoN missed the opening party for Deja Vu but art friends reported the place was packed with artists and friends celebrating the amazing collection of art gleaned from the many submissions.  Off the Wall has a long art history in Philly and being included in the group show, especially with such esteemed  jurors, is a real honor.  When lola & DoN sipped cocktails at the bar, a feeling of pride and accomplishment surges through his system, even the Jack neat doesn’t quell the vibration.  Having photographs hang next to Rick Wright, Bonnie Schorske, Ed Snyder…feels so validating.  Entering art competitions is like buying lottery tickets, you can’t win unless you play.

Yeoun Lee, Marion Lioppo…Bill Myers’ phot0 collage is totally Dada, Rick Wright corners anthropomorphism in household objects, Erin Lynn O’Connor tackles surrealism - the show is really trippy.  Deja Vu - 6th Annual Juried Competition @ Off the Wall Gallery in Dirty Frank’s.

Deja Vu - 6th Annual Juried Competition @ Off the Wall Gallery in Dirty Frank’s.

Deja Vu - 6th Annual Juried Competition @ Off the Wall Gallery in Dirty Frank’s.

Thank you so much to the team at Dirty Franks, Jody & Togo, for maintaining this long tradition of art competition, friendship and networking which offers Philadelphians a glimpse into the best of the local art scene, artists a groovy venue and quality that many times foreshadows art trends -  with cocktails!

Carla Lombardi, Gavaciolli, high fire stoneware, Shinoglaze, @ Decameron, Da Vinci Art Alliance @ Smile Gallery on 22nd Street.  Decameron is presented in conjunction with the world premier of Karen Saillant’s new opera of the same name presented by the International Opera Theater and inspired by Il Decamerone by Giovanni Boccaccio.  The stories of the ten people who escaped the Black Plague to a country estate is operatic in scope with so much source material from the tens of tens of stories told while the world collapsed around them that the tales of love, lust, morality and sin still ring true and wise in the modern age.  The artists reached deep to connect the dots of our common deep past with our futuristic present through drawing, painting, sculpture, collage and photography.

Ona Kalstein, Lisbetta Weeps, 4th day, 5th tale,  ink & colored pencil on vellum.

Rosalind Bloom, Danse Macabre - The Black Death, watercolor, acrylic, collage.

Ted Warchal, Tale 5 - 2, Gastanza Sails to Tunis, assemblage,  Decameron, Da Vinci Art Alliance @ Smile Gallery.

Ted Warchal @ Decameron, Da Vinci Art Alliance @ Smile Gallery.  Tale 6-1o - The Relic of Archangel Gabriel reminds us of a time when zealots professed to own bits of Saints which could be viewed at a price, Warchal’s magical assemblage holds a golden feather and a bone.

Rachel Citrino @ Decameron, Da Vinci Art Alliance @ Smile Gallery.  Citrino created a 100 block grid of images relating to Italy and the hundred tales of the Decameron, printed on canvas, the digital collage pops with hits of color amidst the stark black and white memories of a distant world.

Rosalind Bloom, The Embrace..., oil & mixed media collage and DoN Brewer, Heliotrope, digital photograph, digital print.  Roz’s painting refers to the boils caused by the Black Plague called Caviciolli like some pasta, but when you got a boil you’re dead in 3 days. DoN’s Heliotrope does not refer to the color but the magic stone offering the power of invisibility.

Alden Cole’s painting depicts the rise of humanism and the lesson of living in the moment filled with love.

Sadly, this is the last Da Vinci Art Alliance show at Smile Gallery, Ken Tutjamnong’s restaurant has become so popular that he needs the room for diners he has been turning away and he can show his own outstanding artwork as he does in the dining room at street level.  Admittedly the art drew people to the restaurant and the gallery offered DVAA space outside the club’s gallery to do theme show’s like Decameron.

Photos by DoN.

William Parker, Caribbean Dream, colored pencil.  William Parker, a Philadelphia artist, is included in the 15th Annual Art Ability International Art Exhibition and Sale of art and fine crafts by people with disabilities in the Bryn Mawr Rehab Center, his portrait of a pretty girl with flowers sprouting from her head is pure exuberant joy.  Using a mouth-stick, the ebullient Parker explained to DoN that depending on the subject a drawing such as a face may take two weeks to draw, a simpler drawing only a few hours; the smooth contoured shapes describing the head are sinuous and silky, the color saturated into the paper’s surface with Dada-ist comparisons between lips and roses in subtle tones.  Parker said this is a new beginning for him, he did an abstract and thought, “this is really nice!”

Sheryl Yeager, Pittsburgh PA, Happy As A Rose, pastel @ Art Ability in Bryn Mawr Rehab Center in Paoli, PA.  Sheryl is planning a series of greeting cards for her popular animal pastels; the originals are popular, too.  Sheryl originally got into art as therapy but now is presenting mature inspired works that touch your inner animal spirit.  Yeager’s primitivist style dials right into the art collector psyche with signified shapes, rich layered color and impeccable presentation, a real self advocate, Sheryl promotes her art by participating in art show across western Pennsylvania.

Sheryl Yeager, Giraffe, pastel, 3rd Prize winner for Works on Paper, the Marjorie M. Schwartz Memorial Award.

Arnie Segal, Hippopotamus in a Pink Tutu, sculpture @ Art Ability 2010 @ Bryn Mawr Rehab Center in Paoli, PA.

DoN Brewer, light being (Walt), digital photograph @ Art Ability 2010 @ Bryn Mawr Rehab Center in Paoli, PA.

DoN had the opportunity to talk with Art Ability Committee member Doris Gordon’s role in putting on the massive art show which had thousands of entries and is showing over 500 works this year?  Originally the committee’s goal was to collect art for a permanent collection, and there is a superb selection, but after a few years the concept of an international juried art show by artists with disabilities was conceived and is now, after 15 years, the focus of the group.  Doris told DoN that the committee works so well together it took only 3 major meetings to delegate this year’s duty’s from the take-in to the jurying to the hanging to the most excellent, informative catalog.

Daniel Neufeld with his paintings in the Art Ability annual art exhibition at Bryn Mawr Rehab Center.  The Patron’s Preview Party was really fun with artists mingling with patrons, supporters and enthusiasts over wine, tasty appetizer stations, roving waiters with hors d’oeuvres, light dinner and yummy dessserts; the attentive sales staff promoting the art guided patron’s through the maze of halls lined with one fantastic piece after another.

Allison Merriweather, mixed media @ Art Ability’s annual art extravaganza.

Carla Laws, Valid Points, computer graphic.

Cynthia Lyon, Red Hot Ice, oil.  Is this awesome or what?  The trompe l’oeil effect of the super-kawaii painting is pun fun yet artistically on point with it’s Pop Art reference with placement between hospital charts and everyday objects.

Al Walton, The Fix, woodcut print.  First Prize for Works on Paper, In Memory of Jacqueline Van Handel.

Kurt Weston, Stained Glass Cathedral Woods, photograph.  Weston is from Huntington Beach California.

Gregory Gans, The Near Shore, photograph @ Art Ability 2010 @ Bryn Mawr Rehab Center in Paoli, PA.  Gregory Gans’ creates deeply emotive works with photography and post production, his narrative style is like leaves drifting on the water sweeping the viewer into a mystical vista.

d’Elaine Johnson & Robert Davis Art Ability 2010 @ Bryn Mawr Rehab Center in Paoli, PA.

Victor Mordasov, Italian Girl, oil.

Beth Livingston, The Fourth of July, mixed media.  DoN spotted this awesome piece right away during the drop off of work, the distinctive red stripes vibrating all the way across the room.  Every inch of the mixed media piece is packed with information, the spools weaving a panoply of rich color, the corrugated material suggesting waves, the sparkling embroidery of melting stars as poignant as the National Anthem.

Kathryn Pannepacker, mixed media @ Art Ability 2010 @ Bryn Mawr Rehab Center in Paoli, PA.  Kathryn Pannepacker is included in the permanent collection of Bryn Mawr Rehab but she too has evolved beyond the original kernel idea into a true art star, creating murals throughout the city preserving textile patterns of the world, a woven mural on Ludlow Street, the handmade by the homeless weaving project on South Street and so many more philanthropic, selfless exercises in beauty and kindness that she truly epitomizes the spirit of this show, that art heals the body, mind and soul.

 Photos by DoN.

Karen S. Davies, Buddha’s Tears, mixed media, 26 x42″ @ Twenty-Two Gallery.

Karen S. Davies like cities but she likes the country better, she’s obsessed with patterns of foliage, light & darkness, the movement of water like in the back bays and marshlands of the Jersey Shore. To Davies the winding paths through the deep grasses have their own personalities, she emphasizes aspects of the natural world on the surface of her mixed media pieces.

The large works incorporate unusual yet common materials to create what Paul DuSold called a “…cosmic suggestiveness that comes through as very satisfying.”  Stop in Twenty-Two and ask Karen what the secret ingredients are that make the heroic pieces glow.

Karen S Davies, Recent Work @ Twenty-Two Gallery through 11/7/2010.

Photos by DoN.

Michael Guinn, Chinatown Street, ink @ Philadelphia Images: Places, People and Objects, The Plastic Club on Camac Street.  Mike, a former club president, was presented with the Jurors Award; Guinn was elated saying, “This is the first award I’ve ever received from the club!“  Board members are ineligible for prizes, even though they take on the biggest burden of work - Mike Guinn continues to provide essential support and guidance to the historic art space.  A video is in production attempting to tell the story of the historic art club.

Leroy Fourney, Cherry Street Looking West, oil - 3rd Prize award winner, this small painting pack a lot of information and sense of place on a small panel.  The Philadelphia Images show at the Plastic Club is a must see experience with images of Philly from many unexpected perspectives.

Eileen Eckstein’s photograph, Mummer Witch, not only captures the spirit of the season but the essence of the exhibition with this painterly image - and she won Honorable Mention.  Eileen Eckstein is the president of the Photographic Society of Philadelphia.

Duck Crossing, Morris Klein, photograph, remembers a moment in time that has probably ended forever, the quaint image tells a story which begins with Summer fun and is finished in the viewers mind with unbelievable tragedy.  Morris Klein is the vice president of the Photographic Society of Philadelphia.

Photos by DoN.

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.