Mary Liz Memorial Masters Exhibition 10
The Tenth Annual M L M M E 10 Mary Liz Memorial Masters Exhibition
Russell Brodie Tecu’Mish Munha’Ke Jon Laidacker
March 2 – April 25, 2014
Off the Wall Gallery at Dirty Frank ’s NE Corner, 13th & Pine @OTWDirtyFranks facebook.com/OTWDirtyFranks
Looking Ahead April 27 ‒ May 30
From the Collection of Jay McConnell Opens Thursday, May 1, 7‒10 pm
Thursday, May 8 11:59 pm
Submission Deadline for Ninth Annual Community Juried Show
June 1 ‒ August 1
Ninth Annual Community Juried Show Opens Thursday, June 5, 7‒10 pm
August 3 ‒ September 19
2014 Midsummer Show Opens Thursday, August 7, 7‒10 pm
September 21 ‒ November 21
2014 Autumn Invitational Opens Thursday, September 25, 7‒10 pm
Sunday, October 12
Sunday with the Masters 2013 Mary Liz Fellow Robert Bohné é and 14 Fellows Russell Brodie and Jon Laidacker
Thursday, October 30 11:59 pm
Submission Deadline for Tenth Annual Juried Exhibition
November 23 ‒ December 27
Tenth Annual Juried Exhibition Opens Thursday, December 4, 7‒10 pm
December 28 ‒ January 9, 2015
New Year s/Mummers Break
on the cover, from top, left to right: Russell Brodie s Schuylkill River, Jaipur Clock Tower, Tecu Mish Munha Ke s Road Trip, Jon Laidacker s Bud Light, Portrait of a Special, A Special, Figure Study (seated), Russell Brodie s 45th Street.
All Off the Wall shows are special̶ created by passionate artists, filled with inspiring art and compelling points of view. But it s impossible to love every child precisely the same. The show that often comes first is the Mary Liz Memorial Masters Exhibition.
Tradition & Transition
On the face of it, MLMME is about artists and their journeys. A common trajectory for a given Mary Liz Fellow is to have shown here years ago̶perhaps early in a career̶and to return with more than a few laurels and a deepened, matured talent. The 24 artists who have held this highest honor over the first decade are a Who s Who of our 35-year history. These shows also remind us of Off the Wall s journey: it s about a tenacious, visionary woman who drove this pioneering alternative gallery forward̶helping our unpretentious space aspire to be a leading venue for established and emerging artists alike. Mary Liz is likewise an important part of MLMME10. But there is a key difference this year. To date, almost every Fellow has been one of Mary Liz s many colleagues, mainstay artists or discoveries. This year we welcome three artists whose first Off the Wall shows came after her passing in October 2004. Each took a different path here, reflecting how we continuously grow our community. Our first juried exhibition in 2005 was a work in progress, to be sure. But we ll never forget that it introduced us to one of the most gifted painters̶at the most intimate scale̶Russell Brodie. Off the Wall s connections to the Mural Arts Program began under Mary Liz, but when MAP artist Jon Laidacker debuted here five springs ago, his frank, unvarnished portrayals of Philadelphia life turned heads. Jon returns with a body of iArt that ushers in a new medium, still grounded in the sure hand of an exceptional painter. Our friends and frequent collaborators at The Plastic Club provide a great venue for discovering fresh talent. Tecu Mish Munha Ke has proven to be just that̶with witty, inspired assemblages plucked from the past. We are thrilled to open this new chapter of a tradition that has won a place in many of your hearts. Thank you for helping us turn the page. Jody Sweitzer Curator
Togo Travalia Manager
Our Mary Liz Fellows We re proud to welcome Russell, Jon and Tecu Mish, who join 21 previous Mary Liz Fellows as some of the most talented and prolific artists to have graced our Wall. Sadly, last month this family lost a member when Jack Thompson passed away. To learn more about his amazing life, read Jack s obituary in the Daily News: bit.ly/NR2ezK. And if you want to see Jack s work̶beyond what s below and his portrait by 2009 Fellow Bob Arufo̶just look to the right of where you re standing. Yes, in its fifth decade of watching over the bar, that is Jack s reproduction of a detail from a W.A. Bouguereau painting.
2005 Ellen Powell-Tiberino Jerome Robinson
top and bottom: Jack Thompson s The Writing Hand of Dr. Samuel Johnson and John T. Thompson ; center: Bob Arufo s Jack.
2006 Clark DeLeon Jim Ferrell Bob Jackson 2007 Raphael Tiberino Wayne W. Urffer 2008 Huston Ripley Jesse Vandenburgh Rob Willis 2009 Bob Arufo Bob Jackson 2010 David Guinn Jim Montgomery
2011 Michael Guinn Alice Meyer-Wallace Jack Thompson 2012 Phil Sumpter Marlise M. Tkaczuk Rick Wright 2013 Robert Bohné Matthew Green Jim Montgomery 2014 Russell Brodie Jon Laidacker Tecu Mish Munha Ke
Russell Brodie I am inspired by the idea of paintings as objects, which leave a record of our time on Earth. Paintings bring physical form to our thoughts and feelings. They represent the past and manifest a vision for the future. For the past five years, architecture and sunlight have been the primary subjects of my work. Buildings that speak to a specificity of place have been a strong focus̶ particularly buildings in West Philly (where I live and work), as well as places in India National Mall (where friends hosted me for a month). I have also begun work on a series of paintings of places across the United States, created from photos taken while touring as a musician in the band Grandchildren. I ve been painting in oils for the past 20 years, and it s never come easily. I think this challenge is what keeps me engaged in the medium. I ve never really felt that I had a natural ability for painting or drawing; rather, I have been inspired by the astounding things I ve seen other people create using oil paint. I was very fortunate to be exposed to a wide array of arts and culture as a child, and the paintings of Vermeer, Monet and Hopper all made a strong impact on me when I first began to practice art seriously. Above all, I am inspired by my loved ones. I dedicate this show to the loving memory of my grandmother, Daphne Molly Crossley (1918-2014). It s an honor to be included in the Tenth Annual Mary Liz Memorial Masters Exhibition. Off the Wall Gallery at Dirty Frank s has been one of the biggest supporters of my work, and I m a huge fan of everything Togo and Jody do here. Thanks for taking the time to check out some of my work.
The following 21 paintings, mainly on the left side of the Wall, are all oil on panel: 45th Street 300. Amer Fort 200. Baltimore Ave. #1 350. Baltimore Ave. #2 250. Central Palace in Light 250.
King s Tomb #4 250.
Central Palace in Shadow 250.
King s Tomb #5 250.
Independence Hall 150.
Man Sagar Lake 200.
Jaipur Clock Tower 200.
Minnesota 250.
Jantar Mantar 250.
New Delhi Patio 250.
Karbala Masjid 100.
Oakland 250.
above: Baltimore Ave, #1 ; right: Jantar Mantar.
Rambagh Palace Fountain 150. San Francisco 250. San Francisco City Hall 250. Schuylkill River 250. University of Pennsylvania 200.
Above all, I am inspired by my loved ones. I dedicate this show to the loving memory of my grandmother, Daphne Molly Crossley (1918-2014).
clockwise from top: 45th Street, Man Sagar Lake, New Delhi Patio.
Visit Russell online: russellbrodie.com
The following 12 paintings, mainly on the post, are all oil on paper, mounted on panel: 48th Street #1 75. 48th Street #2 75. Baltimore Ave. #3 60.
Dock St. Roof 50.
Baltimore Ave. #4 60.
National Mall 75.
Baltimore Ave. #5 75.
St. Francis de Sales #1 75.
Bethesda 100.
St. Francis de Sales #2 75.
Casey, Iowa 75.
SpringďŹ eld Ave. 75.
clockwise from top: Casey, Iowa, 48th Street #1, Oakland
Jon Laidacker I wouldn t by any means consider myself technologically savvy, but I ve always been intrigued by what technology can do and how quickly it evolves. That said, I had never incorporated it in my practice as an artist. Like most academically trained painters, I considered technology a territory that should remain largely separate from the act of painting. Bud Light
Two things made me reconsider. First̶and I promise this isn t intended to be an Apple commercial̶I got an iPhone in 2012. This was my first smart device. I spent hours at a stretch playing with it and searching on the App Store to see what this tiny plastic and glass rectangle was capable of. I had already come across a number of drawing apps, such as Brushes and Sketchbook Pro, but so far had only used them to jot down quick thumbnails and concepts̶essentially making my iPhone into a tiny electronic sketchbook. After a few months of iPhone sketching, an artist friend of mine, Thomas Walton, showed me of a series of iPhone and iPad paintings by British artist David Hockney. It piqued my interest in this new medium. I was paying attention to a number of animators and illustrators using their devices to create work, but seeing Hockney s digital paintings motivated me to take this medium more seriously. For the last year and a half, I have been working digitally and have been pleased and surprised at how easily working on my devices has fit into a studio practice. The software is so intuitive and the hardware so advanced that at times I have to remind myself that I am indeed working on an electronic screen.
All of Jon s work are limited editions of 20, with multiple prints available: Bud Light ArtRage app on iPhone 60. framed / 40. unframed Couple of Specials ArtRage app on iPhone 100. framed / 75. unframed On Tap Brushes app on iPhone 60. framed / 40. unframed
Shelf of Shame Brushes app on iPhone 60. framed / 40. unframed A Special ArtRage app on iPhone 100. framed / 75. unframed
One ArtRage app on iPhone 60. framed / 40. unframed Portrait of a Special Brushes app on iPhone 60. framed / 40. unframed
Three ArtRage app on iPhone 60. framed / 40. unframed Two ArtRage app on iPhone 60. framed / 40. unframed
clockwise from top: Two, Shelf of Shame and Couple of Specials
Visit Jon online: jonathanlaidacker.com And follow Jon at: facebook.com/jonlaidacker
I was paying attention to a number of animators and illustrators using their devices to create work, but seeing Hockney s digital paintings motivated me to take this medium more seriously.
above and right: Figure Study (seated and standing)
All of Jon s work are limited editions of 20, with multiple prints available: Figure Study (seated) ArtRage app on iPad 150. framed / 100. unframed Figure Study (standing) ArtRage app on iPad 150. framed / 100. unframed Studio Chair Procreate app on iPad 250. framed / 180. unframed Studio Chair with Brad Procreate app on iPad 350. framed / 280. unframed Studio Chair with Heather Procreate app on iPad 350. framed / 280. unframed Studio Chair with Molly Procreate app on iPad 350. framed / 280. unframed
clockwise from top: Studio Chair with Molly, Studio Chair with Brad, Portrait of a Special.
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Tecu Mish Munha Ke Fourteen years ago̶when my world, as I knew it, ended because of a disabling chronic illness̶never did I imagine this opportunity. I am so thrilled and honored to have been named a Mary Liz Fellow and to show my artwork at Off the Wall with such accomplished artists. I started making art to save my life. I no longer had a job with sufficient income to stay in my condo in Chelsea, Massachusetts (across the harbor from Boston), and moved to a small town north of Philly, with no car, friends or close family. I figured now I had the time to try the things I had always wanted to do. Thank goodness Al Gore invented the internet! Through it, I started exploring my creativity. I bought and taught myself Mosaic, the web browser, joined online Yahoo Art groups, and exchanged artist trading cards and altered books. Eye of the Beholder It was when I tried assemblage art using found objects that my true passion came alive! Being a magpie at heart anyway, I now had a real excuse to take these throw-aways and turn them into something new and hopefully wonderful. I was hooked̶no looking back. I started showing my artwork through the local art group here and then I got up the nerve to enter juried shows. Getting rejected was a little hard, especially if I had paid an application fee.
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Then one magical day in 2011, everything changed. At the time, I had a piece on display at The Plastic Club that a lot of people enjoyed. He was a found-object doggie, and I did for him what I would do for myself: I made him well endowed. My phone rang and a pleasant young woman introduced herself as Jody Sweitzer. Oh my goodness, I nearly fell off the couch̶a gallery curator was calling me! She had seen my artwork, and would I be interested, she asked, in showing at Off the Wall? I could barely contain myself. It was such a fantastic show, so well orchestrated, and Jody and Togo and all the people at Dirty Frank s made it such a wonderful experience. I feel so blessed. That great experience and a road trip to Ames, Iowa, for my dad s 60th high school reunion is what has inspired my art for this show. I hope you enjoy it.
Mary Liz, I hope some pieces bring you a smile. Many thanks for your vision and hard work.
The Traveler
All of Tecu Mish s artwork are found object assemblages: Eye of the Beholder 150. Heavenly Hostess: Gertie 125. Heavenly Hostess: Imogene 150. OohRah 175. Phillies 175. Road Trip 200. Sam I Am 200.
above: Phillies, Sam I Am ; below: OohRah, Road Trip
The Traveler 1600.
call for entries
BUT IS IT
ART?
COMM UNITY JURIED SHOW v.9.0 6.01– 8.01.14
ALL ART IS SUBJECTIVE. Show us a new form of art—as you define define ‘art.’ CHANGE PERSPECTIVES. Look at objects & concepts with new eyes. Entries can be SOMETHING YOU CREATE OR SOMETHING YOU FIND. No digital works or photography. And you must tell the jury WHY this is art in two sentences.
be under 48 inches in combined dimensions (H+W+D)
HOW: Email high-quality jpegs (under 500K); titles, sizes, media, prices and contact info; and a two-sentence statement to offthewallgallery@gmail.com
WHEN: No later than Thursday, May 8 HOW MUCH: It costs nothing to enter!
entry guidelines
WHAT: Up to 5 works, original or found; all entries must
off thewall gallery AT DIRTY FRANK’S facebook.com/OTWDirtyFranks