Intimate Worlds Program - December 4-28, 2011

off the wall gallery at dirty frank’s

dec 4-28, 2011 Intimate opening reception thurs, dec 8 7-10 pm

worlds

seventh annual juried exhibition

off the wall gallery at dirty frank’s seventh annual juried exhibition NE Corner 13th & Pine

offthewallgallery@gmail.com

Upcoming Shows January 8 – March 2

2012 Winter Exhibition Opens Thursday, January 12, 7–10 pm

March 4 – April 20

Mary Liz Memorial Masters Exhibition 8 Opens Thursday, March 8, 7–10 pm

April 22 – June 1

2012 Spring Show Opens Thursday, April 26, 7–10 pm

Thursday, May 10 11:59 pm

Submission Deadline for Seventh Annual Community Juried Show

June 3 – August 3

Seventh Annual Community Juried Show Opens Thursday, June 7, 7–10 pm

August 5 – September 28

2012 Midsummer Show Opens Thursday, August 9, 7–10 pm

September 30 – November 30

2012 Fall Invitational Show Opens Thursday, October 4, 7–10 pm

Thursday, Nov. 8 11:59 pm

Submission Deadline for Eighth Annual Juried Exhibition

Many Thanks to Our Jury!

For the past month, the “Intimate Worlds” jury members have been an engaged team, generously contributing their time in shaping this exceptional show. We are grateful for the enthusiasm, commitment and deep experience they all brought to this process.

Bob Jackson, artist; president, The Plastic Club.

Alan Klawans, artist; member, Artists’ Gallery and The Plastic Club.

lambertvillearts.com/artists/klawans Jonathan Laidacker, fine art activist with the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program.

jonathanlaidacker.com Catherine (Kit) Mitchell, artist; member, The Plastic Club.

plasticclub.org/Mitchell.htm Jody Sweitzer, artist; instructor, University of the Arts; member, NEXUS;

curator, Off the Wall Gallery. youtube.com/jodysweitzer Wayne W. Urffer, artist; associate professor, Art Institute of Philadelphia.

urfferbox.com Rick Wright, artist; instructor, Digital Photo Academy, Fleisher Art Memorial,

Global Routes and Project Basho. wrightartstudio.com

Up Close & Personal

You might say that small works is where the concept of juried shows got started at Off the Wall. When we announced the first competitive opportunity to hang at the Gallery, back in the fall of 2005, the first theme out of the gate was “One Foot & Under,” works less than 12 inches in all dimensions.

It was a natural for our small exhibition space. The theme also evoked Off the Wall’s penchant for nurturing dynamic creativity among our community of artists. And small works have always had a sizeable following among patrons and all of you in our broader community.

But looking back, we wondered, did we go far enough with the onefoot cutoff? The answer was, No. Fast forward six years: “Intimate Worlds” revisits the territory and gets it right, limiting the size of 2D images to 6x6 and 3D work to 10x10x10.

Or, better put, our 37 artists — 16 of them brand-new to Off the Wall — get it right. In 55 works, on view until December 28, they employ an exceptional range of media and apply them to equally diverse topics. The common thread is their ability to leverage compact dimensions to maximum advantage, to show that limits do not have to be limiting. Once you spend time with this show, you may think the reverse: These circumstances can be eye-opening, perspectivealtering and even inspirational — for artist and audience alike.

You will discover, or better understand, the power of intimacy in art.

Many of our artists provide their own takes on the subject in this program, speaking to what they enjoy most about creating and communicating large concepts on a decidedly small scale.

We look forward to seeing you thoroughout the month. We would be poor marketers indeed if we didn’t point out that “Intimate Worlds” offers many genuinely unique holiday presents (with early pickup times on December 23-24). But trumping even the seasonal urge to shop, this show will bring you back to uncover fresh details and get closer looks. While said about all great works of art, this phrase might ring truest of small ones: This art just draws you in!

Best wishes for the holidays and a healthy, happy, art-filled New Year!

Jody Sweitzer Togo Travalia Curator Manager

Jameir Andrews Jameir has attended classes at Oasis Arts & Education, one of Off the Wall’s collaborative partners, since 2009. His work is inspired by process, pattern/ repetition, symmetry, line and surface. While his drawings are often entirely pattern-based, Jameir’s figurative work focuses primarily on abstract elements. Jameir whistles while he works.

Best in Show: Mary-Rowe Memorial Jury Prize

“Head” mixed media 65.

“Totem” mixed media 65.

Find out more about Oasis and its artists at oasisartcenter.org.

John Baccile This photograph pays tribute to three of my hobbies: photography, romance and collecting old American coins. A portrait featuring an old girlfriend riffs on the American rights to “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” For “Liberty Reigns,” she models a genuine 1795 Flowing Hair silver dollar, minted right here in Philadelphia. As a rare coin collector, I was appalled that someone would drill a hole through an object that had aged so gracefully. Perhaps this image helps mitigate the damage.

“Liberty Reigns” digital photography 175.

Jury Award: Most Uncomfortably Intimate

Visit John online at johnbaccile.com.

Robert Bohné My artistic goal is to produce representational works of museum quality that are easily understood but, at the same time, complex enough to hold the viewer’s interest and invite them in for a closer examination of the composition and the subtleties that make up a successful work of art.

“Marigolds” oil on mounted paper 250.

See more of Bob’s paintings at artistshouse.com.

Sarah Atwater Bourne

Thoughts are dense and undifferentiated. How do we push one away in favor of another? I am interested in the density of thought and how it transitions into written word. What do my thoughts look like? How do they feel over time? How do we choose what to say and write? I have been exploring this by writing fields of words, turning thoughts into lines of text, one over the other, until they become mostly illegible. The action of writing helps me to understand the space between thought and word. The line of thread created by the sewing machine mimics the action of writing. In this repetition I find clarity, a question or a fragment — something truthful. The minutiae of the everyday consume us and become the narrative of our consciousness. This narrative has been central to my most recent work.

“Density” mixed media 100.

“Threadworks #1” “ Thoughts” thread on paper

etching 100.

150.

artist’s proof Visit Sarah online at sarahatwaterbourne.com.

Edwin Carrillo Edwin has been a part of the Oasis Arts & Education community for more than nine years.

He is currently working on a series of intricate hand-painted etchings referencing religious iconography inspired by his Puerto Rican roots.

“Owl”

dry point 50.

Stephanie Clifton

“Ox Skull” watercolor and pencil 50.

Stephanie’s sweet and exuberant personality translates to the delicate beauty of her work.

Recently, she began to explore and create a drawing series of anatomical studies. Stephanie has been a part of the Oasis community for the past three years, and in 2010, Resources for Human Development honored her with the prestigious Barbara Foust Award for leadership.

Find out more about Oasis and its artists at oasisartcenter.org.

Eileen Eckstein

“Butterfly” digital photography 100.

See more of Eileen’s work at psop1860.ning.com/profile/EileenEckstein.

Karen Frank What I like best about creating in intimate spaces is that everything matters and everything needs to have a heightened clarity and precision.

An entire universe exists within the confines of a very small measure of space. Unlike large works, which can be appreciated when viewed across a room, intimate art must engage the viewer at a very close range, thus nurturing a particular kind of bond between the art and its audience. Creating a tightly contained world — and then inviting the viewer to partake of it — is a uniquely satisfying experience.

“Points” acrylic on canvas 150.

See more of Karen’s work at plasticclub.org/Frank.html.

Gina Giles “Satine Harlow” digital photography pigment print 80.

Ric Gregory

“The Extended Hand” oil on panel 275.

Creating work within this show’s limitations has been a welcomed challenge. Although many contemporary works cannot be understood except for their large size, I hope “The Extended Hand” suggests that a large concept can be expressed at a small size if content itself is paramount. I show an imagined monument in the environment of a government building, its shadow cast over the scene. It’s a symbol used by President Obama and many others, as this gesture is so pervasive. This painting is intended not to be critical but if you like irony as I do, you might get a kick out of it.

Kira Grennan I am interested in evoking a sense of intimacy and layered human experience within small spaces. Like a haiku, a limited space can articulate powerful complexities with a few gestures. I work with images of places and people I know, trying to compile a sense of felt or remembered experience through juxtapositions of differently shaped, colored and textured pieces of paper.

Jury Award: Most Captivating Use of Process

“Sunday Morning” collaged magazine pages 60.

Visit Kira online at kiragrennan.com.

Alonzo Troy Humphrey Faced with disabilities but equipped with a passion for art, Alonzo is constantly drawing in sketchbooks and on scraps of paper. “I draw anything I see, whether it’s pretty or ugly,” he says of his subject matter.

“My drawings come from my head and my memories — sometimes memories of places and things I’ve seen, sometimes memories of other pictures I’ve drawn.” Alonzo has an amazing visual memory, mentally recording everything he sees through the process of drawing and then rehashing familiar imagery throughout his work. Also a member of the Oasis Arts & Education community, Alonzo holds the distinction of having been juried into three Off the Wall shows and sold seven pieces in Stay Thirsty, our recent Fall Exhibition.

“Homeless Man” pen and ink 75.

Find out more about Oasis and its artists at oasisartcenter.org.

Kat Johnston I am a mixed media collage artist with my masters from Drexel in Art Therapy. I view art as a powerful vehicle for putting experiences and feelings into form that are difficult to put into words. I find that working on a smaller scale forces the viewer to look even closer and even deeper. The message comes across more powerfully as we stand closer to absorb all the intimidate details. This process empowers my work since I create collages to tell stories. They introduce you to a world that is vaguely familiar but not your own. Art has the ability to tap into the collective unconscious, the deeper parts of our humanity where the ‘you’ and the ‘I’ no longer exist. I explore the universal human connection by looking at the physical form we have, our bodies and the way we put on a persona to play a role in the world. However, behind all the “dressing up” lights and cameras we are just flesh, blood and raw emotions. We all bleed. We all feel pain. We are beautifully raw. We are just human beings.

(clockwise from top left) mixed media collages:

“Genetic Expression” 150.

“Logic & Theorems” 150.

“Lasting Impressions” 120.

“Uprooted” 90.

Visit Kat online at katjohnston.yolasite.com and creationsbykat.carbonmade.com.

Berly Laycox As a society we are currently making documentaries, uploading photos to Facebook, and creating time capsules to somehow hold on to moments and make them last longer than ourselves. Ironically, we are also living in the most convenient and disposable era that has ever existed. The contradiction between disposable environment with a desire of permanence is what my artwork is about.

“Stolen Photo #1” oil and acrylic on glassine and wood 100.

Visit Berly online at berlylaycoxart.com.

Phyllis Le Chat My goal is to present mundane subjects as an expression of the magical world. I work intuitively, utilizing my Droid Incredible 2’s camera and filters. I find myself fascinated by the hardware of our world — the instruments we take for granted, the tools through which we develop perceptions of our surroundings and the people who inhabit our shared space. My current work reflects my fascination with freeing objects from assigned utilizations and utilitarian function. Working in intimate concert with space, object and the creative process liberates me from the claustraphobia of “too much!”

“Scrutiny”

digital photography 40.

Robert Yong Lee Working small means thinking on two levels: form and color seen from a distance, with detail and texture revealed up close. Along with the economy of materials, I think small works encourage experimentation and play. “Red Cabbage” was made with an old press camera and Polaroid sheet film. I contact-printed the 4x5 negative and processed each print with a different combination of chemicals and light. The printed image is the same size as the negative, showing the cabbage a bit larger than life size.

“Intersection” was made with a digital camera. The intent was to capture the interplay of light, architecture, wall paint and street fixtures; a passerby added an extra dimension. This pigment print is on watercolor paper.

Jury Award: Best Use of Intimate Space

(tie)

“Intersection” digital photography pigment print 60.

additional prints available

“Red Cabbage” 4x5 Polaroid negative silver gelatin contact print 200.

Carla Liguori Working on a small scale with grande ideas. My sheepisms are universal truths wrapped up in sheep’s clothing. all sculptures, in clay, glaze, acrylics and gold leaf, are 135.

“Seven Heads Are Better Than One”

“The Tender Trap”

“Sheep, Pray, Love”

Kimberly Magyar One of the things I enjoy most about creating art in an intimate setting is that I am less inhibited. I feel empowered to explore concepts and ideas.

Objects familiar to me take on added significance. They become central to, and spur, the creative process. In “Peep Hole,” I simply captured an image through the peep hole of my front door. In this intimate space, the world appears smaller, safer, quiet and still – as if looking into a snow globe. In turn, the sense of intimacy created by the peep hole represents an extension of the intimate space from which I captured the image.

“Peep Hole” digital photography 50.

Stephen J. Millner Almost all of my art materials are recycled: postal items, maps, photographs, patterned paper, product labels and tags, tickets and receipts and other found ephemera. Most of my mixed media work is sized 3x5 or 4x6.

This intimate space imparts power to my materials; each detail becomes vital to the totality of the work. Wide margins or mats augment this effect.

My art always tells a story — often a story that invents itself as the materials interact with each other and the art takes shape.

“Iconic Landscape”

mixed media collage 75.

“High Rise” mixed media collage 75.

Check out Steve’s photography and mixed media at flickr.com/photos/8719890@N08.

Catherine (Kit) Mitchell Within the confines of an intimate space, I enjoy the challenge of creating a piece whose strength is distilled but not diminished.

“Bird”

soapstone sculpture 250.

See more of Kit’s work at goo.gl/ZFEru and plasticclub.org/Mitchell.htm.

Bill Myers

“Route 32 Cruise Photo Painting” (top) was created by collaging a pastel drawing with a photo taken in Lumberville, off the side of Route 32, north of New Hope. “South Street Fries on a Half-Sunken House in Roxborough” joins photos of “colorful” South Street and a half-deluged house in Roxborough. digital collages 75. each

See more of Bill’s digital collages at psop1860.ning.com/profile/billmyers.

Alexandra Orgera

I believe that boundaries exist to encourage more expression within their parameters. For me, the most appealing part about photography is the act of confining — limiting our view of the infinite world around us to a mere rectangle and, in doing so, somehow expressing something more universal.

These images capture a single subject candidly in a unique environment but, perhaps more importantly, they both rely on the boundaries of the frame to express the subjects’ emotion. They are the start to what I hope will be a collection of small framed images of similarly intimate, candid moments.

Jury Award: (tie) Best Use of Intimate Space “Caged” cell phone photography 65.

“Man” digital photography 50. additional prints available for each Visit Alex online at alexandraorgera.com/photography.

Arthur B. Ostroff I am drawn to lyrical subjects depicting water, woodlands, skies and shadows, quiet corners where I find them.

While my attraction to these themes has been constant, the way I express them has changed, evolving from the purely representational to abstract, working in water media, colored pencil, oil pastel, mixed media as well as forays into printmaking.

The results have been satisfying but inconsistent, a constant reminder that achieving good work ain’t easy.

But I persevere, keeping in mind Picasso’s response (perhaps apocryphal) to the question of why he made pictures: to see what they look like...

“Spring Breeze” watercolor 130.

Find out more about Oasis and its artists at aostroff.com.

Kaela Parkhouse I like to work directly from life and aim to capture the moment as I perceive it. My subject matter is often still lifes and landscapes but I’m after something else. In this painting, I scratched down to the white paper in a few places to get the right feel of the light reflecting off the table.

There’s something satisfying about going at a painting with a knife.

“Flowers and Onions” pencil and watercolor 60.

Visit Kaela online at kaelaparkhouse.com.

Gina Patton I am a junior at the University of the Arts. After trying different types of photography, I most enjoy photographing digitally. I am also learning new techniques, such as transferring photographs onto various substrates, hand-tinting and printing blackand-white photographs on other surfaces.

“Reflections” digital photography 75. additional prints available

Lucy Pistilli A graduate of The Kansas City Art Institute, Lucy teaches art to disabled adults at Oasis Arts & Education. Her work, typically painting, is inspired by outsider art and found photography.

“Deer” (top) and “Bear” shadow box with premo clay sculpture 150. each Visit Lucy online at lucypistilli.com.

Dorothy Roschen

Work in intimate spaces commands a closer contemplation, inspection and even introspection. These clay plaques may be abstract but they are similes for messages. They are from my “Altered Earth” series showing how nature (water) and man (who puts wires on the land and sea) have changed the earth. They require you to consider on a small scale the vast effects on our planets of global warming, weather and commercialization. Preserving our species is a concern that personally and intimately affects all of us. all sculptures, in ceramic, watercolor and melted glass or wire, are 100.

“Floodwaters” “Wired Sea” “Here Comes the Water 2” See more of Dorothy’s work at plasticclub.org/roschen.html.

Veronika Schmude I enjoy being challenged in my work and creating art in an intimate space was surly a challenge. With this show, I decided my best approach was to deconstruct my work and to bring to light literally the forgotten objects that are left behind in the abandon buildings I photograph.

“Industrial Waste 1 & 2”

found object assemblages 50. each

Visit Veronika online at jpgmag.com/people/VeronikaS.

Jena Serbu & Dawn M. Smith Again inspired by my desire to live surrounded by taxidermied animals but not being a hunter or a taxidermist, I have taken to creating simulacra of that which I find both attractive and difficult to attain. Display cases are windows to a trapped heart — look longingly, hang trustingly — and there you are, instant company! “Rabbit,” much like the sad end to a childhood companion, reminds us that we are all slightly pocked and distorted on our insides; and in its case, on the outside.

“Rabbit” mixed media sculpture 275.

Jury Award: Best Articulated Otherworldliness

Mina Smith-Segal

See more of what Jena and Dawn are up to at sweetbreadstudios.com.

For this particular work of art, I experienced and uncanny event. I pictured myself getting The image seemed to have a life of its own as I imagined myself both bride and bridegroom.

a weird married.

I painted,

“A Change of Heart” watercolor 100.

See more of Mina’s work at plasticclub.org/smithsegal.html.

Adean J. Stone Adean, a very prolific artist living with a disability, depicts biblical scenes and profound life experiences in a style inspired primarily by cartoons and comics. Adean has been making art since the age of seven and continues to find new inspiration in the classes she takes at Oasis Arts & Education.

She describes her method as follows: “My brain goes blank when I put something on the canvas.

My artwork is a blend of painting and glitter.”

Find out more about Oasis and its artists at oasisartcenter.org.

“Cancer Research 2” acrylic on canvas 50.

Susan Stromquist

The editing process is the most intimate stage of my video making. Recorded footage — my body, the environment — becomes a new material in itself to be cut, manipulated or rearranged. I captured this still from my computer screen, like a found object, while working on a series called “Tightrope.” In “Tightrope” I used a long pole to simultaneously paint on opposite sides of a scroll of paper hanging in my studio, while also drawing with my feet. I like that this image — this pattern of curves and gestures — offers an alternative, Muybridge-esque perspective on that experience.

“Waves” screen captures 80.

additional prints available

See Susan’s video work at vimeo.com/susanstromquist.

Hayley Danger Tomlinson I am an undergrad 3D Fine Arts senior at Moore College of Art & Design.

I have used my time to not only sculpt in a variety of media but also to create 2D works in collage, marker, pencil and glitter. I am interested in abstracting things such as outer space, nuclear explosions, landscapes and geometry. In this piece, I thought about how taking something physically enormous, an explosion, and placing it in a cozy, six-inch square would change how it is viewed. I aim to extract an exquisite beauty from something that only brings destruction — transforming it for the audience, from distant enemy to admired acquaintance.

“CLUSTRFCK 2” mixed media collage 60.

Visit Hayley online at cargocollective.com/hayleytomlinson.

Kimberlee Traub I created this piece specifically for this show, starting with a beautiful little frame I had from my days working in a frame shop. Drawing in pen and ink can get very detailed, and working in a small size allowed me to fully indulge my obsessive nature in this medium. It also granted me the time to add rich, jewel-toned colors. This art is the first in a Burning Man-inspired series based on my first encounter this year with the famed art festival in the desert.

“Goodbye Queen” pen and ink with watercolor 75.

Visit Kimberlee online at kimberleetraub.com.

Wayne W. Urffer

I want each intimate space I design and construct to reflect precisely the idea I want it to reflect — whether ironic, satirical, sarcastic or just plain dark — perhaps because the intimate spaces in my everyday life seem so far from my control….

“Onward, Christian Soldiers” assemblage box 200.

Visit Wayne online at urfferbox.com.

Jason Vincenti

“Peace Waterfall” digital photography 100.

Part of intimacy is having a close association with a place or world. Finding that intimate world is comforting and steady, allowing you to drift off and find your space. When I captured this moment I felt as though the peaceful walker was drawn to the nature around her, finding intimacy with the forest, cliff wall and waterfall. Enjoy the photo.

Harvey Weinstein

What I like most about creating work in intimate spaces is attempting to maintain the feeling of a larger work. “From little things…big things grow.” all mixed media collages are 30.

“We’ll Call You” “Almost Perfect” Visit Harvey online at harveyworldmedia.org.

“In Black & White”