January 15 March 3 New Faces of ‘23 Opens Thursday, January 19, 7–10 pm
Tuesday, February 14 Summer Juried Show theme announced March 5 April 21 Opens Sunday, March 12, 4–7 pm
April 23 June 2 Mary Liz Memorial Masters Exhibition 18 Opens Thursday, April 27, 7–10 pm
Thursday, May 4 Deadline for entries to Summer Juried Show
June 4 August 11 16th Annual Community Juried Show Opens Thursday, June 8, 7–10 pm
Tuesday, July 4 Year-ending juried theme announced
August 13 — Where Are They Now?
September 29 Young at Art...Growing Up! Opens Thursday, June 8, 7–10 pm
October 1 2023 Autumn Invitational Show
November 17 Opens Thursday, October 5, 7–10 pm
Thursday, October 12 Deadline for entries to year-ending juried show
November 19 18th Annual Juried Exhibition
December 29 Opens Thursday, November 30, 7–10 p.m.
December 30, 2023 New Year’s/Mummers Hiatus January 12, 2024
January 14 March 1 2024 Winter Show Opens Thursday, January 18, 7–10 pm
Perspective is everything when it comes to art. There are decades of art-making experience among the 10 talented artists heralded as our NEW FACES OF ‘23 . So why are we billing them as “new?”
The roots of this energetic, energizing show are firmly planted in our partnership with nearby sister organization The Plastic Club . Over the years, we have proudly displayed the work of at least 67 artists currently on the rolls of this legendary membership institution, founded in 1897 to establish a creative home for — and amplify the voices of — women artists in Philadelphia. In the years since, it has become a mecca for all of our region’s artists.
We are very proud of this fruitful, dynamic relationship. Just as surely, we know there are many more Plastic Club members whose work belongs at OFF THE WALL but who have never made it into our space. Hence, the impetus for this show was set in motion. We look forward to more Plastic/Wall Collaborations , cut from the same cloth. What better way to add to the gathering momentum of 2023 than to connect with debuting artists who embody the best in our ever-growing community of artists and art lovers? This show will introduce you to…
Practitioners of unique art forms: Pamela Tudor , who harnesses technology-driven new media to stunning effect; Robin Brownfield , who runs an emotional gamut, from whimsy to activism, with her mosaics; and Nina Yocom , who uses alcohol ink to draw out surprising intersections of color, shape and texture in her paintings.
Painters who are more traditional in applying media, while still sharing their own distinctive visions: David Horwitz , who challenges us to feel portraiture as much as see it; Mick Ricereto , who finds beauty in urban grit and asymmetry; and Gretchen Raichle , who serves up ephemeral, practically delectable bursts of colors.
Photographers John Stritzinger and Bill Skwersky , who paint with their lenses, elevating a populist digital medium into a deeply personal vehicle for storytelling and exploration.
Mixed-media artists Gloria Klaiman and Robert Cox , who choose to blend media and bend them, in order to stretch what is possible — yielding compositions that plumb unexpected depths. Visit us in person to begin understanding why we are so excited to showcase this exceptional art, now through March 3 .
Jody Sweitzer Togo Travalia Curator ManagerI used to be a sociology professor. After becoming diabled, I turned to mosaic art. Following a FOX-29 story about my award-winning series of “Black Lives Matter” mosaic portraits, Tamika Palmer commissioned me to do a portrait of her daughter, Breonna Taylor, whose death, in part, launched a rebirth of the BLM movement. This portrait can be seen in the documentary Bree Way: Promise Witness Remembrance . My artwork has been exhibited in galleries throughout our region, as well as nationally, including shows in New York City, Las Vegas and San Francisco. I recently designed and supervised a community mosaic mural project, entitled “Childhood Memories,” at Thomas Sharp Elementary School in Collingswood, New Jersey. Visit Robin
(detail on cover) “Blowing Bubbles” mosaic art 750. “Sea Witch” mosaic art 300. (at left) “Tree Spirit” mosaic art 600.
In my efforts to make art, I relish the opportunity to try different media and subject matters.
The two works of mine in this show are good examples of this, as one is a found-object montage and the other a photo of a constellation of cracks in a sidewalk. Neither represents a particular subject and yet they each express a certain feeling. If there is a constant in my work, it is strong composition and a tendency to see compelling scenes or subjects that others may not see.
My formal training consists of earning a BFA from Eckerd College and a year and a half studying drawing and painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. I’m a member of The Plastic Club, where I recently put on a one-man retrospective.
(on cover) “Homage to Picasso” 12 x 12 digital photograph on stained wood 130. (at left) “Montage of Found Objects” 9.5 x 7.25 found objects set in plaster, in hand-hewn frame 150.
I want my paintings to have energy. If they have energy, then I feel something from them. And if I feel something from my paintings, then I think other people might feel something, too.
Ultimately, I want people to be visually turned on by my paintings.
(opposite, top left)
Untitled No. 1 20 x 16 475.
(opposite, top right) Untitled No. 2 20 x 16 475. (online only) Untitled No. 3 20 x 20 525.
(above) Untitled No. 4 20 x 20 525.
(opposite, bottom) Untitled No. 5 24 x 24 750.
(on cover) Untitled No. 6 20 x 20 750.
All of David’s paintings are acrylic on canvas:Visit David online at davidhorwitzart.com Follow him on Instagram @david_horwitz_art
In my mixed-media art, I always strive to explore the beauty of the natural world, as well as the songs, dreams, ideas, fears and aspirations of the people around us. In the current political climate, this also entails a conscious effort to counter the initiatives that promote hateful separations between the self and the other; the self and nature; and the self and the spiritual, idiosyncratic and different in the world. The making of art is a joyful but also solitary pursuit; therefore, I am very grateful to art organizations and venues such as The Plastic Club and Off the Wall Gallery at Dirty Frank’s for providing a vital community of artists, whose friendship, support, talent and artwork greatly nurture and enhance my own artistic practice.
“The cages are broken and all the children dance” 20 x 16 x 1.5 mixed-media assemblage 275.
(detail on cover) (above right) “Not cage free” “Spring chaos” 12 x 12 18 x 12 mixed media mixed media 150. 250.
(at right) “Refuge” “Torn” 12 x 9 18 x 14 mixed media rust print collage 85. 200.
“Torn like spring flowers from their soil” 12 x 12 mixed media 85.
(above left) “We are not vessels” 18 x 14 mixed media 250.
Visit Gloria online at gloriaklaimanartist.squarespace.com Follow her on Instagram @gloriaklaiman
It’s never too late! Cliché, yes…but never more true for this artist. As a younger person, I immersed myself in drawing and attempted paintings and pastels; however, as they do, life events took priority and I left my art all behind.
Illustration, like images in childhood books, and later discovering Pyle, N.C. Wyeth, and Sargent were huge attractions, and that of the ‘Red Rose Girls’ fascinated me to no end.
Some 45 years later, when I dug out all the books, magazines and materials I had collected, I discovered I was drawn to watercolor.
I was paralyzed looking at a white sheet of paper until I found Alice Meyer-Wallace at Community Arts Center, Wallingford. Alice has been my mentor, teacher and friend over the last five years, and her free-spirited enthusiasm and encouragement have made all the difference. Her classes have pushed me into subjects I never would have attempted on my own, including people and portraits.
In addition, because of Alice, I am part of this Off the Wall exhibit and have become a member of The Plastic Club, whose vibrant history and welcoming membership are invaluable.
Watercolor is a truly magical medium. It is luminous and always full of surprises if you just let it in.
All of Gretchen’s pieces are watercolors on 140 lb. cold press Arches paper:
(detail on cover)
“Blazing Petals” 15 x 19 225. (at right, top)
“Blush” 10 x 8 65. (opposite)
“Coral Glow” 15.5 x 12.5 200.
“Pink Passion” 15.5 x 12.5 200.
(at right, bottom)
“Red Cup” 23 x 19.5 250. (below)
“Spring Has Sprung” 10 x 8 65.
Trained as an architect and interior designer, I joined The Plastic Club in early 2020 to hone my drawing skills and find a new art community. I also started painting watercolors at this time, based on scenes found while bike riding throughout the city’s overlooked post-industrial areas. My inspiration got a big boost during the pandemic when streets cleared out and an eerie silence crept across the city. Drawn to empty back alley scenes, disused industry, banal big box stores and all manners of patina and decrepitude,
(below) “PC” 10 x 12 400. “Willow Steam” 12 x 10 400.
All of Mick’s work are watercolor on paper: (at left) “A Factory” 12 x 10 400. (detail on cover) “Fishtown Circle” 15 x 12 425.
I seek to depict the city that I see and feel around me — as opposed to an idealized postcard view that most visitors might see.
I’m a proud, long-time member of The Plastic Club. The Club has always been a nurturing and supportive environment for creativity.
My wife and I are among the “urban pioneers” that have lived in Society Hill for over 50 years.
I have exhibited at The Club, the Athenaeum of Philadelphia, the original Java Cafe, Good Karma Cafe and Joe’s on Rittenhouse Square, among other places.
This gallery has such a fine reputation. I’m excited to be part of this show.
“Fall on the Delaware Canal” 24 x 18 digital photograph 150. “Great Grate” 18 x 24 digital photograph 150. “Mummers Captain” 24 x 18 digital photograph 150.
I am a curious learner and that very trait has led me to develop a diverse body of work. Subjects that have turned my head are trees, abandoned spaces and family history. I aim to create stories in my images and hope my work will prompt generative conversations.
I am smitten with trees, and lately I have been reading more about trees and the conversations they have amongst themselves. I love the visual conversations I have as I photograph in the forest.
Leaving and being left spin another thread in my work. In abandoned structures and on left-behind land I sense both the abandoners and abandoned invisibly shaping these spaces. I look for images that resonate with my feelings about people and places being passed by time.
I am also exploring how family history weaves into personal identity, using family photos and writings combined with currently made images.
(above)
“Bending to Hear the Moon Whisper”
11 x 14 digital photograph 125.
“Be-wilder-ed” (at right, middle) 14 x 11 digital photograph 125.
“Billowing Blue” (at right, bottom) 11 x 14 digital photograph 125.
“Naked Wood” (opposite) 28 x 20 digital photograph 325.
“Sacramentos: Hi Point Honeymoon” 24 x 20 digital photo montage 325.
(at right, top) “Treedom Framed” 14 x 11 digital photograph 125.
(detail on cover)
“Visitations” 11 x 14 digital photograph 125.
Visit John online at johnstritzingerphotos.com Follow him on Instagram @jstritz
As an artist, my goal is to reach something deeply felt in our collective imagination. Despite the losses of our times — climate change and the dangers it claims on our lives and future generations; the violence perpetrated on each other; COVID-19 — I find I still must create works of awareness, renewal and beauty.
The beauty of our one-and-only sacred home is one of my themes, as is the full consciousness of living. I wish not to “tell” a story as much as express something ineffable that touches the unconscious as well as the conscious mind. Like my artistic influences — Anselm Kiefer, Clifford Still, Milton Avery, Georgia O’Keefe, Paul Klee and Rembrandt — my work flows between figuration and the abstract. It is emotive, contemplative and sometimes whimsical.
(at right) “The Lusty Month of May” 7 x 10 x 3.5 mixed-media shadow box 300. (detail on cover) “Corona Protection Goddess” 14 x 17 mixed media and palm bark on wood 500. “They Are Everywhere” 24 x 30 acrylic on canvas with augmented reality 800.
(opposite)
“We’re Off” 24 x 30 acrylic on canvas with augmented reality 800. Visit Pamela online at pamelatudor.com Follow her on Instagram @pamelatudorartist
This work is my way of expressing my being in the world.
If you have an iPhone only, log onto the Apple Store by scanning this QR code...or by going to https://testflight.apple.com/join/G71uT1Ur...or by accessing the Store directly and searching for “TestFlight.”
Then follow these instructions, provided by the artist:
1. Tap “Apple.com” on your camera screen to go to the Apple Store.
2. Download “TestFlight.”
3. You can decline “Notifications.” Then tap “Continue.”
4. Tap “INSTALL” the app Anthroposcenes, which is in beta testing. Then tap “Open.”
5. Tap “Next,” then “Start Testing,” then “OK,” to allow access to your camera.
6. Hold your phone up to painting, standing three feet or more away from artwork. You will start seeing the artwork animate.
Watch a demo of this AR painting at offthewallgallery.org/pamela-tudor-ar-paintings
Originally from suburban Philly, I now reside in West Chester — within easy reach of supportive and flourishing art communities, such as The Plastic Club, which I joined in the summer of 2022. In my work I allow the flow of alcohol ink to organically form the structure of my paintings.
healing and self-acceptance.
I enjoy this medium for its ability to express gratitude, hope,
“Angelic” 10 x 8 alcohol ink on YUPO framed 300. (detail on cover) “A Foreign Land” 7 x 5 alcohol ink on YUPO mounted to panel 200. (opposite, bottom right) “Generations” 5 x 7 alcohol ink on YUPO mounted to panel 200.
(above right) “Puff” 6.5 x 6.5 framed alcohol ink on tile 150.
(opposite, bottom left) “Shoreward” 5 x 7 alcohol ink on YUPO mounted to panel 200.
(opposite, top) “Smoky Blues” 20 x 16 alcohol ink on YUPO framed 500.
“Splendor” 5 x 5 alcohol ink on YUPO mounted to panel 150. (top) “Where We Dwell” 12 x 16 framed alcohol ink on YUPO 400.
Visit Nina online at ninayocom.com Follow her on Instagram @ninajeanyocom
