Summer Solstice: 2023 Summer Juried Show by Off the Wall Gallery

Summer of Change

The shift has everything to do with our 38 artists, eight making their OFF THE WALL debuts. Their 70 works speak to making art in all the seasons — and even more passionately, to the imminent threat climate change poses, which may soon eradicate the privilege of enjoying four distinct seasons. Across our Wall and 3D case, our artists speak out....

from paeans to endangered species in the work of FLOSS BARBER, ROBIN BROWNFIELD, BOB GORCHOV and ELLEN ROSENHOLTZ to KAREN STABENOW’s continuing series of climate change alerts in oil...

from HOLLY WYNN’s poignant, personal riff on iconic imagery to ARIANA GROCE’s angry goddess head for the 21st century...

from the stormy landscapes of MERYL BONDEROW, DENNIS FLYNN, SOM-MAI NGUYEN and MAUREEN ST. JOHN to BOB REINHARDT’s parched deserts and ROBB SPATH’s collaged wildfire-engulfed forest...

from two paintings out of DOLORES POACELLI’s arresting new series RUINS to NATALIE HOPE MCDONALD’s graffiti-inscribed decorative plates that have no time left for decorum.

Interspersed among these works are nostalgic takes on what summer used to be and, for the time being, still is. But an ominous cloud lingers despite our show’s luminous, optimistic palette.

One thing completes SUMMER SOLSTICE YOU! You are more than a viewer or audience member. You are the key participant, who must interact with this art, from now to August 11, and become — if you are not one already — the next agent of change, ready to take action.

Jody Sweitzer Togo Travalia Curator Manager

Floss Barber

Fish and crabs are vital to our environment and the fishing communities of local Delaware Bay. They transfer energy up and down the food chain, fulfill important ecological roles and help stabilize our ecosystems. By employing the colors of the American flag, I can grab the attention of the community to draw attention to the need to preserve endangered species.

“White Perch: Morone americana” (top left)

9 x 12 oil and acrylic 100.

Follow Floss on Instagram @floss.barber and @flossbarberinc

Jennifer Barrile

JURY CITATION: MOST SUSTAINABLE

Like the fluctuation of the seasons, my art and process go through changes. I feel a change within when I connect to a certain place or image, or when I create something from nothing using whatever I have on hand. These paintings are landscapes that appreciate nature, its beauty and tranquility. I made them on recycled materials, packaging cardboard and paper. Some areas are left intentionally unfinished. Not only is it fun to experiment and create on unconventional items, it feels good to keep them out of landfills.

“Green space” (top right)

6.75 x 4.75

acrylic paint and graphite on cardboard with wood backing 125.

“Salem Harbor” (on cover)

7.5 x 4

acrylic paint and ink on packaging cardboard 125.

Follow Jen on Instagram @jensimaginings

Jim Biglan

“The End” (bottom)

21 x 27 gouache on paper 650.

What is going to end it all? Will we kill ourselves or will the earth beat us to it?

“Playground” (middle)

18 x 24

sumi ink on paper 200.

Back in the 1970s, playgrounds were full of bugs larger than swing sets.

Follow Jim on Instagram @vaughn_biglane

Meryl Bonderow

I take almost all my photos out in the world, often on the fly, and then edit them in my house, but that transition — outside to inside — doesn’t deter seasons and elements and climate from their central roles. Often I find ways to emphasize these essential contexts in post-production in an effort to connect the viewer to exactly what I was feeling in that place, on that particular day. Climate change is already imprinting on this process because I believe extremes in weather have begun forcing me to become more radical in my photo-editing choices.

Meryl’s Hipstagrams are printed on metal (clockwise from top left):

“Cyano Burst” 10 x 8 75.

“Storm Tossed” 8 x 8 60.

“Tree House” 10 x 8 75.

Follow Meryl on Instagram

@mrsblintz

Nick Brown

“Beaked Vase II” (top right)

12.5” high

stoneware 300.

“Bowl with Malarie”

7” high; 9.5” diameter

B-Mix 300.

“Flower Pot II” (bottom right)

9” high; 9.5” diameter

B-Mix 350.

Robin Brownfield

My nature and climate/ environment-themed mosaics run a gamut of themes and moods. For example, “Say Goodbye” features an emotional pleas for endangered species, while “This Landscape Is Garbage” shines a spotlight on the growing toll of human waste on the environment.

JURY AWARD:

BiggEST rEALiTy chEck

“Say Goodbye” (on cover)

24 x 18 x 0.75

mosaic art

1000.

“SING!” (on left)

36 x 14 x 0.5

mosaic art 750.

(middle right)

“This Landscape Is Garbage”

16 x 20 x 0.75

mosaic art 600.

Follow Robin on Instagram

@robinbrownfieldmosaics

Gary Bulwicz

Like a prized trophy, wood has been a foundation of civilization. The fact that wood is cultivated, burned and wasted enables it to sometimes be made into something great.

“Dead Wood” (middle left)

14.5 x 11.5 x 5

wood sculpture, brass plate, polyurethane, paint 140.

Maryanne Buschini

My artwork shows the figures experiencing the pleasure of nature — with special attention paid to the care we need to take to protect it and ourselves, as the intensity of weather changes.

All of Maryanne’s paintings are 8 x 8, oil on panel and 350. each (clockwise at top):

“Blue World”

JURY CITATION: MOST SUBMErSIVE

“Floating”

“Make a Wish”

“Parasol”

Follow Maryanne on Instagram

@buschini_art

Cara Croke

These pieces explore the relationship between people and place through the use of cyanotype print and embroidery, using photographs of my children as the basis for my imagery.

My current method of work is completely dependent on the environmental elements of sun and water. Cyanotype printing is the process of applying lightsensitive chemicals to a surface — in this case, fabric — and then exposing it to the sunlight using a negative. My work changes with the seasons not only in regard to content but especially in how the work is made. The UV index changes drastically from winter to summer changing the quality of detail that I am able to create in my pieces. In the winter, a lower UV index makes it next to impossible to create a clear image; in the summer my prints develop quickly because the UV index is high.

All of Cara’s works are cyanotype prints with embroidery (clockwise from middle right):

“Shadow” “Fields” 10 x 10 6 x 6 150. 165.

“Future” “Past”

6 x 6 6 x 6 125. 125.

Follow Cara on Instagram

@cara.creates.art

Rueben Das

My art is the manifestation of my response and interpretation of the drama created by light and shade in nature. All my works are painted either in plein air or in my studio from photos that I have previously captured.

(top)

“Basking in the sun with Atlantis”

14 x 17 (11 x 14 painting) oil on board 550.

Follow Rueben on Instagram @rueben.das

Joseph Eggleston

JURY CITATION: SOLSTIcE AWArd (fROm THE DRUiD sOCiETY Of DiRTY fRANk’s)

At times I like to collage foliage into my portraiture to draw attention to the connection between humans and the natural environment. I like the idea of the figure being built up with paint and leaves, celebrating new life with spring transitioning to summer.

“Samsara” (on cover & bottom left) 14 x 11 oil and acrylic and artificial leaves on canvas 320.

Follow Joseph on Instagram @joseph.eggleston.art and @joseph.eggleston.shop

Rusty Eveland & Nicole Nikolich

One of the most fascinating things about animation is giving life to and anthropomorphizing objects. This infinite loop of the life cycles of flowers is a collaboration with Lace in the Moon, who does crochet all over the city.

“Flowers” (middle left) stop-motion animation with crochet

Follow Rusty on Instagram @wobblewheel

Follow Nicole on Instagram @lace_in_the_moon

Dennis Flynn

I am happy to see this show’s focus on climate change. My work are landscapes with stormy skies and strong sun rays.

“Stormy Seas” (middle right) oil on canvas 11 x 14 250.

Follow Dennis on Instagram @dennisflynn.art

Bob Gorchov

Given the fact of climate change, elements in my paintings have become more pronounced: the multi-colored suns are big and threatening, the faces of people express shock and disbelief, an owl — an endangered species — makes its presence known. Our world is changing and my paintings reflect this.

(middle left)

“owl (endangered species)”

21 x 17

acrylic and ink on Canva-Paper 220.

(top)

“procession (under two suns)”

19 x 25

acrylic and ink on Canva-Paper 300.

Follow Bob on Instagram

@bobgorchov

Ariana Groce

Our climate affects how everything grows. It’s our responsibility to care for it and nurture it so that way our world can last and prosper.

“Mother Nature” (middle right)

18 x 12

digital print 85.

David Helwer

JURY AWARD: MOST NOSTALgIc

I paint to access the little boy I was in Kansas; my environment, both inner and outer. I vividly remember knowing the weather could kill me.

(on cover & bottom) “Gathering Eggs”

17 x 21

acrylic on canvas 400.

David Horwitz

In these paintings I attempt to capture the light and mood of summer at the beach.

Untitled 1 (middle left)

11 x 14

acrylic on canvas 250.

Untitled 2 (bottom left)

11 x 14

acrylic on canvas 250.

Follow David on Instagram @david_horwitz_art

Basak Kilicbeyli

Reflecting on the threat of losing my family and home following the devastating earthquakes in Turkey, I invite viewers, through this monotype print series, to reflect on the delicate equilibrium between urbanization, the climate crisis and seismic events — all while celebrating the transformative power of the summer solstice. Here, with the simplicity and eco-friendly nature of the monotype printmaking technique, I hope to express the pockets of serenity that persist amid urban chaos and the importance of building resilient cities.

The summer solstice, known as a time of abundance and growth, sheds light on the seismic threats

that mark our changing world and the need to safeguard the precious green urban areas surrounding living spaces. By evoking emotions and fostering a sense of urgency, I aim to inspire viewers to engage in sustainable practices that address the climate crisis and mitigate the risk of natural disasters.

All of Basak’s work are 9 x 12 oil-pastel monotype prints on newsprint paper and 50. each:

“landscape 005” (second on right)

“landscape 007” (third on right)

“landscape 015” (bottom right)

Erin Kuhn

The Solstice represents a liminal state of balance: equal light and darkness. I balance colors and human forms in fragile liminal states playing in the threshold of moments where things are stable before they spring out of control.

“Hot Venus” (top left)

12 x 16

cut paper and acrylic on canvas 225.

“Mandala” (top right)

12 x 12

acrylic on canvas 200.

Follow Erin on Instagram @peachf0x

Asya Livshits

A lot of my work is set in nature. Seasons and light consequently play major roles in my art. This makes me more aware of climate, and my work speaks to the crisis we face. For example, last year we were enjoying a day on the beach on Christmas, rreminding us thatsummers, not winters, are fast becoming stay-at-home times. Things are shifting and getting mixed up so rapidly. We hardly have time to reflect.

“Costa Rica” (top) 11 x 14 oil on board 400.

“Happy New Year” (bottom) 20 x 16 oil on board 500.

JURY AWARD: ULTIMATE JErSEy VIBE

“Ocean City” (on cover) 11 x 14 oil on board 400.

Follow Asya on Instagram

@acbkabasbka

Natalie Hope McDonald

A big reason I wanted to enter this exhibition is because I’m working on a new upcycling series in which I find materials (like dishes and other threedimensional items) and recycle them into new forms of art that is made in a more sustainable way. I’ve been working on several sets of works through this upcycling process, and I created these two pieces specifically addressing climate change and the environment. I am interested in combining pop culture with social issues using graffiti and other forms of painting.

“LOVE YOUR MUTHA”

10” round oil on decorative plate (comes with hanging apparatus) 300.

“WAKE UP”

10” round oil on decorative plate (comes with hanging apparatus) 300.

Follow Natalie on Instagram

@nataliehopemcdonald

Asia Mieleszko

My sono-graph series — its grooves, hues, and textures — is crafted entirely by songs and soundbites, including personal meditations on in-between Slavic languages and scenes from Andrzej Zulawski’s filmography. These sono-graphs deal with questions of home, agency, and apocalypse in ways equally acute and abstract.

“sono-graph: dorogoi (beloved)”

8 x 8 digital print

75.

Watch this sono-graph created at mieleszko.myportfolio.com/dorogoi

“sono-graph: morderca (murderer)”

8 x 8 digital print

75.

Watch this sono-graph created at mieleszko.myportfolio.com/morderca

Som-Mai Nguyen

JURY CITATION: MOST PrOMISINg dEBUT

I considered aerial news coverage of seasonal yet increasingly catastrophic flooding — and the dizziness those videos cause me, vicariously looking down at great, incalculable sheets of newly still muddy water.

“Flood 2” (on cover & bottom right) 12 x 12 acrylic on wood panel 150.

Follow Som-Mai on Instagram

@nqsommai

Jill Pearson

My art is inspired by nature and the juxtaposition of man-made artifacts against the landscape. The particular pieces I have entered represent memories of summer, water and beaches.

“Deep Blue” (middle left)

6.5 x 6.5 mixed media on board 150. (middle right)

“On The Way to St. Lucia”

11 x 11

mixed media on cradled board 250.

“Passing Through” (bottom left)

12 x 12 mixed media on deep cradled board 250.

Follow Jill on Instagram @jill.pearson.art

Jean Plough

“CLOUD” (top center)

11 x 11

acrylic paint on wood 100.

Clouds help cool the planet. Research suggests that greenhouse gasses are eliminating the sky’s clouds, which could drastically speed up the pace of global warming

(top left)

“Empire of the Ant”

16 x 16

acrylic paint and oil crayon on canvas 100.

Ants’ body temperature depends on the environment. They are part of many ecosystems, and may not be able to adjust their behavior in response to global warming

“PUSS IN BOOTS” (top left)

16 x 16

acrylic paint and oil crayon on canvas 100.

In the movie Puss in Boots, the protagonist confronts his anxiety of death. Likewise we face our fears about climate change

Follow Jean on Instagram

@jeanplough

Dolores Poacelli

RUINS, my series about climate change, expresses an extremely serious subject — the doom of climate change — using intense color and biomorphic shapes the way Philip Guston expressed white supremacy. He used pleasant colors and a cartoonish style to smack us with reality.

Each of Dolores’ paintings are 24 x 18, acrylic and oil and 650.:

“RUINS/PERISCOPE” (middle left)

“RUINS/POOL 3” (middle right)

Follow Dolores on Instagram @poacelli

Robert Reinhardt

Climate change continues to affect us all, whether we deny it or not. Our changing climate conditions seem to be flipping our norms for expected weather conditions. Much of my landscape work explores the desert environment in contrast to more water-saturated climates.

“Blue Mountains” (bottom left)

9 x 11

watercolor 125.

(bottom right)

“Not a Drop of Water” 9 x 11

watercolor 125.

Follow Bob on Instagram

@mrbob1818

Gene Renzi

Extinction is closer than we think. Action is required now.

“Limerick” (top)

21 x 17 framed (10 x 10 image) infrared medium-format photo silver gelatin print 250.

Follow Gene on Instagram @generenzi

Gloria Rohlfs

“Nucleus” (middle left)

12” round acrylic on canvas 200.

A nucleus is an essential core around which other parts are gathered or grouped — a basis for future development and growth. There is always hope that the kernel of awareness about climate change will radiate out and transform society.

“Swirl” (middle right)

12 x 16 acrylic on canvas 300.

The changes constantly swirling around us can leave us feeling off-balance, needing to find our own center and new directions moving forward.

Ellen Rosenholtz

My art is often about native, invasive, and extinct species in New Jersey. The reasons behind whether an indigenous species either survives or is in peril are complex. Just like climate change, many of the causes are products of human interference with the natural environment.

(bottom)

“Short-billed Dowitcher, Cattail, Snail”

22 x 23 graphite on paper 700.

Follow Ellen on Instagram @ellen_rosenholtz

Maureen M. St. John

Our planet has endured years of neglect and abuse by those who Inhabit it. My artwork is a message to those of us who continue this abuse of nature to step up before all we are left with is darkness and despair.

“Wind” (top)

17 x 21

watercolor 400.

Follow Maureen on Instagram @maurmag13

Bill Skwersky

This image, taken during the 1982 Summer Solstice and Tall Ship Festival at Penn’s Landing, is of a thing now gone. It is a phantom of a Philadelphia that only exists in memory and photographs — just like the seasons, if we don’t quickly act take responsibility for our role in global warming.

(middle left)

“Summer Solstice 1982”

14 x 11

Ink jet print of 35mm photography 100.

Terence Smith

The longest day of the year nears its end as a nocturnal descendent of dinosaurs ponders the possible end of life on earth.

(middle right)

“The Long Day Wanes”

9 x 3.75 x 3.75

plaster 250. Robb Spath

As an artist, I strive to capture the raw beauty of our world while simultaneously drawing attention to the urgent need for action against climate change. Through my artwork, I hope to inspire change and encourage viewers to take active roles in protecting our planet.

“Acres” (bottom left)

14 x 11

hand-cut collage 125.

(bottom right)

“Vultures of Manayunk”

14 x 11

hand-cut collage 125.

Follow Robb on Instagram @armedrobbery810

Karen Stabenow

I paint with oil to communicate the climate change in the North and South Poles, which are warming three times faster than the rising global average temperature. These changes are caused by the use of coal, oil and methane, resulting in melting ice, sea rising, vanishing glaciers, fractured landscapes, extinction, and in the Antarctic, icebergs turn green from the warming iron-rich sea water and algae.

“Arctic Drilling” (middle)

12.5 x 25 oil on panel 400.

(second from bottom)

“Rime of the Ancient Mariner”

4.5 x 13 oil on panel 300.

“Sea Level Rising” (bottom)

4.5 x 11.5 oil on panel 300.

Follow Karen on Instagram @karen_stabenow_artist

Holly Wynn

JURY AWARD: BEST OF ShOW

Living in a place with four seasons does affect my creative process — particularly in the winter, when bouts of seasonal depression make it hard to put my energy and care into my art. This piece captures the isolation and loneliness that come in and leave me feeling uninspired and unsure what to do.

(top left)

“My Own Little Iceberg” 8 x 10 oil on panel 90.

Follow Holly on Instagram @artbyhollywynn

Nina Yocom

The organic shapes and floral patterns that emerge in my alcohol ink artwork are inspired by nature in all seasons. Just like being embraced by the nature world, I am able to immerse myself in the joy of being at the very moment when creativity beacons.

“Breakthrough” (top right)

6 x 6

alcohol ink on paper 150.

Follow Nina on Instagram

@ninajeanyocom

Summer Solstice: 2023 Summer Juried Show

What’s Next

We, the Jury

Summer of Change

Floss Barber

Jennifer Barrile

JURY CITATION: MOST SUSTAINABLE

Jim Biglan

Meryl Bonderow

Nick Brown

Robin Brownfield

Gary Bulwicz

Maryanne Buschini

JURY CITATION: MOST SUBMErSIVE

Cara Croke

Rueben Das

Joseph Eggleston

Rusty Eveland & Nicole Nikolich

Dennis Flynn

Bob Gorchov

Ariana Groce

David Helwer

David Horwitz

Basak Kilicbeyli

Erin Kuhn

Asya Livshits

Natalie Hope McDonald

Asia Mieleszko

Som-Mai Nguyen

Jill Pearson

Jean Plough

Dolores Poacelli

Robert Reinhardt

Gene Renzi

Gloria Rohlfs

Ellen Rosenholtz

Maureen M. St. John

Bill Skwersky

Terence Smith

Karen Stabenow

Holly Wynn

JURY AWARD: BEST OF ShOW

Nina Yocom

RELEASE PARTY

Articles inside

Summer of Change

We, the Jury

Summer of Change

We, the Jury