Eighth Annual Community Juried Show
Eighth Annual Community Juried Show
feast your eyes
June 2 – August 2, 2013
june 2–august 2
offthewall
@OTWDirtyFranks Gallery at Dirty Frank’s facebook.com/OTWDirtyFranks NE Corner 13th & Pine Philadelphia, PA 19107
Our menu for the rest of ’13 August 4 – September 27
2013 Midsummer Show Opens Thursday, August 9, 7–10 pm
September 29 – November 29
2013 Autumn Invitational Opens Thursday, October 4, 7–10 pm
Sunday, October 13
Sunday with the Masters Hands-on Workshops, 12–3 pm
Thursday, November 7 Submission Deadline for 11:59 pm Ninth Annual Juried Exhibition December 1 – 28
Ninth Annual Juried Exhibition Opens Thursday, December 5, 7–10 pm
On the cover, from top, left to right: Rachel Kosbab’s “Appled Headed,: Alexandra E. Thomas’ “Cake,” DoN Brewer’s “disorder: eating,” Caitlin McCormack’s “A Hungry Guy,” Jamie Combs’ “Annie’s Enchiladas,” Jasmine Alleger’s “A Month of Breakfast—August 22, 2012,” Megan D. Elliott’s “Poissons.”
an inspiring collaboration A lot of praise comes our way every time a juried exhibition engages audiences, generates sales, spotlights artists we haven’t seen before and sheds new light on a theme. But this success begins far from Off the Wall Gallery. It starts in the studios of our talented and growing community of artists who submits their best work. Then it depends on the critical eyes and insights of a dedicated group of volunteers, our jury, who are the architects of the show. We are extremely grateful for the enthusaism, expertise and hard work of the Feast Your Eyes jurors.
Rich Bogart, art enthusiast and executive chef, Cadillac Grille, The Wells Fargo Cengter.
Robert Bohné, artist; member, The Plastic Club and Philadelphia Sketch Club; organizer, Philadelphia Art Meetup and Landscape Painting Philadelphia. robertbohne.com Jena Serbu, artist and filmmaker; co-creator, Uncut Productions
and Sweetbread Studios. jenaserbu.com & sweetbreadstudios.com
Jody Sweitzer, artist; instructor, University of the Arts; member, NEXUS; curator, Off the Wall Gallery. youtube.com/jodysweitzer
Marlise M. Tkaczuk, artist; program coordinator for continuing
education, Moore College of Art & Design; member, The Print Center and The Plastic Club. marlisetkaczuk.com
Let’s admit it. We are a community not only of art lovers but of foodies.
art, glorious art
We relish poring over reviews of new restaurants. You probably at least window-shop at WilliamsSonoma. How many food-related apps are on your phone? The cost of our organic groceries and All-Clad cookware would floor our parents, even though we cherish and use the same family recipes. Who doesn’t check out some cooking-centric reality show? And when Anthony Bourdain came to town and made Dirty Frank’s a destination, it was a subject of conversation for weeks. So perhaps the most amazing fact about Feast Your Eyes, our delectable Eighth Annual Community Juried Show, is that it didn’t arrive sooner. Now that it is here—through August 2—we can look forward to a summer spent sampling a wonderful “menu” of work. Would you like a slice of cake in acrylic? Or perhaps a tiered cake in embellished felt? But first you simply must have a main course...maybe lamb or fish? Our citrus section is all in oil (and we don’t mean olive oil): lemon in oil on canvas, oranges on board, grapefruit on pine. Stop in at lunch next week for a sandwich or our enchilada special.
This menu is diverse, and at times, food becomes the medium as dried apples or a walnut shell uncannily assume human features. It’s all courtesy of our 32 gifted “chefs,” including many fan favorites and 11 artists who are making their debut on the Wall and in our 3D case. We hope to see you again soon. And if the show is making you hungry, remember, we’re also located in a neighborhood with some great restaurants. So we won’t mind if you check out OpenTable on your way here. In fact, we thoroughly understand. This is Off the Wall Gallery. Bon appétit! Jody Sweitzer Curator
Togo Travalia Manager
Jasmine Alleger My work deals with elevating the everyday. In this series, I systematically documented my breakfast every day for a month. With the resulting documentation, I combined acrylic painting and collage elements to create a record of the day. Each day’s collage element is a JURY varying system “A Month of Breakfast– of information dealing August 22, 2012” CITATION: acrylic and collage either with food, on panel place or the presence HONORABLE 350. of time. I have MENTION used found materials taken from American life, from the 1930s to today. The range of ephemera alludes to the idea that routines, like breakfast, continue for generations. Visit Jasmine online at: jasminepaints.com
Robert Bohné
“Lobster” oil on canvas 300.
If this lobster looks familiar, it’s because he’s been hanging out in my freezer, way past his expiration date. He’s appeared in numerous paintings, but he keeps coming back for more, like a reliable old Timex.
But this is more than just a painting about lobster and fish. It’s about light, and composition, and the brilliant play of red against black. My job as an artist is to compose an image that the viewer will find appealing without necessarily knowing why— the use of subliminal stimuli to create a work of art that will grab the viewers’ attention and hold it for longer than just a few seconds. Bon appétit! Visit Robert online at: robertbohne.com & facebook.com/RobertBohneArtist
DoN Brewer Go ahead. Take out your smartphone. This work is a QR code that links to a YouTube video produced in 2002, the genesis of food porn on TV. At the time, I was struggling with Crohn’s disease and images of deliciouslooking food everywhere was torture. Video clips from food shows are reversed and “disorder: eating” print of QR code JURY edited to depict beautiful food emerging from mouths (links to YouTube video) CITATION: after chewing—like a Mama 20. multiple framed prints bird. The soundtrack is of available most biome eating and swallowing, engineered and the video “stars” Joy Behar, Star Jones, Padma Lakshmi and many others. A comment on YouTube says, “Deliciously nasty. A true YouTube hit.” Visit DoN online at: donbrewermultimedia.com
Russell Brodie “Citrus Still Life” oil on birch 350.
Visit Russell online at: russellbrodie.com
Stephanie Clifton
“Shrimp Lo Mein” watercolor 85.
Stephanie was born and raised in Philadelphia and has been a part of the Oasis community since 2008. She has been making art on her own since age 16. Stephanie believes her ability to make art comes naturally, and she especially enjoys abstracting figurative references. Stephanie’s sweet and exuberant personality translates to the delicate beauty of her work. Recently, she began a series of anatomical studies. Stephanie says art is very important because it “makes me feel better.”
Jamie Combs I work in retail. For the past year, I’ve been painting my lunch in the breakroom every day before I eat it. I think about lunch as something good I get to do in the middle of an otherwise ordinary day. I look forward to it. Eating lunch is a simple, personal act but, the way it makes me feel, lunch might as well be a Chinese dragon dance happening just for me. This project has made me think a lot more about what I’m going to bring each day, carefully gauging the color and shape of things. Visit Jamie online at: jamie-combs.com
JURY CITATION: MOST MOUThWATERING the winner, at left:
“Annie’s Enchiladas” watercolor 200.
“Sandwich” watercolor 200.
Suzanne Comer I explore photography as an art form by assembling elements of my photographs to digitally create a new, different whole or montage. With the perspective of a painter, I use a “palette” of photographs that hold within them personal memories. The entire process evolves from creative intuition, synthesizing experiences and reflecting them in an artistic venue. My work is personal, yet mindful of reaching out to the viewer to stimulate their own interpretation and feelings. Therefore, in full circle, I create new personal meanings. “Berry Good Breakfast” photomontage digital type-C print 100. multiple framed prints available
Visit more of Suzanne’s work at: philly.sidearts.com/artists/suzanne-comer
Lisa Eckenrode Food is synonymous with a multitude of words. We relate it with happiness, love, family, culture and the basic fuel of all nature. Food is life, but life is not food. When another being’s life becomes food, consumption becomes synonymous will pain, cruelty and savagery. When you put the contents of another animal’s body into your own, you are actively contributing to a murderous lifestyle. Evaluate how your choices affect nature, and know that abstaining from flesh leads to a compassionate life.
“Swine Collective” acrylic and oil on canvas 150. “Lemon Study” oil on canvas 200.
Megan D. Elliott Food has been one of the greatest common denominators, bridging cultures and industries, and it is consistently my favorite subject to paint. Eating is a personal experience. It is communal, too— shared among those who cook, those who eat and the company that forms around a meal or a night out. This is what I hope to the winner, above right: celebrate through “Poissons” my paintings.
oil on canvas 865.
Visit Megan online at: megandennis.com
JURY CITATION: most EPICUREAN
Leroy Forney I love to eat and to paint, mostly in Philadelphia. Occasionally, the two can be combined—as they are in this exhibition. Visit Leroy online at: leroyforney.com “Citrus” oil on board 350.
Karen Frank Food used to be so simple: you ate what you liked and didn’t eat what you didn’t like (unless your mother sternly insisted). Now it’s more complicated: should you spend more for organic to avoid the pesticides? How can you tell if the food you’re eating is genetically engineered? Sentimental, Rockwellesque family dinners have vanished. So many people eat on the “Tea Time” color pencil 150. run—and alone. See more of her work at: plasticclub.org/Frank.htm
Rachel Kosbab Realness and a nod of humor are both things I enjoy expressing in my artwork. I lean towards straightforward subject matter portrayed in an interesting and engaging manner. I let the visual quality of objects and JURY scenes guide my decision-making about what CITATION: to create and how to make it. I see something I think is interesting and I work with it and most translate it into my artwork. I became interested in working with food objects as a material and Organic subject matter because of their versatility and everyday presence. Working with apples especially fostered my drive for creative problem-solving. It was exciting trying to figure out what the material would let me do to it and “Apple Headed” how I could transform an apple into something dried apple and glass figures else beautiful and interesting to look at. 30. each 20. without glass base
Visit Rachel online at: rachelkosbab.com
Kelly A. Kozma Popcorn, you are amazing.
Sometimes we watch movies together. If we’re feeling fancy, we’ll go to the theater but sometimes we just want a quiet night in, so we couch it. Sometimes you’re naked and I’m cool with that because you look good “Ode to My Friend” pen & ink 135. au naturel. Other times you’ll spice things up. And every once in a blue moon you will cover yourself in a crunchy caramel coat and ask me to call you Jack. Popcorn, sometimes we fight and that’s to be expected. You wedge yourself in between my teeth and irritate me for days. I do everything I can to get you out but you’re too deep and the floss can’t get to you. But eventually you work your way out Visit Kelly, more of her friends and and everything is okay again. her art online at: kellykozma.com
Robert Yong Lee The coffee/tea house is an example of the way we build rituals and social institutions around food and drink that transcend borders, oceans, cultures and language. This cool, quiet space at the Italian Market was a welcome oasis to sit with friends on a hot August afternoon. This chance still life was perfectly lit by the sunny street behind me—its funky charm enhanced by the quirkiness of expired color film.
“Coffee House, Philadelphia, 2010” digital print from 35mm color negative film (Kodacolor 400, expired 1981)
75.
multiple framed prints available
Carla Liguori This piece is my homage to Monty Python. I confess, it’s just plain ole fun with food. The felted face is based on Eric Idle—he makes a great woman!—and, of course, the smiling fish are felted as well. It’s my tip of the hat—or should I say tea “Slapping Fishing, Spam cup?—to Monty Python for and a Cupper” all their silliness and the terracotta, acrylics, absurdities of life. As for the wool and paper Spam, need I say more? 325.
Caitlin McCormack These images feature subjects upholding particularly odd relationships, encounters and bodily involvement with food. The differences between the viewer and, say, a walnut-headed child are dwarfed by the ubiquity of food—its presence in all aspects of life. By photographing the characters and environments I have created from a diverse array of edible items and other JURY media, I hope to provide visual indications CITATION: that something has transpired in a fabricated reality. My work in this show aims to relay the impression that the subjects are, or have been, responsive to their surroundings, which may or may not operate according to the parameters the winner, above: of our world. “A Hungry Guy”
Best of show
mixed media sculpture 200.
left and below, digital prints of hand-constructed sets, partly made from food products:
“The Fortuitous Little Peachling” 65. “Small” 45. “I <3 Ferrets” 50.
“The Tummy Beast” 75.
Visit Caitlin online at: caitlintmccormack.com
Stephen Millner Our relationship to food is so essential to our existence that it is a wonder that more art does not focus on it. The earliest known art depicts the hunt for food, and many cultures express reverence for food in their art (e.g., Hopi “corn people”). This assemblage is a bit facetious, juxtaposing “fast food” with “grow your own” images. “Lettuce Box” mixed media assemblage 125.
Visit Steve online at: stephenmillner.com
Bill Myers Nothing cheers up an abandoned warehouse more than a homecooked meal. And Bob Jackson is the person for the task!
Could it be the return of the Land Shark? If you’re disabled, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives Sequester wants to eat you up! top and bottom, digital collages with multiple framed prints available:
“Chef Bob Jackson Serving Up Food in the Abandoned Warehouse!” 100. “Hey, Disabled Man… Beware of Shark!!!” 100.
a special thank you to Bill for proposing this theme Visit more of Bill’s work at: psop1860.ning.com/profile/billmyers
Alexandra Orgera To me, food and art are one and the same. Both nourish my soul by offering traditional comfort or presenting an exciting surprise. And both can be equally rewarding in process and final product. These images were captured “behind-thescenes” at a gourmet restaurant. From the electrifying moment a sauce begins to take its form to the graphic quirkiness of raw ingredients on a sheet pan, each encapsulates a moment that caught my eye as both a food lover and an artist. left and above, digital photography with multiple framed prints available:
“Sardines” 75.
“Lamb” 75.
“Transformation” 50.
Visit Alex online at: alexandraorgera.com/photography
Felicia Perretti The print in this show is from a personal project I’ve been working on for months—one I’m still putting together now. I’m a Philadelphia-based food photographer and have wanted to create work that plays on the phrase ‘playing with your food.’ Growing up, I was not a picky eater but I have seen such things in movies, not to mention family members who pull their food apart at the dinner table or turn certain vegetables into mush. I took this opportunity to do something different with my food and see how it looks being pressed down by a piece of glass. “Tacos” Visit Felicia online at: perrettiphotography.com
digital type-C print 250.
multiple framed prints available
Heather Raquel Phillips Food is something I think about often—not merely in a craving, hungry way but in appreciation of its role in our lives. I love food, from fine dining to a diner. I enjoy the culture of cuisine. For me, this relationship has been developing my whole life. It’s something I spend time pondering. Are you a junk food junkie, a health nut, a vegetarian? Have you been in a food fight? Have you ever “Bubble Gum” digital photography wondered where your next meal archival inkjet print was coming from? As I start asking 300. questions, it’s clear that food is so multiple framed prints available much more than merely a Visit Heather online at: heatheraquelphillips.blogspot.com source of sustenance.
Gene Renzi Painting a watercolor is my first love in art. When you put your brush to the paper and stain it forever, there is no turning back. You only look forward to the finished work. With photography, “An Apple a Day” watercolor 600. we live in a world where digital is the go-to format. With ubiquitous smartphones and the endless manipulation possible with tools like Photoshop, instant gratification tends to get a little stale. For me, photography is not only about capturing a moment in time on film, it’s about developing and printing from those negatives. Whether I’m shooting at the Italian market or on the Boardwalk, there is nothing that compares to the power of creating my vision on silver gelatin prints. It’s my view of this world we live in—a world that, if you were to blink, would surely pass you by. Not pictured: “Goldie Locks”
“Yes…How Many?” medium-format photography silver gelatin print 200. multiple framed prints available
Wendy Rush from left:
“Bottle with Fruit” watercolor 150. “Blue Bottle” watercolor 150.
Jena Serbu Feast your eyes upon the ugly little nagging madman that I’ve manage to trap inside the jar with the jellybeans he encourages me to consume. Now he, like me, is trapped in the candy dish with his own obsessiveness. “The Trapped Indulger” mixed media sculpture 350.
Visit Jena online at: jenaserbu.com & sweetbreadstudios.com
Samuel Abu
Sesay
Samuel Abu Sesay was born and raised in North Philadelphia and currently resides with his mother. Sam is a very visual learner and communicator and has been recording and archiving information and imagery since early childhood. His natural artistic talents have been nurtured through Oasis since he began attending classes in 2006. Sam’s artwork is characterized by his simplification of familiar forms to create bold caricatures and icons that represent the people and objects essential to the beloved routines and events of his life. Learn more about Oasis and see work from Sam and his fellow artists at: oasisartcenter.org
“Birthday Cake and Cupcakes” embellished felt sculpture 145.
Not pictured: “Bird Digestion around the World”
Holly Smith Once upon a time, during a season of emotional turmoil, I would hasten into the kitchen for refuge. And there, amid the pots and pans, potatoes and pineapples, I would find some solace. “Wild Boar III” But, as we all know, you can hasten but you Chinese ink cannot hide. These pieces are portraits of my 1200. inner state, before I came to live happily ever after.
Natasha Lynn Smith I visited the Philadelphia Museum of Art a few years ago and found myself drawn to still-life oil paintings. I began wondering about the significance of the objects placed in the setups. A hundred years ago, we ate more simply and we see proof in these paintings. So I asked myself, what is important in our society now? If we were to make still lifes to represent the food we consume, what would that entail?
Visit Natasha online at: natashalynnsmith.com
Untitled #1 (pictured) & #2 digitial photography archival inkjet print 40. multiple framed prints available
Ed Snyder I think the shapes in this photograph are a feast for the eyes. They involve a kitchen utensil only because it happened to be lying on the wall as I descended the staircase toward my car. The composition just hungered to be photographed.
“Fork” digital photography archival inkjet print 200.
multiple framed prints available
Visit more of Ed’s work at: inliquid.org/complete-artist-list/snyder-ed
Alexandra E. Thomas I live to see what is next—to learn where to move and what moves others. My paintings include various subjects in landscape, portrait and still life, each containing subtle novelties and oddball narratives. I believe that a painting should not be just a copy of what a painter sees but something deeper and more evocative. ‘Good’ and ‘bad’ results are a matter of taste, but every moment is guaranteed to be different. The anticipation always builds steadily from JURY the beginning to the moment right before CITATION: completion of a Honorable work. Just as every instant is special, Mention and personal, there are infinite causes the winner, above: and outcomes to “Cake” acrylic on gessoed cardboard every event. 80.
Hayley Danger Tomlinson
“Fruit Remnants” acrylic on sealed pine 50.
I am hungry all the time and see food as something very desirable yet forbidden because I’m a girl and I should not be a fatty (too bad, suckers!). The drawing glorifies the tasty yet disgusting turducken and is one of several works I have done that represent a culmination of feelings stemming from my brief, two-year stint as a vegetarian. All that time I was constantly craving something meaty and gross. “Turd Ducken” marker and pen 50.
Visit Hayley online at: hayleytomlinson.com
Rebecca Volinsky “The Breakfast Painting” is a celebration of painting as an everyday process. It utilizes humor to playfully lighten up the historical discourse around painting, particularly modernism’s invention of its death. Painting is not dead and will remain very much alive so long as we continue to entertain the possibilities of its never ending expansion. Live, eat, play and create!
“The Breakfast Painting” video 20. DVD
Y can play the video at: You vimeo.com/41155497
Visit Hayley online at: rebeccavolinsky.com
Harvey Weinreich Feast your eyes. Those words make me hungry. When I was in “art school” I made a piece of art out of candy. I don’t have that artwork anymore. It was eaten by a multitude of bugs. Not that there is anything wrong with that. Art should be consuming. “Eggshells in a Box” mixed media assemblage 60.
Visit Harvey online at: neptune.lunarpages.com/~harvey/
Get your art on the Wall! We’re not necessarily promising anyone a spot on the Wall, mind you, but we’d love to see your work and consider showing it in the future. That’s why Off the Wall first set up shop in 1978—to create an outstanding alternative space for emerging artists to show their work and connect to new audiences. You should always feel free to submit up to 20 digital images to us at offthewallgallery@gmail.com with “Portfolio to Review” in the subject line. When submitting, make sure your images are one megabyte or less. Then there are our two juried exhibitions each year, just like this one. Our next opportunity has an entry deadline of Thursday, November 7; entries must be received on disc, together with an entry fee of $5 per work. We will announce our theme on Labor Day and will be awarding the Mary-Rowe Memorial Jury Prize, as well as up to $500 in prize money. Most important, to be eligible to hang at Off the Wall, your 2D work must meet two size criteria: it must weigh less than 15 pounds and be under 75 inches in combined dimensions (height plus width). Why? Well, we’re not that large a space and the Wall’s getting up there in years. But we are still here for you, the emerging artist.
if you love Philly art...
We’ve always admired how our friend DoN Brewer, who is one of the artists of Feast Your Eyes, goes about keeping tabs on, and sharing with an expanding online audience, just about anything art-related across Philadelphia and, on occasion, into the suburbs. From the founding of his now renowned blog DoNArTNeWs to the multimedia, multi-venue platform he now writes and publishes almost daily, including a Facebook page and a Twitter feed, DoN is intensely interested in shining a spotlight on emerging artists—especially those who can get coverage nowhere else. What’s more, with only a handful of writers and critics left to cover a city brimming with art, the resources DoN offers have become nothing less than indispensable. Start following his online beat today! Find all of DoN’s resources in one online stop: donbrewermultimedia.com
Be a Friend or volunteer Off the Wall Gallery is a true nonprofit enterprise. Our commissions cover only a fraction of the resources needed to put on Feast Your Eyes and the six other shows we are producing in 2013. Without our community’s support, this work simply wouldn’t be possible. There are two ways you can help us continue to grow, open more doors of opportunity for emerging artists and connect our audiences to more outstanding art.
1) Become a ‘Friend of Off the Wall’ with a gift of $30 or more. We will proudly acknowledge your support in future
programs. Please drop this form with a cash donation to your Dirty Frank’s bartender.
2) Become an Off the Wall volunteer. We always need expert volunteer support, such as professional design services, and outreach specialists for tasks ranging from dropping postcards around town to emailing art listings and press releases and following up by phone. Thank you in advance for your support! II’d like to make a gift of $____________________. II’d like to volunteer for Off the Wall Gallery. Name(s) ___________________________________________________________________________ Address ___________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________ E-Mail _____________________________________________________________________________ I’d like to offer my expertise in _______________________________________________ *If you are considering making a year-end gift, pleas know that Off the Wall Gallery does not have 501(c)(3) status, so you gift is not tax-deductible. Please direct any questions you may have to offthewallgallery@gmail.
three shows to cap our 35th year...
Mid S ummer show 8.04 -
9.27.13
Autumn Invitational Sep 29 - nov 29, 2012
[NEW WORK FROM OUR AWARDWINNING, TOP SELLING ARTISTS]
TBD
Our 9th Annual Juried Exhibition
$5 per entry / up to $500 in prizes Theme announced on Labor Day Entries on disc by November 7 facebook.com/OTWDirtyFranks @OTWDirtyFranks offthewallgallery@gmail.com