Indy Hall in Philadelphia—one of Business Insider’s recently-named coolest coworking spaces in America—is excited to announce Music Inspiring Art (MIA), opening February 1, 2013 from 6:00 – 10:00pm at Indy Hall, 22 N. 3rd St., Philadelphia.

MIA is a show dedicated to the music that inspires, motivates, and keeps artists company while they make art. The show includes works from over 25 artists and all genres of visual art including painting, illustration, fashion, textiles, photography, and more.

RSVP to the show here.

The Artists include: Mike Jackson, Sean Martorana, Sonia Petruse, Mike Ward, Elizabeth Marsh, Michael Heston, Peter Radocaj, Sara Zia Ebrahimi, Hila Ratzabi, Parker Whitney, Alexandra Orth, Rachel Thurston, Christine Haw, Britt Miller, Zeke Jenei, Gralin Hughes, Kate Brennan, Christine Haw, Jennifer Giordano, John Gatti, Wil Concepcion, Yadira Torres and Melissa Papadakis.

Download the full press release here.

Inspired by his own practice and an interest in further developing the arts community associated with Indy Hall, Mike Jackson approached Sean Martorana with an idea for a group show based on the music that is usually playing through the Hall’s speakers and its effect on his work. Realizing an opportunity for collaboration, the impromptu curators immediately put out a Call for Artists. The response they received was overwhelming, fostering an extended dialogue among the creators within the existing coworking community.

“We want to let people know that we’re not just a tech community (which is what I thought before I joined), or a community that is limited by any categorization at all. We’re people who have an interest in a craft—any craft—and want to share it.” Mike Jackson described his experience at Indy Hall in a recent interview with Technically Media, “the people who paint and draw and photograph started @indyhall_arts because that’s the role we play in the community. It’s a direct way for us to find others who see the arts as their opportunity to leave a mark on the city. I love coming to Indy Hall and being surprised at finding out what another member is capable of.”

“The people who are attracted to Indy Hall seem to have a universal appreciation for art, and many of them are even trained and hobby artists, even if it’s not their primary profession,” said Alex Hillman, co-founder of Indy Hall. “Indy Hall Arts and the MIA show are asking people to sharpen their tools and come together, showing what happens when Indy Hall’s approach to community and collaboration hit the world of fine art and ultimately broaden our community. We’re so excited to see what all of the world thinks of the work of the people who’ve contributed to this show. This is just the beginning.”

Leroy Forney, Philadelphia Open Studio Tours 2012, Portrait of Ben Cohen

Philadelphia Open Studio Tours at 1919 Chestnut Street

Philadelphia Open Studio Tours helps to find artists space to show where they will gain visibility and the group show at 1919 Chestnut Street, an office/residential tower, offered a great space in their community room. Four artists, Juliana Bussiere, Judy Engle, Christina Oddo and Leroy Forney, set up a beautiful display of paintings, pastels and collage offering the opportunity to see a lot of art at one stop.

Leroy Forney, Philadelphia Open Studio Tours 2012

Leroy Forney explained that he has become fascinated with painting water scenes, “It’s kind of a new direction for me. This Summer I was traveling around a bit and painted ponds, the seashore from Atlantic City, Cape Cod, a lake in the Adirondacks, down at Chesapeake City, it’s been kind of interesting and fun. Water has always been a tremendous challenge and it still is. Some people talk about the difficulty of painting water in a basin and make it look like anything. Of course there’s the whole show at The Philadelphia Museum of Art of Winslow Homer so you get lots of water there.”

Leroy Forney is a member of The Philadelphia Sketch Club and The Plastic Club and is an avid participant in the workshops, “Since I’ve started painting I’ve taken a lot of courses at The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art and I keep doing that because it’s just such an exciting place to be, it’s helping me with some of these water scenes. I’m also taking a workshop down at Fleisher Art Center with Giovanni Casadei. You know, what I really enjoy doing and I’m getting back to is doing cityscapes and finding buildings that have a sense of purpose, personality and history with a humanity to them. I find it tough but very challenging and enjoyable.”

Leroy Forney, Philadelphia Open Studio Tours 2012

Christina Oddo, Philadelphia Open Studio Tours 2012

Christina Oddo works with pastels but the liquid quality of her art looks like paint, I asked her about her process. “A lot of people get confused because I even label my pieces as pastel paintings and it’s the correlation of people thinking with painting you have to be holding a paint brush when working with watercolors or oils but with the pastel you are literally covering the entire surface with layers of pigment. Pigment is the same as what you find in oils, watercolors and other mediums except it’s put into sticks with a little glue to hold it together. So, it’s the same type of medium that you’re using and you’re applying it to either paper or board and recently I found a board that has a lot of sanded texture to it so you can put even more layers on it. Some people mistake my pastels for oils because they are so rich.”

Christina Oddo, Philadelphia Open Studio Tours 2012

The artist has been working at her craft for more than twenty years and even has been participating in outdoor shows for the past four years. Christina Oddo said it’s a lot of work but she feels really blessed considering the economy. “I have a husband that has a very large truck so we’re able to put the walls in there and I have a large canopy, the artwork I bring later in my car because once you have the big stuff set up, it’s hard, it’s a lot of work. When I talk to people about doing outdoor shows and they just cringe. And after you pay for your spot and set up, a lot of the shows are rain or shine so if you’re out there with your precious artwork and a thunderstorm rolls through, you’re holding your breath.” Luckily for POST art crawlers 1919 Chestnut Street offered a large indoor space to enjoy the work without worry and interact with the artists.

Christina Oddo, Philadelphia Open Studio Tours 2012

Judy Engle, Philadelphia Open Studio Tours 2012

Judy Engle has participated in POST for three years, I asked about new work she produced for the event. “Several new things are the Room Series which are different for me, it’s still all packing tape and found paper but I started doing interiors, big ones. All of my work is the same in that it’s found paper, magazines, newspapers, flyers, postcards and everything is layered with tape.” Engle is an award-winning collage artist using layers and layers of clear tape which gives an illusion of depth.

“With the Room Series, the pictures are bigger and the things I added on are bigger, even the pieces of tape are bigger, big squares. The smaller ones are a million little snippets of tape. One is called The GE Commodore True Flush Refrigerator because of the fact that there it it is – the refrigerator. And about a third of my work starts with an ad from a magazine, an interior usually and then I embellish a little bit.”

Judy Engle, Philadelphia Open Studio Tours 2012

I asked Judy Engle how advertising influences her art. “I haven;t given it a second of thought, but I have noticed over the years that commercials are abstract and they’re layered, I feel like Target commercials are like that actually. They’re things that if I were into video that’s what I’d do, I like those commercials, I notice what I think is artful. A far as print advertising which I look at a lot, because I basically, for whatever reason, I like these pictures of interiors, the pieces of furniture, the appliances, I cut them and keep them for years and then when I see things that look good, I just start putting them on top of each other.”

Judy Engle, Philadelphia Open Studio Tours 2012

Juliana Bussiere, Philadelphia Open Studio Tours 2012

Juliana Bussiere says, “Everybody calls me Julie, I figure if someone calls and asks for Juliana they’re asking for money.” Julie’s art is a combination of painting and collage, using acrylic paint underneath and then adds gesso as the white which she scrapes then the base shows through. “Most of them are my experiences, like the tree and that’s a Colorado train ride from Durango to Silverton, six hours in an old locomotive and I’m hanging out taking photographs, the conductor says, ‘Get back in there!’ and when he disappears I get back out.”

Juliana Bussiere, Philadelphia Open Studio Tours 2012

Julie started as an artist later in life after retiring as a reading specialist helping kids to understand reading. Maybe that’s why her painting/collage have a strong narrative and sense of space. Her sister invited her to the shore to teach her how to paint and after her first lesson they showed the work to her sister’s husband and asked which he liked best. He picked Juliana Bussiere’s over his wife’s and she’s been hooked ever since.

Juliana Bussiere, Philadelphia Open Studio Tours 2012

Philadelphia Open Studio Tours continues the East of Broad Street weekend October 20 & 21, 2012, take some time to visit some artists and learn about their process, their space and their personality, you will be richer for it even if you don’t buy something. But you will be tempted, so bring money and a shopping bag because there are bargains, beautiful finds and unique works you’ll won’t find elsewhere.

Written and Edited by DoN Brewer, Contributing Writer, SideArts.com Philadelphia Art Blog

Follow SideArts.com on FaceBook

SideArts.com on Tumblr

SideArts on Pinterest

[Affiliate Disclosure Page]

FREE SHIPPING on orders totaling $160 or more!

Lauren Rinaldi’s Solo Show Opens at The Slingluff Gallery on July 12 6-9PM. Check out a mini-interview with her and a sneak peak of the work in the show on thepineconegentleman.com. CLICK HERE!

The Slingluff Gallery is celebrating women in the arts through the month of July with three separate female solo shows, featuring local artists Lauren Rinaldi, Susan Moloney, and Emily Fest with receptions respectfully July 12, 19, and 26 from 6-9pm. For more info Click Here.

Trio by M. Pia De Girolamo © Acrylic on cradled board 11" x 14"

I recently posed a question to fellow artists on my FB artist page and my Linked In Abstract Painting Group: “When a painting comes together really fast & easily from the beginning, a) do you say a silent ‘thank you’ & stop, b) say ‘too easy’ & keep working on it then and there, or c) put it away & reevaluate later?” Everyone’s responses indicate that this is a familiar experience and a mysterious one (ie. why do some paintings paint themselves and others are more of a struggle?). It’s been interesting and instructive reading people’s approaches to the issue.

For me when this happens I am alternately overjoyed and a little queasy. The latter feeling is unsettling because I don’t want to appear “ungrateful to the universe” for this gift falling in my lap. And I know that this effortlessness is the result of much cumulative effort and investigation over time. So what do I do?

I will sleep on it. I will place the painting in another room where I have a wall on which I prop up paintings in progress. Sometimes a change of venue changes the way you look at something. I look at the painting along with other paintings. If it can “stand up to them” even in simplicity, it’s done. If it pales in comparison perhaps it is not “done”. I then can see if there’s not enough “there” there.  And I will also ask for opinions from one or two “trusted advisors”. They don’t have to be other artists necessarily. They can be family members if in general they like your work and you have given them permission to be “brutally honest”. Ultimately of course the final decision must be yours. If you “ruin” a painting by going back in, chalk it up to experience and learn from it.

David Gerbstadt is an artist, entrepreneur and author, his drawing ‘“We Have Cream Cheese” “The French Coming Home from the Moon“‘, in the Philadelphia Foundation Community Art Gallery is like a wormhole in space time warping the viewer off into another galaxy.  Pseudopodia of neon tentacles wiggle through the morass of lifeforms occupying the picture plane, dozens of pairs of eyes google back at you, like a psychedelic documentary worked out in magic marker.  Gerbstadt actually likes to keep it plain, he’s one of those artists who can take simple materials and elevate their utility to a higher level.  In the corporate setting of the Philadelphia Foundation Community Art Gallery, the drawing draws attention to itself with vibrancy, clarity and uniqueness, a portal to the art world.  One of the famous Philadelphia Dumpster Divers, David Gerbstadt‘s recognizable style represents an era where over stimulation, mixing media and metaphors, mashing up symbols and signs, is not just expected, it’s the norm.  David Gerbstadt just launched his cool new website with a selection of products including his book, One Breath At a Time.

Edward Woltemate Jr.‘s story, his elevator pitch so to speak, is so memorable you’ll never forget it and you will probably repeat this story to someone else.  The outsider artist is deaf, he makes drawings of alien planets with it’s inhabitants accompanied with a journal/legend describing how far away from the distant planet we are here on Earth.  Woltemate imagines, or knows, every detail of the alien world and densely inhabits and encodes his drawings with memes of that far away place creating a sense of reality, an assuredness of the existence of extraterrestrial life.  Woltemate mixes media but really works colored pencil to full effect, a watery wash glosses color fields reworked with more pencil layering the image, shifting planes and horizons convince us of the artists conviction to his reality.  The map to Planet Whoois is on the back of the drawing.  I wonder what alien poetry he imagines?

Artist Joan Fabian is hearing impaired, she says that’s why her paintings are so loud.  The pair of paintings in The Philadelphia Foundation Community Art Gallery seem to be slipping into another universe, fields of color force their way over the edges into the picture plane as if the new color has plans to take over.  Amorphous shapes speak to each other in a language of memories, using voices only they can hear.  Play Time and Walking on Water have the feel of being under the sea, imaginary creatures the subjects of the paintings, the overwhelming waves of color the narrative.  The paintings actively resonate with each other through tones and hues, shapes and lines, a dialog that’s not too loud but loud enough to not be ignored.

The Philadelphia Foundation Community Art Gallery is free and open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Art Ability: A Celebration of Artists with Disabilities will be on display through August 24. It is the 37th exhibition to be held in the Community Art Gallery, which was established in 2000 as a shared space where local arts organizations, artists and patrons can gather to build greater support for the arts. The Gallery also highlights the Foundation’s Arts & Culture Fund, a permanent endowment that supports local arts organizations’ efforts to build community through the arts.

Read more about Art Ability:

DoN Brewer, Three Group Shows

Art Ability 2011

SideArts.com offers online and in-person one-on-one consulting services to visual and craft artists and art businesses.  Read all about it here.

Written and Photographed by DoN Brewer, Contributing Writer, SideArts.com Philadelphia Art Blog

[Affiliate Disclosure Page]

Blick Art Materials’ Current Promo Code

“For a while now, I’ve been constrained in controlling the quantity of t-shirts offered and in the relationship I had with the people that printed my t-shirts and the people that purchased my t-shirts.

No more! I hooked up with a great company that offers me all the flexibility I could want – which means I can offer more designs, more often, with complete flexibility.

With that in mind, I’ve decided to start producing a new limited-edition series of t-shirts every month. They will be limited run, mostly centered around that month’s theme. Once the month is over, that design may never be offered on a t-shirt again!”

- Sean Martorana

Get this month’s t-shirts now before time passes!!

Want to know when new series are released? Sign up here for updates!

Here is a glimpse into what is available this month:

My friend, artist Tom Hlas has written two blog posts recently at http://tomhlas.com/blog/ that have got me thinking about the issue of originality in art. In his posts “Too Much Art” and  “The Bigger Picture” he expresses the worry that his work (beautiful, by the way) may look too similar to that of another artist, and that looking at other artists’ work may be too influential on his own.

Recalling Precious Moments w You by Tom Hlas © 2009 Acrylic on Canvas 18" x 18"

We know that originality is a concern for even the most famous artists since they have left us with many pronouncements on the subject.  For example, Picasso is quoted as saying  “…since of necessity my vision is quite different from that of the next man, my painting will interpret things in an entirely different manner even though it makes use of the same elements.”

Arshile Gorky consciously imitated Picasso’s still lifes in order to understand the master’s work. “Gorky’s rejection of originality as a goal…also deeply affected [his good friend] de Kooning.  “Aha, so you have ideas of your own, “Gorky told de Kooning  when he first looked at his work.  “Somehow, “ said de Kooning, “that didn’t seem so good.”  The critic, Harold Rosenberg notes that this exchange transformed de Kooning’s approach to painting and prompted the realization that “Even inventing a thing that had already been invented was an act of creation. “ (de Kooning,: An American Master, Stevens and Swan, p. 103  )

There was a time when the ability to make art that looked like someone else’s was the paramount goal. It amazed me to find out that ancient Egyptian art remained essentially the same for about 5000 years!  Imagine the poor ancient Egyptian artist who dared to draw someone’s full face; surely he was doomed to  “swimming with the crocodiles”! Byzantine icon painters created highly stylized figures in a traditional manner. The apprentices in the ateliers of the great Renaissance painters had to learn to paint like their masters-so they could help finish their massive works. Even when the revolutionizing modernists came to the fore in the 20^th centuries, representational art was declared passé and some felt that you had to paint abstractly in order to be taken seriously.

Sunflower by M. Pia De Girolamo © 2012 Monotype 30" x 22"

Our society on the other hand imposes its own tyranny, ferociously prizing that which appears original, different and new-every few months, it seems.  Got the latest iPhone/iPhone app anyone? Again, an artist counters with a wise observation to keep things in perspective. Robert Rauschenberg reminds us that “Having to be different is the same trap as having to be the same.”

(Robert Genn’s “The Painter’s Keys” http://quote.robertgenn.com/auth_search.php?authid=75  was the source of the quotes by Picasso and Rauschenberg).