Pure Craft

With PROCESSES INTERSECTING SPACES well into its final week, it’s the last chance for fans of our five amazing artists to fall in love — and welcome great art into their homes. The latest such acquisition, soon bound for the West Coast, is this marvelous canvas from JOSEPH EGGLESTON. Part of a newer series inspired by his favorite horror flicks, this painting offers an imagined scene from 1996’s “The Craft.” Says the artist of the larger works in the set, “All of these paintings are created from using multiple image stills [from the film] to make something old anew, like rearranging puzzle pieces. In fact, some sections are completely made up but still capture a feeling of nostalgia and a fondness of where it was derived. I opt for the long landscape-style canvas to recreate the feeling of a ‘widescreen’ video format and place figures in different positions to suggest movement. My desire is to try and make it feel like we are peeking in on a moment in time that has been captured with some wild paint strokes.” But while every cult classic deserves re-viewing, the streaming platform that is our Wall is taking down these titles after this Friday. So come in and log on while you can!

JOSEPH EGGLESTON
“Who’s Connie Francis? Honey, Listen and Learn”
18 x 36
oil and acrylic on canvas
1100.

...Something Blue!

Looking for any color in the palette? Or for that matter, any tube on the paint rack at Dick Blick? Look no farther than the work of JOSEPH EGGLESTON. A self-confessed painter of “messy portraits,” the artist is also on a new run with his subject matter, which would fit just as neatly in the last BORROWED category. Since the pandemic, he has found himself watching and rewatching his favorite horror films, predominantly cult classics or classics-in-the-making. From there, it gets fun, as Joseph describes. “I strive to create a likeness but shy away from exact replication; it isn’t important to me if the viewer knows the source material (although it is fun when people have that AHA! moment). This idea of valuing likeness over replication made me wonder: what would happen if I manipulated the stills in order to manufacture a ‘scene’ that feels like it is from a film but doesn’t actually exist?” Many of his larger canvases in PROCESSES INTERSECTING SPACES — OPENING RECEPTION tonight (3/9), 7-10 PM —do exactly this. The smaller work, like this homage to the ouevre of Jordan Peele, focuses on pure portraiture. All of them immediately transport us. So figure out how you will get out of the house to see us and this great art...and don’t say nope!

JOSEPH EGGLESTON
“Young Red”
acrylic and charcoal pencil on wood
125.

Bloom Off?

More than one viewer has noted the surprising spring-like quality of much of our 2021 AUTUMN INVITATIONAL. LEONARD HOLLINGER’s airy palette dances in pastels, including a piece entitled “Spring.”RACHAEL MCLAUGHLIN’s floral motifs often inform her abstract patterns. And, not least, SIMONE BAILEY CAMPBELL’s “New Day”series leaps off our Wall, with its hot pink and warm green bursts of vitality. “The fresh colors against the dark backgrounds emphasize the new day that has arrived,”Simone tells us. “They signal a new perspective in the manner we see and approach our lives.” Her paintings also pay tribute to the flora and fauna near her New Jersey home: magnolias, dogwoods, black locust trees, persimmons, orioles. Maybe it’s no coincidence that, finally, as we prepare to take down this intrinsically hopeful show on Saturday, the temperatures will start dropping — and it will feel like winter is not far off after all.

SIMONE BAILEY CAMPBELL
“New Day Series 2: The Song Has Begun”
acrylic on wood
185.

Have Needle — Will Embroider

During the height of the pandemic, RACHAEL MCLAUGHLIN ended up with a lot of extra time on her hands. Her 25 embroideries in the 2021 AUTUMN INVITATION are products of these uncertain times, as well as labors of love. "I love doing any kind of art that is process-based and falls into the craft category," says Rachael, who is quick to point out she never thrives when standing still. "Keeping my hands busy is key to staying out of my emotional brain." No wonder the artist also offers multiple unique originals of each of her works, something we didn't know until recently. So in the waning days of our show, which comes down Saturday, please feel free to reach out if you fell in love with a piece that is already listed as sold — not an uncommon occurrence, since we are proud to say there are 15 red dots alongside Rachael's pieces on the Wall and in the 3D case. KUDOS!

RACHAEL MCLAUGHLIN
"Be Gay Do Crime"
embroidery
70.
multiple unique originals available

New Day/First Day

Technically, today is the 12th full day of our 2021 AUTUMN INVITATIONAL. But for those of us gathering tonight (7-10 PM!) on and around our beloved bartop (you must bring vax cards to be inside), which galvanizes some of the best creative forces in our community, it’s genuinely our show’s first day. SIMONE BAILEY CAMPBELL brings, among two collections, a series of work that captures this optimism, rooted in transitions, fresh starts and reboots. It’s art that “celebrates life and hope,” declares the artist, speaking also to a much larger context. “The color against the dark background emphasizes the new day that has arrived and signals a new perspective in the manner we see and approach our lives.” In other paintings, which we’ll explore soon, Simone uses flora and fauna to illustrate the point. But there is an undeniable richness and simple freedom when Simone revels in no more than palette and lines. BRAVA! Come celebrate with us this evening.

SIMONE BAILEY CAMPBELL
“New Day Series 2: No. 10”
acrylic on wood
575.

Look Ahead Thursday

Are Throwback Thursdays getting a little tired? While we don’t have a finger on the pulse of social media (coming off a rough week with the outage), we do know that for us, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7, has nothing to do with looking back. Tomorrow is all about WHAT’S NEXT. First, we gather to lift the curtain on our 2021 AUTUMN INVITATIONAL, which has been turning heads since it went up late last month, with a 7-10 PM OPENING RECEPTION. Then, just as our reception is winding down, we, alas, close the door to entries for UNDER $100, our first juried show since the pandemic struck. If you haven’t yet entered — and we have received an enthusiastic outpouring from artists near and far — it’s NOT TOO LATE...you have until 11:59 PM tomorrow. This is a very special INVITATIONAL and another important step on our road back. SIMONE BAILEY CAMPBELL arrives with two collections: “Fashion Stories,” a celebration of the evocative, empowering nature of fashion apparel and accessories, focusing mainly on shoes; and “New Day,” a timely conversation about the challenges, transitions, and hope that describe our lives. LEONARD HOLLINGER has a flourishing commercial art practice of his own, but when he comes here, it feels like he is wearing his creative heart on his sleeve. The cowboy iconography that helped win Leonard top honors in the last UNDER $100 show, in December 2019, rides range again, but over a far-reaching series of works, he reveals an unbridled process of experimentation that yields stunning results. And RACHAEL MCLAUGHLIN, much like her colleagues, makes art as a form of therapy, just as much as it is self-expression. Her work is a joy: lyrical fabric poems that are, at turns, simply beautiful and unapologetic and forthright. We are thrilled and inspired to be in the midst of such talent, and we hope you can join us — by attending the OPENING and by entering the JURIED SHOW. Onward and upward we go!

Odd Artist Out

We’re shocked to find that we have not posted a single one — among four captivating large-scale works — of MICHAEL JICHA’s manipulated photographs during this magical run of BABY, WE’RE BACK!, which is quickly drawing to a close. Together with many members of our community, we fell in love with the artist’s approach to “painting” with photography and digital tools, but his debut on our Wall, in BRICK BY BRICK, constrained the size of his work. The current show has loosened those reins, allowing his work viscerally to take hold of viewers. “These images are part of ‘Project 1910’ — my personal interpretation of the post-impressionist to surrealist movements. In 1910, the term ‘post-impression’ was first used,” Mike explains. “The intention of my process is simple: I want viewers to see and experience the influences of these art movements.” We are committed to his return to our space — and more appearances in this space, too!

MICHAEL JICHA
“Mischievous Spirit”
digitally manipulated photograph
limited edition of 10
450.

Ready for Your Close-Up?

Perhaps the biggest hit of our return show, which is sadly in its final 36 hours, is a series of four-inch-square canvases from JOSEPH EGGLESTON. These portraits — intimate in every sense of the word — are also paeans to colors and the artist as a supremely talented colorist. Each one is named after the tube of acrylic or oil paint that dominates its composition. We were also very fortunate to have Joe replenish his stock of these paintings during the run of the show. So far, he has sold eight of these 18 small-scale master works, and we hope that quite a few will remain available on our website (offthewallgallery.org) once BABY, WE'RE BACK! comes down on Saturday.

JOSEPH EGGLESTON
"Close-up (Perylene Violet)"
oil and acrylic on canvas
60.

Bonus Week

This painting “flew”’off the wall in the opening day of two of our triumphant return, BABY, WE’RE BACK! Still, we’d be hard-pressed to find a better expression of the news we have to share: our run is extended by seven happy days. So please stop in soon — and remember to bring your vaccination card for indoor seating and art viewing. What’s more, JOSEPH EGGLESTON just delivered EIGHT NEW CANVASES, extending his intimate CLOSE-UP tableaux, one of the biggest hits of our show. We’ll loop back to that series soon — but for now simply relish the added days!

JOSEPH EGGLESTON
“Stay Right Here”
oil on canvas
350.

The Cart Abides

Dude (pardon the vernacular), are we ever doing wheelies of delight as we welcome back RUSTY EVELAND with his multimedia exploration of realities you never imagined! Here profound emotions rest in anthropomorphic shopping carts and annual flowers sacrifice for the next generation. The floral element is new and enhanced by the stunning crochet work of collaborator NICOLE NIKOLICH; the core cart theme is Rusty’s chosen metier of long standing. BOTTOM LINE: visit the 3D space to the left of our Wall and prepare to watch three projected films (which you can also play on your phone using provided QR codes), plus the artist completes the installation with production stills available for sale and an original art rendering his iconic WOBBLEWHEEL logo. It goes without saying that we’ll expect you to roll in here very soon!

No Card, No Barstool

Starting today, we are requiring proof of your vaccination to SIT INSIDE Dirty Frank’s and, by extension, to enjoy OFF THE WALL artwork up close and personal…the way it was meant to be experienced. JOSEPH EGGLESTON’s “Fuckboy (Christian)” — a painting inspired by Ari Aster’s cult folk horror flick MIDSOMMAR — offers an expression akin to what was on the faces of a few people when we told them they had to sit outside. But let’s get real, folks: we cannot afford to do anything less. So put that vaccination card into your wallet or purse before you head out the door!

JOSEPH EGGLESTON
“Fuckboy (Christian)”
oil and acrylic on canvas
20 x 20
900.

Welcome Back

Our hearts are beating just a little faster…and perhaps we are breathing a little easier…now that our first Opening Reception in 18+ months is finally underway! JOSEPH EGGLESTON and MICHAEL JICHA are in the house — and RUSTY EVELAND is on his way. Not least, the always-amazing ROSE COSSABONE is behind the bar, dispensing our fave drinks, mixed with wisdom. JOIN US! (And feel free to come later than 10. If it took a year and a half to restart this party, we’re not checking the clock to see when it stops!) #BABYWEREBACK

A New Day

Yes indeed, we are BACK in every sense of the word! Yesterday’s BABY, WE’RE BACK hanging day felt...well, both energizing and cathartic. We got to exercise long-dormant creative muscles, to put art right in front of an audience that went right up to examine and experience the work from inches away...for the first time since January 2020. Imagine that! And we are certain the OPENING RECEPTION this Thursday, 7-10 PM, will strike everyone as equally inspiring. If we choose not to show the newly hung Wall in this post, it is only to spur you to join us in 96 hours. The only difference from a “traditional” Opening will be: NO hors d’ouevres. We’re not quite ready for communal food. But everything else will be business and pleasure as we know them best. Nor could we possibly ask for a better trio of artists to kick this off than RUSTY EVELAND, a fast-rising star in our community who deftly hops from medium to medium and notably projects a loop of three short films in our 3D space, and JOSEPH EGGLESTON and MICHAEL JICHA, both discoveries of BRICK BY BRICK, our summer 2019 celebration of Stonehill at 50. They are both phenomenal painters — even if Joseph wields an assortment of brushes and palette knives and Mike happens to paint with digital tools on a canvas that makes a highly art-directed photograph its gessoed base. Bottom line: THIS IS GOING TO BE FUN! It’s time to appreciate the simple things we always took for granted..