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.

Seeing Red

While our artists invariably find faithful fans among our audiences, the ultimate name of the game in measuring success in any art show is RED DOTS. Happily, one of the seven so far for BABY, WE’RE BACK! sits alongside this limited-edition photo print from MICHAEL JICHA. It’s one of four large-scale works from the artist’s “Project 1910,” so named because, as Mike says, “[it’s] my personal interpretation of the post-impressionist to surrealist movements. In 1910, the term ‘post-impression’ was first used.” He is also quick to point out, “I don’t try to make my photographs look like paintings. Rather, I want to show the key influences of painters from these periods.”

MICHAEL JICHA
“Study in Red with a Moth”
digitally manipulated photograph
limited edition of 10
26.5 x 30.5 framed
450.

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..

Never Can Say Goodbye

NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE: How can you possibly bid farewell to the show that took us through the most tumultuous time of our lives? We posit that you really can't. ART IN THE TIME OF CORONAVIRUS was exactly such a fixture in our lives—often far removed on our Wall behind a sheet of plexiglass or spied out of the corner of our eyes on the way to the bathroom inside Frank's. Consider this: the show will have been up 10 months to the day tomorrow...and Saturday will also be its day to, alas, depart from our lives. The feat of such a long-running exhibition would never have been possible without the generosity of spirit of two of our most recognizable, most renowned and most talented artists: BOB GORCHOV and NATALIE HOPE MCDONALD. And we are proud to say that their perseverance—with very few sales until we came back inside—has finally been rewarded. The tally as we tick off the final hours is 31 SALES total. (Or should we say thirty-wonderful sales? Not that we would turn back a 32nd!) Also a note of thanks for the patience of a number of buyers who volunteered to wait a chunk of this time to be connected to their art purchases. After this beautiful, courageous marathon, the next show will feel like a sprint to the finish. (More about that show, which opens this coming Thursday, tomorrow!) Natalie and Bob, it has been great having you “stay over” for all these months, and thank you also for continuing to offer art from this show on our true innovation from the pandemic: offthewallgallery.org. So instead of goodbye, let's just say au revoir....

Various works from ART IN THE TIME OF CORONAVIRUS
[in the foreground]
BOB GORCHOV
”subject [defaced]”
mixed media on canvasette
265.

Call for Entries / Cause for Fireworks

We've traditionally announced our year-ending juried shows on the FOURTH OF JULY. We originally chose this date because we know almost everyone is reachable and in a celebratory mood. Sure, some of you might, in years past, have been bound for the Parkway or Penn's Landing to join throngs waiting for the fireworks, but on this date, we can easily gain the attention of our ever-expanding OFF THE WALL community of artists and art lovers.

By contrast, this year's announcement feels perfectly timed and meaningful. For once, the news is tantamount to a DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE...independence from masks and outdoor-only cafes and art kept far from our considered gazes—behind glass, across expanses of space, practically out of view.

Given our hunger to return to normalcy, the latest edition of our frequent UNDER $100 JURIED SHOW promises to be more popular than ever. Heck, we have collectively recaptured the FREEDOM TO EXHIBIT...something we pretty much took for granted, something we never want to let go of again.

Of course, there is decidedly more incentive than just the hard-won opportunity to show your art after so long a hiatus. We feature a guaranteed $600 IN CASH PRIZES, topped by the MARY-ROWE MEMORIAL JURY PRIZE. The funding for these prizes comes from the $10 PER PIECE HANGING FEE for accepted artists, in keeping with our streamlined process which no longer calls for entry fees for our year-ending juried shows.

Above is all you need to know before you EMAIL YOUR ART to offthewallgallery@gmail.com anytime between now and Thursday, October 7. And not to worry: we will send along reminders to make sure you don't miss out on your shot to be part of this renewal of our all-time top-selling juried theme, which always takes full advantage of the HOLIDAY SEASON to work its magic.

Please send any questions our way, and we look forward to seeing your work very soon!

Before the #Pride Passes by

Not that Pride is going anywhere at all — especially in our Gayborhood! — but this June was especially synergistic, with the pandemic regulations lifted and community celebrations reinstated. (Yes, come to DIRTY FRANK’S and OFF THE WALL, where life is truly back to normal!) While we feature here another of NATALIE HOPE MCDONALD’s original iconography drawings, paying tribute to activist Frank Kameny’s 1968 slogan (which in turn nods to #BlackIsBeautiful), it’s also worth glancing ahead to our first show back, coming in July, which may well include alumni from our popular Stonewall at 50 exhibition, BRICK BY BRICK. That show seems like an awful long time ago, but we say, “Forget last year...and party like it's 2019!”

NATALIE HOPE MCDONALD
“Gay Is Good”
hand-drawn illustration
ink on paper
145.
multiple unique originals available

All You Need Is...Hope & Love

ALL YOU NEED IS...HOPE & LOVE: As we enter the ninth month of ART IN THE TIME OF CORONAVIRUS — closer than ever to returning to versions of DIRTY FRANK’S and OFF THE WALL that are just about “normal” — we are thrilled to pause for a celebration. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NATALIE HOPE MCDONALD! We send nothing but LOVE out to one of our very favorite artists, who, as luck would have it, was recently able to celebrate a little early with eight sales in May — doubling her tally for a show that has largely been hidden away from public view. This next year promises to be very different. CHEERS, Natalie, and enjoy your day!!

NATALIE HOPE MCDONALD
“Love”
hand-drawn illustration
ink on paper
145.
multiple unique originals available

Extra, Extra!

DIDYAHEAR that we’ll be OPEN — for the first time since Friday, January 22 — 1-10 PM TODAY and TOMORROW (2/5 and 2/6)!?! Yes, after a cold spell, including that snowstorm that wouldn’t end, DIRTY FRANK’S will be serving, and many of us will happily be gathering for beverages and the conviviality that accompanies them. BOB GORCHOV and his regal figures help spread the word. Please follow suit by all means, and we look forward to seeing you at the bar...and at the gallery you can peruse either here online or from afar, through the ordering window!

BOB GORCHOV
“the king’s ear”
mixed media on canvasette
100.

Art Motivates Life

In today’s Philadelphia Inquirer, maverick artist CONRAD BENNER announced FIRST 100 DAYS, an inspired and inspiring new project in collaboration with our friends MURAL ARTS PHILADELPHIA. Conrad asked 10 talented peers to create poster art “highlighting a priority that the artist thinks Joe Biden and Kamala Harris should address during the first three months in office.” Always fans of persuasive posters — especially those that can influence local and national conversations — we love the project design, and we are particularly proud that two OFF THE WALL artists are among the commissioned artists. MARISA VELÁZQUEZ-RIVAS reminds us that true climate justice is a question of equity: “Climate change is a #racialjustice problem. If you’re a person of color you’re more likely to live in locations terrorized by toxic facilities, flooding, climate-related disease, and other issues.” NATALIE HOPE MCDONALD evokes classic Soviet imagery to back up her call for mass vaccinations: “I can’t think of anything more urgent right now than getting COVID-19 vaccines to more people. If we can inoculate as many Americans as possible within the first part of this new year, we can and will save lives.” If you want YOUR OWN COPIES of these posters, please show up at #LeVirtù (1927 East Passyunk Avenue) next Saturday, January 30, 2-4 PM. MORE POWER...to the posters, to the President and, ultimately, to the people!

The 21st

Have you noticed something in the air today? There's a bounce in our steps. Our burdens seem lighter. It feels like a new day. The 21st DAY of the 21st YEAR of the 21st CENTURY, to be precise! No wonder. (And doubtless the 46th has a hand in this, too.) While we're riffing on this number, we remembered Mr. Bowie saying of his alter ego's genesis, “We were creating the 21st century in 1971.” Cue NATALIE HOPE MCDONALD and one of her most inspired pieces in our current show. Plus, before we put a pin in the number, keep in mind that the 21st Amendment — repealing Prohibition — is one of our favorites.

NATALIE HOPE MCDONALD
“Ziggy Stardust”
hand-drawn illustration
ink and paint on paper
125. framed
multiple unique originals available

This Land Was Made for You and Me

We will gladly call on BOB GORCHOV and one of his vibrant canvases to help cap a sullied era of American leadership, politics and identity with "The Old King." A dictatorship rises and falls. A democracy is designed to thrive — but it takes all of our good citizenry, engagement and activism to make it work the way it should. And on that note, as neighbors and regulars gather at DIRTY FRANK'S right now (even with snow showers) to watch the swearing in and address, we heartily invite you to join us this evening for today's special INAUGURATION DAY HAPPY HOUR, 5-7 PM! We have a host of cocktail specials from Inaugural Orange Punch to the Irish Joe to a Kamala Tea Drink — plus plenty of opportunities to cheer for a restoration of faith in good governance in the executive branch. Yes, together we did much to SAVE DIRTY FRANK'S last weekend, raising more than $9,000 (more about that later); now we are taking a critically important step to SAVE THE WORLD. Thank you for your part!

BOB GORCHOV
"The Old KIng"
mixed media on canvasette
150.

Just 5 Hours Left to Bid (until 7 PM)

That means we're officially 45 hours into our first-ever SAVE DIRTY FRANK'S / SAVE THE WORLD art auction. But the busiest time lies ahead! After all, we have 15 new works — all second pieces by artists already in the auction — bringing the total up to 75. And ALL 75 are still up for bid @dirtyfranksbar (on Instagram!). Plus, you know that kind of bidder who likes to sweep in at the last minute and scoop up your coveted piece at 6:59 PM, right? So be on the lookout if you come into the final hour as the top bidder on a work you really want. Keep hitting refresh! In the meantime, check out a very strong Round #5 with a lively mix of media and voices, including this wonderful painting on parachute cloth that ERICA HARNEY presents as a 60x60 wall hanging. It's a reminder, as with any virtual show, that we cannot wait to meet all of the artwork IN PERSON! There will never be a substitute for that experience.

ERICA HARNEY
“Fishtown Map Scroll”
acrylic on parachute cloth
60x60
starting minimum bid: 100.

Blueprint for Salvation

The next 15 works have been posted @dirtyfranksbar (on Instagram!)...so we have 80% of the art up for bidding, with 23 hours left to bid. The best news of all is that with more than 60 additional works already contributed — and with kind and generous artists still knocking on our door — WE'RE DOING THIS AGAIN! (Probably in late February. We'll know soon.) The idea that we have possibly happened on a "blueprint" for the survival of Dirty Frank's also points us to this cyanotype from JESSICA BARBER. Engineers long used this photographic process -- a combination of light and chemicals -- to copy large schematics and plans, leading to the coinage. In the hands of an experienced photographer, a cyanotype can accentuate mood, draw out unexpected elements, add qualities such as texture and in this case, a sense of pathos. When you think about it, we have seen many photographs from inside Eastern State. Rarely has the nature of the place been so viscerally conveyed. That's the power of a gifted artist harnessing a medium.

JESSICA BARBER
“Barren Cell at Eastern State Penitentiary”
cyanotype on fabric
9.5x7.5 framed
current top bid (8 PM Saturday): 60.

Third Time...and Still Charming

We’re up to 45 works now with our third round of postings, so even if you visited @dirtyfranksart (on Instagram!) this morning to check out the SAVE DIRTY FRANK’S / SAVE THE WORLD auction, it’s already time to GO BACK! We even found a 64th artist in our midst when we learned that this masterful watercolor is not the work of our friend MICHAEL GUINN...but rather it’s by his mother, DOROTHY GUINN. How exciting to welcome a third Guinn/Arkin generation into our community, since Michael and Cynthia’s son, renowned muralist DAVID GUINN, has been a MARY LIZ FELLOW (like his Dad) and has shown with us on several occasions. Not to mention, our current en plein air cafe format allows us to view David’s “Spring” (at 1315 Pine, across the parking lot) every day. Yes, there is some serious artistic genius in those genes! See you back at the auction.

DOROTHY GUINN
“Art Class”
watercolor
18.25x15.25 framed
current top bid (2:40 PM Saturday): 135.

30 Up

30 UP: With the second group of 15 works posted @dirtyfranksbar (on Instagram!) and robust bidding afoot, including a couple of bidding wars (!), SAVE DIRTY FRANK'S / SAVE THE WORLD is definitely headed in the right direction. Our trajectory is aptly represented in the work of TRI NGUYEN, among the second wave of art. One of our favorite #photographers, Tri — or Andy as he's known to friends — has a penchant for storytelling through simple moments like this one. An Amish woman, perhaps a farmer, hurries from the subway to her Reading Terminal Market stall. You can bid on all this work now through 7 PM tomorrow. Now, with a new round scheduled for uploading at 1 PM today, we’ll rush off and start preparing the next 15 works. Stay tuned...and please keep bidding!

TRI NGUYEN
“Graceful Climb”
digital photograph printed on canvas
24x16
current top bid (10:40 AM Saturday): 120.

It's Bidding Time @dirtyfranksbar

Fix yourself a cocktail — ROSE CHENEY, a painter brand-new to our space, has already mixed one in oils — and head over to @dirtyfranksbar **ON INSTAGRAM** because it’s time to start bidding on the first 15 contributed works among 75 total that we will offer for this first-ever SAVE DIRTY FRANK’S / SAVE THE WORLD art auction. And keep coming back through this Sunday at 7 PM, when our event, so vital to our survival as a bar and a gallery, concludes. The need for return visits are four additional rounds of artwork — scheduled for 9 PM tonight, 1 PM and 7 PM tomorrow and 1 PM Sunday. Each will have exciting new artists and works in a wide range of media. The common thread is that these 63 artists are sustaining us with their great generosity. So if there's a drink in your hand right now, CHEERS to our saviors!

ROSE CHENEY
“My Quarantini”
oil on canvas
8x8
starting minimum bid: 30.

All Eyes in Dirty Frank's...Starting at 5 PM Friday

We are inside of 24 hours to our first-ever SAVE DIRTY FRANK’S / SAVE THE WORLD auction, a benefit aimed at keeping our doors open (after an upcoming winter hiatus) and keeping our community together. Using the bar’s Instagram (@dirtyfranksbar) as a platform, we will offer 75 CONTRIBUTED WORKS in five distinct but overlapping rounds of artwork, beginning TOMORROW, Friday, January 15, at 5 PM. Bidding on all 75 will continue for the full 50 HOURS of the event, through Sunday, January 17, at 7 PM. Among the first eye-catching pieces available will be this original, hand-drawn illustration from the amazing NATALIE HOPE MCDONALD, which captures a street view of Dirty Frank’s and much of our iconic mural. One thing sets this apart from many other entries in the NHM oeuvre: the artist is offering this as a ONE-OF-A-KIND work. She will not redraw this illustration so it’s truly unique. Just like the beloved watering hole many of us call a second home. See you at the auction!

NATALIE HOPE MCDONALD
“Frank’s 2021”
unique hand-drawn illustration
starting minimum bid: 150.
available for bidding from 5 PM 1/15 to 7 PM 1/17