...Something Borrowed...

Next is a truly illuminating artist making her debut in our space — but one we’ve admired from afar for quite some time. PAULA GILLEN uses her photomontages to create amalgamations of found and “vintage images, pop art and fashion, along with my own original photographs.” In doing so, she delves into “themes of psychology, social commentary and humorous disruptions of original and found imagery.” For her SUPERPOWER WOMEN IN SPACE series, the artist has created a single-gender society, where women are in charge not only of their domain but of the whole damn universe. It’s playful, thoroughly engaging and really needs to be experienced in person. What better occasion than the OPENING RECEPTION tonight (3/9), 7-10 PM, of PROCESSES INTERSECTING SPACES? Power up your rocket ship and be there!

PAULA GILLEN
“Bravely Shouting into Space”
20 x 16
aluminum print
300.

...Something New...

It’s been over a decade since the art of JON LAIDACKER has graced our Wall. Always comfortable in any creative setting, from traditional painting to mural arts, this artist is a trailblazer of a young medium: digital painting. “While it has managed to be acknowledged,” Jon observes, “digital painting has a way to go in gaining genuine appreciation among fine artists.” Although the subject matter here, as stated in the title, spans generations, his body of work in PROCESSES INTERSECTING SPACES — OPENING RECEPTION tonight (3/9), 7-10 PM — showcases fresh dimensions. The artist is undertaking more complex setups that we have seen before and showing his work both at larger scales (this piece) and in smaller, innovative packaging. Jon’s four small paintings on the post are also available in one signed, limited edition 4-pack that fits in your pocket. Pretty cool. Very new!

JON LAIDACKER
“Generations: 70 Years on a Shelf”
digital painting in Procreate
limited edition of 25
25.5 x 25.5 framed / 350.
22 x 22 unframed / 250.

Something Old...

No, no one’s getting married tonight. But we definitely have an engagement! So in inviting you to tonight's 7-10 PM OPENING RECEPTION for PROCESSES INTERSECTING SPACES, we happily invoke the age-old adage as we walk you through a few highlights from the show. Let’s start with a “painting” — in fact, a digitally manipulated photograph — that is part of MICHAEL JICHA’s PROJECT 1910 and was previously seen and sold at the 2019 edition of UNDER $100. The difference now is that we have never seen this work in the proper dimensions. Only at this size can we more fully understand the artist’s practice, which “interprets the Post-Impressionist to Surrealist movements.” Find out more in person and on offthewallgallery.org. See you tonight!

MICHAEL JICHA
detail from “Reine d’Or”
35 x 25 framed
digitally manipulated photograph
500.

Never Too Late

Life journeys can go in unexpected directions. Perhaps this holds even truer for those who are artists at heart. For GRETCHEN RAICHLE, creativity was one of her earliest callings. “As a younger person, I immersed myself in drawing and attempted paintings and pastels,” she recalls. “Illustration, like images in childhood books, and later discovering Pyle, N.C. Wyeth, and Sargent were huge attractions, and that of the ‘Red Rose Girls’ fascinated me to no end.” These memories were tucked away. Some acquired the sheen of nostalgic luster. Others seemingly vanished into the folds of time. Gretchen, who had pursued other passions in life including being a professional chef, was determined to excavate what once moved her most deeply. “Some 45 years later, when I dug out all the books, magazines and materials I had collected, I discovered I was drawn to watercolor.” But making art is not riding a bicycle. “I was paralyzed looking at a white sheet of paper until I found ALICE MEYER-WALLACE at Community Arts Center, Wallingford,” the artist continues, referencing an esteemed member of the OFF THE WALL community and a past Mary Liz Fellow. “Alice has been my mentor, teacher and friend over the last five years,” adds Gretchen, “and her free-spirited enthusiasm and encouragement have made all the difference.” These are the stories we love to hear. We are honored to have Gretchen as part of NEW FACES OF ‘23, where she represents her medium in all its subtleties and sublimeness. Perhaps watercolor is just as much a hero of this story as are Gretchen and Alice. “Watercolor is a truly magical medium. It is luminous and always full of surprises if you just let it in.”

GRETCHEN RAICHLE
“Red Cup”
23 x 19.5
watercolor on 140 lb. cold press Arches paper
250.

A Voice for the Many

We are proud to say our NEW FACES OF ‘23 artists have found not only new fans but collectors, too—with 16 sales and counting. GLORIA KLAIMAN can lay claim to four of the red dots (but the assemblage shown here is still available!). She has perhaps connected so readily with our audiences because her art aims to convey a complex world view. “In my mixed-media art, I always strive to explore the beauty of the natural world,” says Gloria, “as well as the songs, dreams, ideas, fears and aspirations of the people around us. In the current political climate, this also entails a conscious effort to counter the initiatives that promote hateful separations between the self and the other; the self and nature; and the self and the spiritual, idiosyncratic and different in the world.”

GLORIA KLAIMAN
“The cages are broken and all the children dance”
20 x 16 x 1.5
mixed-media assemblage
275.

Final Week

Our first show off the year has flown right by! NEW FACES OF ’23 feels fresh and continues to find fans, but the march of time means this coming Friday, March 3 is the final full day of this eye-opening exhibition. Among our 10 artists—all members of our sister organization, THE PLASTIC CLUB, and all making their respective Off the Wall debuts (hence our title)—ROBIN BROWNFIELD stands apart in her medium: mosaic tiles. Her story is equally unique. “I used to be a sociology professor. After becoming disabled, I turned to mosaic art,” she tells us. Robin’s work has received widespread exposure, including shows in New York, Las Vegas and San Francisco; locally, media attention has sometimes shone a special spotlight. “Following a FOX-29 story about my award-winning series of Black Lives Matter portraits,” continues the artist, “Tamika Palmer commissioned me to do a portrait of her daughter, Breonna Taylor, whose death, in part, launched a rebirth of the BLM movement. This portrait can be seen in the documentary ‘Bree Way: Promise Witness Remembrance.’” It’s a fitting reminder that Black History Month is also drawing to a close.

ROBIN BROWNFIELD
“Blowing Bubbles”
mosaic art
750.

Finding Answers, Together

How do you put a price on your art? This fundamental, surprisingly complex question has baffled just about every artist. As a gallery that strives to make art accessible to almost all buyers—and to connect our artists to collectors and bottom-line success—we want to demystify the process and help you find the best way to value your own work. So do our friends at our sister organization, THE PLASTIC CLUB. Hence the collaborative Plastic/Wall workshop this Sunday, February 26, at the Club (247 South Camac Street) from 2:00 to 3:30. Off the Wall curator JODY SWEITZER will lead a panel of experts, themselves working artists: JAMES OLIVER, James Oliver Gallery; CAROL TAYLOR-KEARNEY, Powell Lane Arts; and RACHEL ZIMMERMAN, Inliquid.org. The workshop is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. So please join us this weekend as we find answers...together!

Tada!

TADA!: It was another magical HANGING DAY this past Saturday, as curator JODY SWEITZER applied the first brushstrokes of fresh white paint for the New Year (image 1)...and then, soon after, assembled the work of our 10 Winter Show artists (image 2) — all new to OFF THE WALL — hence, the show’s name: NEW FACES OF ‘23. All notably are also members of our sister organization THE PLASTIC CLUB, and their abundant talents across an array of media are already riveting audiences and garnering accolades. In alpha order, we are most excited to welcome ROBIN BROWNFIELD, ROBERT COX, DAVID HORWITZ, GLORIA KLAIMAN, GRETCHEN RAICHLE, MICK RICERETO, BILL SKWERSKY, JOHN STRIZINGER, PAMELA TUDOR and NINA YOCOM. Please join us for our OPENING RECEPTION this Thursday, January 19, 7-10 PM!

Dream On

DREAM ON: We proudly repost the hand-drawn artistry of NATALIE HOPE MCDONALD, channeling the eloquence and inspiration of Martin Luther King, Jr. It’s also worth saying this is the final week of Natalie’s three-person show at JAMES OLIVER GALLERY — IN THE MIX — which also includes another OFF THE WALL artist JASMINE ALLEGER. Now through January 21. And if you are in the midst of a day of service today, please sustain your spirit and your service all year long!

Stalking Turtle Doves

Or perhaps it’s something else with wings. But this intent feline peering could well have a pounce at the end, don’t you think? Yesterday, I mentioned the three UNDER $100 artists who sold out sets of four. Well, HOLLY WYNN tied them with an equal number of red dots; the only difference is she had five pieces accepted into the show! Add to this bottom-line success a JURY PRIZE, dubbed “Sneak a Peek,” since all the work focuses on different species watching the world go by. (Or in the case of the pupper, clearly looking at his owner.) This series shows a new dimension of the artist’s work after a prize-winning debut — a painting about pandemic paranoia — last summer in REEMERGE. 2022 definitely marked Holly’s arrival to our community of artists and art lovers. BRAVA!

HOLLY WYNN
“Observing”
5 x 7
oil on canvas
70.

Three French Hen-nessy's?

For those who chimed in that we may have bagged out on the long-deserted Xmas Countdown, we are back for more during the last three days of our Mummers/New Year’s hiatus. In searching for a theme for THREE, the cognac has, alas, kicked...so we’ll turn to a certain French elderberry liqueur that was the subject of a painting from OFF THE WALL neophyte (no more!) LAUREN DOYLE. Joining fellow UNDER $100 stars Cyn Why, winner of the Mary-Rowe Memorial Jury Prize, and veteran Betty MacDonald as the artists to sell out sets of four works, Lauren enjoyed a smashing debut with her watercolors varnished onto wood backings. The artist often portrays branded beverages, but trust us: if you happen to be a gallery inside a bar, you just know this still life and a companion piece of a crushed can of PBR had fans galore!

LAUREN DOYLE
“St-Germain in Blue”
12 x 9 x 2
watercolor, ink and varnish
95.

A Different Kind of Tapestry

We grew up, once upon a time, hearing America described as a “melting pot” or a “tapestry” — the idea being that in this nation diverse, disparate elements come together to make up one vibrant whole. Now we live in a world of divisions, where nothing blends seamlessly and stark contrast is the order of the day. We invoke this topic of discussion on the second anniversary of the January 6th insurrection, amid the yahooism swirling around the House Speaker votes, which recklessly engender political wheeling and dealing aimed at undermining the basic workings of the Legislative Branch (just as 1/6/21 eroded the Executive Branch). Perhaps no artist in our community can speak to where we are and who we are with greater passion and persuasion than JIM BIGLAN. One of his three UNDER $100 pieces (all sold!) is this fabric artwork, incorporating collage. Most powerfully, the artist tells us, “I made this weaving experiment from bits of an actual American flag.”

JIM BIGLAN
“Merica”
16 x 10
loom weave and collage
90.

Four Forecasting Birds

Since it should technically go to the Epiphany, we'll continue our Xmas Countdown with CAROL TASHJIAN’s Weather Diary collages. (And, yes, UNDER $100 has come down from the Wall, but the show continues to be available for online shopping during our Mummers/New Year hiatus.) This head-turning new series, which the jury singled out with a BAROMETRIC BREAKTHROUGHS award, feels like a pandemic project of sorts but had its genesis just a couple of seasons ago. “During the July heat wave, I began saving the daily weather reports and loosely mimicking, in ink, the weather patterns depicted on the map,” reports the artist. “What’s come of it from there is technically collage, but my thinking process is closer to the geometric improvisation I use in quiltmaking.”

CAROL TASHJIAN
“Weather Diary 1403”
10 x 8
mixed-media collage (newspaper weather reports
on manila folder with ink and black paper cutouts,
sealed with PVA Size and mounted on panel of the
same dimensions)
80.

The Calm Before

We can check off the three-decade tradition of postering our beloved Wall before the Mummers march. We can also look forward to festivities galore as we welcome 2023 — well aware, too, that much of the world is already enjoying the New Year. Our best wishes and love to the artists and art lovers who comprise and sustain our wonderful and growing community. May your first marks on a tabula rasa be bold and exuberant, portending progress and growth ahead! #HAPPYNEWYEAR2023

1K...for Kringle!

Christmas is about the power of family. In this spirit, we’ll dedicate our 1,000th Insta post to one of the most beloved artists in our community, ELIZABETH H. MACDONALD, who is the hit of yet another show. The first artist to SELL OUT all four of her pieces, Betty, who will soon turn 96, continues to conduct a master class etching, engraving and lithography, skills passed on from her mother, Dorothy Wackerman Hutton. It was at Dorothy’s knee at our sister organization, The Plastic Club, that Betty first observed and began to gain her love and proficiency for these media, beginning in the 1930s. (At about the same time, the artist’s father, Hugh Hutton, launched a four-decade career as political cartoonist for The Philadelphia Inquier.) And did we mention Betty’s daughter, Peg, is an OFF THE WALL artist in her own right, who most recently showed her own print work in the 2019 edition of UNDER $100? We promised you a family story — and there you have it. Post #1,000 for Christmas 2022. Have a joyous end of the holiday!

ELIZABETH H. MACDONALD
“Shipwreck”
7 x 9 framed
lithograph
75.

Golden (and Lunar) Rings

Over the years, we have shown a range of work from esteemed artist-educator ROBERT REINHARDT, beginning with his paintings: stunning landscapes of, and inspired by, the American West. (The artist has also produced a series of Scotland vistas, which have not yet appeared at Off the Wall.) More recently -- and again for this year's UNDER $100 -- Bob's focus has shifted to patterned monoprints, which he overlays, one on another, to elicit dynamic interplay and marvelously intricate details. While there often is a starting point for these newer pieces -- in this case, the phases of the moon -- the results are not so constrained, as viewers are transported through unexpected convergences of form and color.

ROBERT REINHARDT
"Lunar Cycles #2"
14 x 11 framed
mixed-media collage of
hand-printed monoprints
95.

No Maids Here

We are a gallery with proud feminist roots, from our very first show 44 years ago this month, HER NAME IS NOT ANONYMOUS ANYMORE — one of the first all-women art shows in Philadelphia...outside, of course, our sister organization, The Plastic Club. So continuing our Xmas Countdown, you’re not going to find, among our self-made artists, Maids A-Milkin...or a-doing anything else. HEATHER RAQUEL PHILLIPS is a strong advocate along these lines, an interdisciplinary artist who celebrates and creates disruptions of norms and convenes and promotes “conversations about power, sexuality, deviance, freedom, failure and desire.” Her three fabric works in UNDER $100 all fit this framework and build off the artist’s innovative, message-driven large-banner series, which she installed in front of her house during the pandemic. Heather’s is a voice that is never silent.

HEATHER RAQUELPHILLIPS
“Never Enough Hanky”
screen-printed scarf with fringe
66.

Nine Bananas Dancing

Embroidery, in its full majesty, does not make its way onto our Wall often enough. In 2009, we devoted an entire show to fabric art, but in the years since, we can probably count on one hand the artists showcasing the medium, from the venerable Elizabeth H. MacDonald to Leonard Hollinger, who often uses stitching within his paintings, to Rae McLaughlin, whose “Hot Bits” collections have made recent appearances. KELLY KOZMA, a true master of embroidery, has not shown multiple pieces since our 2014 MIDSUMMER INVITATIONAL. That happily changed with UNDER $100, when our jury enthusiastically accepted her two submissions. An artist who relishes “the meditative process of hand embroidery as a way of healing,” Kelly has an ulterior motive that shines through in these life-affirming new pieces. “My goal is to interject joy into my work through bright palettes, fun imagery and movement,” she confides, “so rainbow bananas felt like the perfect subject matter.” BRAVA! (And, yes, if you’re counting, it’s really 10 bananas...but we’ll try to slip by for the sake of our Xmas Countdown....)

KELLY KOZMA
“Kickline”
8.75” x 10.75” framed
hand embroidery on paper
95.

Landlords A-Leapin'?

The last time ERICA HARNEY was part of an OFF THE WALL show, she contributed two works to SAVE DIRTY FRANK’S, including a stunning banner that employed small watercolor paintings to grid the ever-gentrifying neighborhood of Fishtown — creating a veritable jewel box of a map. Now the artist, always remarkable in her creativity and output, returns with a new series of doors, mainly front…and strictly Philly. Explains Erica, “My studio work, primarily featuring landscapes and architecture, is inspired and informed by my work as a professional scenic painter: painting backdrops and scenery for Philadelphia-area theatre and production companies.”

ERICA HARNEY
“309 E. Girard”
11 x 9 framed (8 x 6 image)
watercolor, pencil and ink on paper
90.

Half-Pipers Piping

For 11 in our UNDER $100 Xmas Countdown, we'll turn to the hand-cut collage of the marvelous ROBB SPATH, one of the first masters of the X-ACTO to frequent our Wall and, to be sure, a participant in our inaugural GLUE PAPER SCISSORS Invitational, which kicked off '22. Incidentally, 11 is numerically somewhat of a muse to the artist, in his ninth OFF THE WALL show. Robb's work runs a wide gamut from iconographic portraiture to, at turns, humorous and exuberant celebrations of life. Through them all, pop culture -- in this case, specifically skate culture -- propels and colors his intricate worlds.

ROBB SPATH
"Catalina"
8 x 10 framed (5 x 7 collage)
hand-cut collage
75.