Battle Ready

There are a couple of objects in our BRICK BY BRICK 2 3D case that are explicitly ART ONLY, not for use. These would comprise NAZ KHOURY’s “Harness,” which is also featured in her prize-winning photography collaboration with SHOSHANA ISAACS, and this work: JESSICA REITMEYER’s blown glass masterwork, which is as visually stunning as it is threatening. The artist, who happily returns to our space for the first time since the inaugural BRICK BY BRICK in 2019 and currently has the honor of studying at The Studio of the Corning Museum of Glass, makes no bones about her creative intent. “This is the weapon I imagine myself, a queer Femme, welding in a riot against those who wish to harm me and my community,” says the artist. The jury took notice and bestowed our WAY GAY Award, named for our partner in this show, William Way LGBT Community Center.

JESSICA REITMEYER
“Ready to Riot”
3” sphere with 12” chain
sodaglass and borosilicate glass
300.

Not Just a Kiss

As we continue to celebrate the artists and the prize winners of BRICK BY BRICK 2, we bring to the fore the latest sale from the show — only last night — which our jury called out with an award for BEST KISS. AUSTIN DIMARE, who first showed with us in the 2022 edition of UNDER $100, has a special flair for intimate portraiture, and he speaks to this penchant in describing his painting’s ephemeral, yet lingering quality: “A passing moment of intimacy, where both individuals do not know where this could lead, and for how long. Remembering that soft feeling even if for a moment in time.”

AUSTIN DIMARE
“Remember Me When You Go”
12 x 12
oil on canvas
300.

Last Call for InLiquid Members

We've been decidedly low-key about our next juried show because the opportunity is available only to a relatively small number of artists in our community: the members of INLIQUID. We wish more of you were part of this groundbreaking nonprofit organization and qualified to submit work for this show. The guidelines for entries, which close TOMORROW (6/27) are here: https://www.inliquid.org/opportunity-folder/open-call-25years-off-the-wall. We have admired INLIQUID.ORG for all of its 25 years (and, yes, this is an anniversary show!). When it arrived on the Philly arts scene in 1999, it leveraged the moment of the digital revolution -- connecting member artists to their own portfolio web pages, organizing online art shows before the concept was widely accepted and building a network of spaces around the city to exhibit artwork. Some 1,000 shows later, InLiquid is as vital as ever and remains committed to a simple, clarion mission: making art and artists seen. We are proud to open our Wall and 3D case to their members whose work is juried into this special show, running July 21 through September 20. We look forward to a last round of entries and a wonderful way to cap this summer at OFF THE WALL!

Colorific

One of the masters of palette in our community is the indomitable CYN WHY, who often appends a question mark to her moniker...but is rarely that uncertain when it comes to the creative process. Our BRICK BY BRICK 2 jury awarded her BEST POP OF COLOR for this first piece, but it could just as easily have applied to her second work, too.(Notably, as of this writing, the prize-winning painting is still available for purchase!) The artist pulls no punches about her approach to this newest body of work: “These pieces are a 98% just sexy smartassery. There are artistic choices I could speak too much about — the punk touches...and the 80s aesthetic vs. what Being Gay In The 80s *meant*...and the idea of how long Queer people have had to sanitize our existence for the sake of acceptance, plus some other stuff that’s personal to me about these pieces. But mostly I just wanted to make some double entendres and continue to torture myself with drawing hands.”

CYN WHY
“Let Us Pray”
10 x 8
gouache and acrylic ink on Bristol,
mounted on wood panel
150.

“Speak No Evil”
10 x 8
gouache and acrylic ink on Bristol,
mounted on wood panel
150.

In Mourning

We have been in shock this past week with the shuttering of an institution that has played an enormous role in the history of OFF THE WALL and in the culture and community of DIRTY FRANK'S. We feel for — and stand with — the gifted faculty who are left without jobs and without the students they love to inspire and nurture and even more the students who came here to kindle dreams and are, for the moment, left with ashes. The decisions and governance that led to this bitter end are unconscionable and our creative community suffers from a void that must be filled. Stay tuned for details about a juried show we will organize to recognize the visual artists of UArts. Their work lives on and deserves our attention and support now.

Superlative Records

The Phillies, visually referenced in this Jesse Vandenburgh painting, have gotten off to their best start in history, winning 37 of their first 51 games after completing a sweep of the defending World Champion Rangers earlier this afternoon. Similarly, Jesse sports a sterling tally of sales in MLMME19, with seven red dots, including some major canvases. However, this one is still available — and marvelously represents the artist’s newer body of work. “After painting in a realistic style for many years,” explains Jesse, “I decided to explore more abstract ways to evoke viewer sensations. In my recent work, I use dreamlike subject matter, distortion and even humor to help me achieve my new goals.”

JESSE VANDENBURGH
“Five O'Clock”
32 x 34
oil on canvas
600.

Final Days for Two Masters

The highest accolade we bestow on artists in our community is selection for the Mary Liz Memorial Masters Exhibition. This annual staple showcases the work of rare talents — and the 19th edition is no exception. JESSE VANDENBURGH has shown with us for the better part of four decades, even as his canvases have evolved in intriguing ways from pure realism to an expressionism uniquely his own. JEFF THOMAS invented his own approach to painting, just as distinctive: his “hanger paintings,” which start with ideas captured in photographs he has taken from the 1970s to today. Along the way, Jeff’s body of work has grown with the recent addition of wood sculptures that evoke his own log cabin home. These two true Masters, while they will remain this year’s Mary Liz Fellows, will have to make way for the arrival of BRICK BY BRICK 2 on Saturday, so you only have a few precious days to take in their work in person.

Masterstrokes

MASTERSTROKES: When our jury singled out JEAN PLOUGH for BEST ACRYLIC STROKES, it was about these four paintings in UNDER $100. For our audiences, it has been the continuation of a love affair with the artist’s work. It all began nearly three years ago when, at the request of long-time OFF THE WALL artist and lifelong friend Jeff Thomas, she submitted paintings to our online pandemic auction SAVE DIRTY FRANK’S, which benefited our staff. The rest is history, with the most important chapter being Jean’s turn in MARY LIZ MEMORIAL MASTERS EXHIBITION 17 during spring 2022. That tour de force was an unprecedented solo outing in the most significant slot on our calendar, which included a rotation of new work in the middle of the show — something we hadn’t done since Mary Liz herself ran our gallery. It was necessary because MLMME17 had nearly sold out in its first month, and admirers of these pieces should know...yes, Jean has sold out yet again!

“Figure”
10 x 10
acrylic on canvas
95.

“SPORT UTILITY”
10 x 14
acrylic on canvas
95.

“Out, Damn Spot”
9 x 12
acrylic on board
95.

“Crabs”
10 x 10
acrylic on board
95.

Peace on Earth, Good Will to You

No angels or seraphim are we; all the same, best tidings of the holiday to all of you...as we count down to the end of 2023 AND the final days of UNDER $100! It’s hard to believe we’re in our last week, which promises several posts to run down award winners and new artists, introduced to our community through our most popular juried show. PHIL SUMPTER, who visited recently from his home in Puerto Rico after taking our community by storm with his solo show last fall, ONCE AND FUTURE FRONTIERS, is neither new nor, in this case, an award-winner. However, Phil is among the most veteran and most beloved OFF THE WALL artists — not to mention the only one in here with multiple prints. They are signed giclée of this timely holiday dove. Two are still available for purchase at this writing. So come in tonight, when we open at 8:00, and buy yourself a Christmas present!

PHIL SUMPTER
“Peace Dove”
14 x 11 framed
10 x 8 print
signed giclée of
watercolor and ink original
95.
signed, framed prints available

It's a Sin

We’ll continue our ROLL OF HONOR rundown for UNDER $100 with the mixed-media assemblage our jury aptly named “Best Sin under $100.” As we noted at our Opening Reception, not only is WAYNE W. URFFER the longest tenured OFF THE WALL artist in this show, he is the only one of our 48 participants who can say that he was “discovered” by our founding director Mary Liz. That would have been back in 1997, when he joined the faculty of the now-defunct Art Institute of Philadelphia (in fact, all the Art Institutes are now closed) as a professor in sociology, ethics and comparative religions. Yes, our way-back machine is in high gear because today happens to be our Gallery’s 45TH BIRTHDAY. (Our first-ever show “Her Name Is Not Anonymous Anymore” opened on Friday, December 8, 1978!) Many thanks to the tremendously talented Mr. Urffer — who incidentally is a two-time Mary Liz Fellow — for taking us down memory lane, as well as down the winding path of yet another ethical/religious debate. Who gets to decide what constitutes a sin? What does that mean for the alleged perpetrator or for the religion/group passing judgment? As always, TALK AMONGST YOURSELVES!

WAYNE W. URFFER
“Sin”
19.5 x 21.5
mixed-media assemblage
95.

Why We Toasted

We always begin sharing art from any juried exhibition with our AWARD WINNERS. Tonight, at the boffo OPENING RECEPTION for UNDER $100, the jury shone a spotlight on eight of our 48 artists, handing out $750 in cash prizes, while singling out artwork that rose above. No mean feat in such a superlative show! Topping everyone and taking home our most coveted prize of all was HOKEY, whose lyrical portrait of jazz and bebop legend Charlie “Bird” Parker, playing his signature King Super 20 alto sax, is perhaps as pure as the best of the master's notes. Below is our full HONOR ROLL, all of whom deserve KUDOS. And if you still happen to be on your way to our festivities at this late hour, definitely keep coming. The party is far from over! (UNDER $100 continues through Friday, December 29.)

MARY-ROWE MEMORIAL JURY PRIZE (BEST OF SHOW)
Hokey for BIRD ON SAX

BEST VOGUE OF COLLAGE
Anthony Morgan for body of work, especially FASHION SHOW

BEST SIN FOR UNDER $100
Wayne W. Urffer's SIN

BEST ACRYLIC STROKES
Jean Plough for her body of work

BEST COMIC RELIEF
Jim Biglan for his body of work

HONORABLE MENTION
Gloria Klaiman
Debra Miller
Gloria Rohlfs

Thanks-Cyn-ing

As we officially sign off from our 2023 AUTUMN INVITATIONAL and fully transition to UNDER $100, opening NEXT Thursday, November 30, we have to stop to recognize CYN WHY. You may ask: hey, WHY didn’t we feature this work in the countdown to the end of the Invitational? Simply put, it’s because we were aiming for 11th-hour sales (and we had a couple of those), but Cyn had sold out her seven phenomenal works. That’s no mean feat. The artist is happy to elaborate: “I love comics because each panel is a moment in time. You can orchestrate how that time flows. Or whether it flows. Comics are immediate and familiar and utterly versatile. I find comfort in airing my thoughts via boxes.” That philosophy found an immediate, receptive audience and while we are more than grateful for the contributions of all five artists — ELENA MASROUR, MICAELA PIRZIO-BIROLI, FRED PLUMLEY and HOLLY WYNN — it made Cyn an undisputed star of the show. Thank you and congratulations to all...including our lucky buyers!

CYN WHY
(in order of the portfolio shown)
“Better #1”
10 x 8
red pencil and ink on Bristol
mounted on board
90.

“Better #2”
10 x 8
red pencil and ink on Bristol
mounted on board
90.

“Better #4”
10 x 8
red pencil and ink on Bristol
mounted on board
90.

“Love Songs”
10 x 8
red pencil and ink on Bristol
mounted on board
90.

Vinum et Veritas

The truth may indeed be found in wine. But FRED PLUMLEY has managed to deliver the two side by side — or, more accurately, one inside the other — with his exceptional new series of wine box paintings, painted on all sides and featuring poetry (aka, wine box maxims), once opened. (Examples: “The line between fantasy and reality is blurred / (Big Foot is loose in NYC)” or “Everything is just going to be alright / Don’t open wounds that won’t heal”...and much more!) They are, simply put, ENCHANTING WORKS. But should you happen to stop by Saturday, sadly the 3D space will look nothing like this. Nor will other wine boxes dangle enticingly from our ceiling. (And Fred’s three terrific large canvases will not be on the Wall either.) But we hope to convince the artist to keep some of his available wine boxes for sale at offthewallgallery.org. The timing would be fortuitous, to say the least. What better holiday present could there be than a couple of nice bottles in a unique work of art?!

FRED PLUMLEY
oil paintings on utilitarian wine boxes
with a “wine box maxim” inside

#7-8: 175. each
“Your Child”
“Scared of History”

#9-12: 225. each
“Water over the Whale”
“Open Wounds”
“The Hot Soup”
“Sweet Sun”

Our Resident Dissident

As you may have noticed, last summer’s REEMERGE juried show was also a show about emergence: the revelation and addition of many new talents to our community. From the heart and, at that time in her teaching career, the heartland (namely, K-State and Manhattan, Kansas) arrived ELENA MASROUR, whose insightful, activist, playful, acerbically satiric practice — expressed in comics-influenced art — takes on the scourge of her native land. “My works are inspired by the proliferation of religious propaganda over the last 40 years in my home country, Iran, and the social changes taking place since the Revolution,” says Elena. “I represent a generation of Iranian people who aspire to be modern at a time when religious leaders continue to weaponize the rules of God to maintain control.” Her stunning new collection — this time hailing from Alabama, where she is lecturing at Birmingham-Southern College, after a faculty residency in between at the Cleveland Institute of Art — certainly nods to another sardonic cartoonist in Robert Crumb, while finding a brand-new metaphorical language as the drawings’ heroines do battle with little demons in everyday, often overtly domesticized settings. It’s all part of a life philosophy inseparable from her work. “Painting comical figures lets me imagine the fun of these individuals,” explains the artist, “and it offers my wish for contemporary Iran to become a peaceful, safe place where people can thrive.” All of these original, one-of-a-kind drawings are available for purchase right now in person or online (offthewallgallery.org).

ELENA MASROUR
(in order of the portfolio shown)
“I’m ready, how about you?”
India ink and combo brush on Bristol
11 x 14 framed (9 x 12 drawing)
500.

“Smell a bit of heaven.”
India ink and combo brush on Bristol
11 x 14 framed (9 x 12 drawing)
500.

“I can do more than that!”
India ink and combo brush on Bristol
11 x 14 framed (9 x 12 drawing)
500.

“What are you afraid of?”
India ink and combo brush on Bristol
11 x 14 framed (9 x 12 drawing)
500.

Printmaking with Purpose

Another gifted artist we were very fortunate to discover through REEMERGE in summer ‘22 is MICAELA PIRZIO-BIROLI. Their copper etching in that show, evoking medieval imagery, won over the jury and took down a prize. The artist now returns in our 2023 AUTUMN INVITATIONAL (closing Friday) with a series of new prints that shares some similar timeless qualities but brackets a wider range of inspirations. Pirzio-Biroli is even more nimble in their creative practice, which “draws from my personal history to explore themes of ritual, disability, queerness and biracial identity,” they tell us. “Working across printmaking, performance, sculpture and installation, I translate corporeal stories across multiple dimensions — moving between works on paper and forms in time and space.... In darkly humorous scenes depicting ridiculous semi-human figures, I invite my audience into the chaos and absurdity of my internal world, honoring the nonsensical as a force of resistance.” All these works are available for purchase right now in person or online (offthewallgallery.org).

MICAELA PIRZIO-BIROLI
(in order of the portfolio shown)
“Waiting for Diagnosis”
14 x 15.5 framed
four-layer woodblock reduction
325.

“Best Face Forward”
15 x 17.5 framed
woodcut
250.

“The Destroyer”
17.5 x 14.5 framed
three-layer linoleum reduction
225.

“Self Potrait”
12 x 10 framed
monotype
125.

Last Call for Brilliant Art

Our wonderful AUTUMN INVITATIONAL has flown right by. With just five days to go, we are determined to shine a spotlight on multiple works from each of the five talented OFF THE WALL veterans who are our 2023 invitees. We’ll start with HOLLY WYNN, a painter who has built a devoted following in our space since debuting in REEMERGE, the 2022 juried show that examined how the pandemic impacted the creatives in our community. Eighteen months, six sales and three awards later, she returns with four new works that take you inside her practice and unique point of view. “I’ve recently found myself creating representations of specific emotions and experiences, through a surreal, colorful and sometimes silly lens,” says the artist. “I’ve also enjoyed experimenting with different techniques and processes, both in oil and acrylic paint, frequently swapping preference between the two. My goal in trying new things is often to create more depth in the painting to draw the viewer in further — almost like they’re ‘in there.’” Note that all work shown here is available for purchase right now in person or online (offthewallgallery.org).

HOLLY WYNN
(in order of the portfolio shown)
“You Said You Wanted a Cake”
8 x 8
oil on canvas
250.

“I Think I’ve Outgrown This Pot”
8 x 10
oil on panel
250.

“Something’s Fishy”
8 x 10
acrylic on panel
220.

“I’m All out of Ideas”
8 x 8
acrylic on canvas
190.

Come Unhinged Tonight

Yesterday’s MARGIN/MARGIN closing reception was great because it featured an OFF THE WALL artist (Heather Raquel Phillips) in a partner’s space (William Way). Let’s try to one-up that TODAY (FRI 11/10), with an opening reception for a phenomenal multimedia artist long attached to our community — KAREN RODEWALD — in a gallery co-founded by another OFF THE WALL artist: Harvey Weinreich’s SIDE STREET GALLERY (812 Chestnut Street, Studio 2E). In a 5-8 PM reception, Karen will unveil her newest works on paper, from photography captured from unexpected vantage points to multimedia works that celebrate the simple joys of making marks and continuously dabbling with color. Adapting something she once told us, Karen’s visual experimentation may strive for exactness but always, ultimately, embraces and celebrates our imperfect, at times tumultuous world. We look forward to seeing you this evening!

Last William Way Reception until...'25?

We are always excited when an OFF THE WALL artist has an opportunity to share their work with a larger audience, no matter where that show happens. When that person is the amazing interdisciplinary artist HEATHER RAQUEL PHILLIPS and when the space is WILLIAM WAY, our neighbor and sister arts organization that is about to reinvent their home and revitalize their mission with a major capital project over the next 18-24 months, there is even greater urgency around getting the word out. Such is the case with CLOSING RECEPTION TONIGHT (11/9, 6-9 PM) for MARGIN/MARGIN, an electrifying collection of Heather's storytelling photography that sparks conversations about sexuality, desire, non-conformity, power, race, self-determination and much more. We look forward to seeing you there tonight — and we look forward to collaborating with William Way over the next year-plus, beginning with their annual juried show (accepting entries about INTIMACY, now through 11/27), which will go up on our Wall and in our 3D case in January.

HEATHER RAQUEL PHILLIPS
“Leather Family”
digital photograph
part of MARGIN/MARGIN
at William Way LGBT Community Center

An Early Treat for 48 Artists

Far better than candy is the news for four dozen in our community that they are the artists our jury has chosen for the 2023 edition of UNDER $100! More exciting still is that 12 of them will be making their OFF THE WALL debuts when the show hangs on Saturday, November 18, and officially opens on Thursday, November 30. As our audiences know, this is perhaps the most highly anticipated of our juried shows, with its affordable price point and fortuitous timing, which traditionally kicks off holiday festivities — and holiday shopping! — at DIRTY FRANK’S. CONGRATULATIONS to all! (Artists, please look for emails today notifying you of which works were accepted.) And, of course, HAPPY HALLOWEEN.

The Stuff of Legends

We proudly call PHIL SUMPTER an OFF THE WALL artist, but he is so much more. Today, from 4 to 6 PM, Phil, man, myth, creative pioneer, Black cowboy, uncompromising sculptor, draw-it-if-it-sings-to-you 2D artist, consummate educator, life-changing mentor, activist-with-the-spark-of-a-Revolution-in-his-Soul comes calling from his home in Puerto Rico. Join us in welcoming him back to Philly and to Frank’s, listening to his stories (we forgot to say “raconteur” above...Phil can tell a story with the best of them!) and raising a glass. Plus there will be a surprise announcement at 5:00. (Yes, we might have emailed you about that yesterday...but SHHHH…mum’s the word til Jody announces the news.) See you for an unforgettable Happy Hour!