Archive for August, 2008
#13 – Adrian Arleo – Meet the Artists Who Have Inspired Us to Part with Our Cash – 8.24.08
Aug 24th
#13 in the Meet the Artists Who Have Inspired Us to Part with Our Cash is ceramic sculptor Adrian Arleo. Adrian lives and works in Lolo, Montana. About her work she states, “For over fifteen years, I’ve been creating sculpture that combines human and animal imagery in a variety of ways. Some of these works elude to a relationship of understanding or connection between the human and animal realms. In others, the human figures possess animal faces, limbs, or other features in a way that reveals something hidden about the character or primal nature of the person.”
Actually, we don’t know the title Ms. Arleo chose for the piece of hers that we are delighted to have as part of our collection. We simply call it The Raven Woman. It is a sculpture of a kneeling woman who appears, at first glance, to be cradling a raven in her arms. Look more closely, however, and you see that her arms and hands are actually part of the raven. The raven’s nest of twigs rests in the woman’s lap. (Click thumbnails to view larger images.)
Betsy and I fell in love with this awesome sculpture independently of one another. Then one day when visiting the South Street area of Philadelphia we both remarked that we wanted to show the other one something we’d fallen in love with at the nearby Works Gallery. The rest, as they say, is history.
More of Adrian Arleo’s work can be viewed locally at The Works Gallery (now located in Old City, Philadelphia, as well as the following websites:
#12 – Shari Kestenbaum – Meet the Artists Who Have Inspired Us to Part with Our Cash – 8.17.08
Aug 16th
#12 in the Meet the Artists Who Have Inspired Us to Part with Our Cash is Shari Kestenbaum. Shari received her art education at Moore College of Art and the Tyler School of Art. She currently resides in Taos, New Mexico.
We met Shari at her Earth & Spirit shop at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire in 2007. My eyes went immediately to one of her painted hand drums – the one pictured at the left. (Click thumbnail to view larger image.)
The Raven is my spirit animal, and has been since before I’d even heard the term. My wife, Betsy, saw my pupils dilate as they focused on the drum, and the next thing I knew, she was presenting me with the drum as an anniversary present. It is definitely a treasured item, and when I am not playing it, it hangs on the wall next to my Raven altar.
As beautiful as Shari’s drums are, her landscape paintings of the southwest are equally exquisite. You can view more of her work on her website at http://www.earthandspirit.net. And if you are planning a trip to the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire during August of 2008, you can stop in and say hi to Shari and buy a drum with your spirit animal on it. The Earth & Spirit shop is found along Guildsman’s Way.
#11 – Dae Rebeck Sanchez – Meet the Artists Who Have Inspired Us to Part with Our Cash – 8.9.08
Aug 8th
#11 in the Meet the Artists Who Have Inspired Us to Part with Our Cash series is Dae Rebeck Sanchez. Dae is a mixed media artist whose work marvelously incorporates painting, collage and photo transfer techniques. The work we own is titled Girl on Moon and is pictured at left. (Click thumbnail to view larger image.)
About her work, Dae states on her website:
“…in my studio, there is always a collection of photos, zeroxes, magazines, bits of paper, small objects, and blocks of wood. From these, the skeletal structure of a painting is begun and gradually fleshed out with paint and other materials. Working in a layered way, the paint and collage are removed with a razor blade and sandpaper as much as they are applied.”
More of her work can viewed on her website at <www.daerebeck.com>. She can be reached at mail@daerebeck.com
And if you’re lucky enough to be reading this today, August 9th, 2008, (and I hope you are) you can meet Dae and support the arts by purchasing her beautifully evocative work at the Collingswood Crafts & Fine Art Festival along Haddon Avenue in Collingswood, NJ. Dates are, you guessed it, Saturday August 9th from 10 am till 6 pm and Sunday August 10th from 11 am till 5 pm. Dae’s booth is #139.
Review of Flex Box exhibit by Philadelphia Inquirer’s Victoria Donohoe.
Aug 8th
Following is the review by the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Victoria Donohoe of the Flex Box exhibition at Salon Des Amis Gallery in Malvern:
“Salon des Amis Gallery. “Flex Box” is a casual name for a very spirited, all-invited show by 25 city and suburban artists at Salon in Malvern. Included are eight members of the Dumpster Divers, artists dedicated to making art from found objects.
Chanthaphone Rajavong, formerly of Laos, is the show’s star with “Atomic Twins,” an amazing pair of functional table lamps that allude imaginatively to that familiar landmark on Malvern’s horizon, the cooling towers of the Limerick nuclear power plant. This light-sculpture is made from metal, gems and woven wire, and it projects intricate light patterns, opening up new territory for this skilled young artist in terms of both subject and construction.
Outstanding pieces by Dumpster Divers are Burnell Yow!’s collaged portraits [emphasis added] and carpenter John Lindsay’s unpretentious wooden boxes, while distinctive contributions to the show’s surreal flavor are made by painter Patty Castner, with Amanda Ferraro, Amy Spearing and Nevin Snyder getting the nod for talented newcomers to the gallery.”
Click the thumbnails below to view larger image.
#10 – Kathryn Pannepacker – Meet the Artists Who Have Inspired Us to Part with Our Cash – 8.3.08
Aug 3rd
#10 in the Meet the Artists Who Have Inspired Us to Part with Our Cash series is fiber artist and painter Kathryn Pannepacker. We first met Kathryn either as members of the Philadelphia Dumpster Divers or of Da Vinci Art Alliance. I’m not sure which venue introduced us to her art, but I liked her work right off the bat. Her use of unconventional materials, e.g., pipe cleaners and Q-Tips, in some of her weavings both intrigued and amused me. The piece we own is woven using pipe cleaners. Click the thumbnail to the right to view larger image.
You can view more of her work on her website. And she can be contacted at kpannepacker@yahoo.com
There’s also a three-part video presentation posted on Vincent Romaniello’s vlog (video blog) showing Kathryn at work in her studio and talking about various projects. The individual videos can be viewed by clicking the appropriate part numbers: Part 1; Part 2; Part 3.
*******************************
And don’t forget Kathryn’s upcoming show titled:
HOMEWORK/RESEARCH
“Wall of Rugs, #2″ (a mural of global textiles)
Where: SMILE Gallery 105 South 22nd Street, Philadelphia, PA
When: 2nd Friday, AUGUST 8th, 6-9 PM
Exhibition closes September 10th
Hours: M-F:11:30-9:30pm, Sat:5-9:30p.m
215) 564-2502
To contact the artist, email kpannepacker@yahoo.com or call 215) 769-1016
