i art a day.

Sometimes it’s difficult to remember that I live in the “City of Brotherly Love”, especially over the past few days when the city has left me questioning whether there is in fact more good in this world than bad. With depression mounting I left for ballet class around 6:15, made a quick trip to the bookstore to buy a replacement journal and then headed to class. There’s nothing like a tough workout to focus the mind and put worries aside, but after an hour & 45 minutes in the slippers the frustrating events of the past couple of days washed over me again as I walked, sweating and beat back to the subway. While waiting somewhat patiently for the train to arrive I scanned the ads across the platform and this one caught my eyes:

Sweet, but not exactly par for the graffiti scene in Philadelphia – or the mural arts scene. So after a quick browse over to aloveletterforyou.com I found out that this mural is just one of about 50 murals being painted in West Philly along the subway/el line. “A Love Lettermeant for one but with meaning for all is being painted from 63rd to 45th Street on the rooftops and walls of Market Street by Overbrook native Stephen Powers and the youth of West Philadelphia,” says the project’s blog. A great story about the project was also written over at philly.com.

So maybe there are those people out there who will try to break your spirit or shake your confidence or threaten you. But, it’s nice to see a love letter every now and then to remind you that there are people trying to make this city, and this planet, a more loving, supportive, and soulful (not to mention creative, beautiful, and colorful) place. I look forwarding to taking a ride out through West Philly and back sometime soon. A few more love letters for you:

In September I wrote about a couple of artists that really impressed me at the Rittenhouse Fine Art Show here in Philly, and the show was held once again this past weekend. There were several of the same artists as last year (including most of the ones previously highlighted) and a couple of people who caught my eye for the first time this year. Two are printmakers (etching) and one is a very unique mixed-media painter.

Grant Silverstein www.grantsilverstein.com Etchings

Another Difficult Kiss

These etchings immediately brought back to life images from storybooks and historical illustrations, Renaissance romances and plagues. With subjects including myth & allegory, realism, nudes, landscapes, as well as miniature works, Silverstein’s etchings are infinitely fascinating to look at. The detail and style of each print draw the viewer in and invite them to stay for a while, to meditate on the subject as well as the technical mastery of the print. He has also illustrated two published books and has hundreds of prints to date, all of which can be previewed on his website.

Keith Grace www.grace-design.com Mixed Media Paintings

Ad Man Blue

Fun and bright, the work of Keith Grace caught me off guard. After spending a couple of minutes looking over the pieces on display I was unexpectedly hooked on the images. Part collage, part painting, part photography, these pieces are absolutely delightful and appealing to the eye. Perhaps they aren’t soothing in the diluted neutral bowl of fruit still life kind of way, but they certainly elicit a lifting of spirits and ease of demeanor. Grace has also launched a line of prints and products called “Hip Dog Cool Cat” based on his animal works which can be found at www.hipdogcoolcat.com.

Fuchsia & Hero Hat

George Raab www.georgeraab.com Etchings

Mystree V

Many of the prints in George Raab’s collection are extremely large and executed with such expertise that they appear to be vintage black and white images. Some of his pieces have also been colorized for an interesting effect. These large prints are both elegant and eerie, with a cool aura even during the hottest months.

Mystree VI

First a quick update: The Vernal (Spring) Equinox is on Friday! YAY SPRING! Anyway, in order to celebrate and do a little shop spring cleaning the equinox cards have been put on SALE for a whopping 40% OFF! Can you think of anyone who’d love a little spring time hello?

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming. Times may be slow, but the creativity in Philadelphia is still overflowing. A personal inspiration is Leah Mackin of leahmackin.com. Her small notebooks, creative patterns and adorable cards are lovely – and really excite the font geek in me. Check out her etsy shop here.

If only I lived in a larger place with more wall space! I’ve been eyeing up the Polaroid prints by Fiona over at Walking To Jerico recently. I love the black and white vintage look of the images mixed with simple clean and powerful color. When I have an in-home office one day I can totally see these on my inspiration boards.

Also, there’s a couple of new items in the madebyhank shop and the something’s hiding in here shop, some of our major local inspirations!

everyone’s gotta start somewhere, right? well here we are. i’ve decided to start a design/painting/paper/film/art/anything blog to inspect the creativity happening around me as well as the things that i create. above all, nothing can be developed and refined without practice and the goal is to take a picture or find something new to think about or complete a piece everyday. maybe this place will serve as a space for inspiration on days when nothing will come, or as a despository for loose ends.

day one.

last night i went to first friday downtown, which was great because i don’t think i’ve been to one in over a year. some of the work was good, some of the work was bad, some of it was inspiring, and the rest i guess i just don’t remember. it seems like there has been an influx of “urban” art in the gallery scene. work once confined to overpasses and abandoned buildings has been recreated on canvas and hung on white walls in old city galleries, going for thousands a pop. some of these pieces were brightly colored, smooth and exaggerated while others mimiced the walls where the art would be found out in the real world with surly images collaged like newspaper clippings and paint strewn across the surface like the drops from a spray paint can.

don’t get me wrong, i love the aesthetic quality of graffiti (well, good graffiti anyway) but half of the attraction is the illegality of it all, and the resistance of the social norms. it’s a political and cultural statement, that i’m not sure is made when hung in a gallery by the cheese and wine. it’s almost as if the elite are buying the work, making the statements inconsequential…making them void of all meaning. those same people that the resistance is against are the ones browsing through the images. many graffiti artists have an absurd amount of talent, which is why i think their work should be on gallery walls next to the work of any acrylic or oil painter, but maybe the subject should be reconsidered? it’s toss up, what is gained and what is lost by bringing this form of art indoors?

a couple of people i was inspired by:
ken vallario
arcenio martin campos
mike ming

also, it’s not often kelly drive is closed down and it’s super nice out, so while biking up to the art museum this afternoon i got to stop and take some photos of the other side of the street for once. nothing fancy, just a snopshot or two.

hopefully i can get some nice photos this year of the seasons changing. i’m not so much interested in the precision of the photo as i am in the quality of the color.

one more thing: i’m open to thoughts and ideas from everyone else. if there’s something you like (or don’t like) or something you want to see, just drop me a note and tell me about it. thanks!

- jenny