Labor Day + glorious = Laborious?

Given that I LOVE autumn, I think it's fair to say that most cities look pretty darn good to me around this time of year. That said, however, I am really enjoying this first dose of a Philly fall that we've experienced these last couple of days. The following is a photographic tribute to the past holiday weekend, in all of its awesomeness:

I love this log house in the middle of the city, in Northern Liberties (N. Lawrence Street)

creek in Fairmount Park

The boys hanging out on the deck here in Fishtown

an Eakins moment on the Schuylkill River

The Japanese House and Garden in Fairmount Park

Sign at the Shrine of St. John Neumann in Northern Liberties

Chilling out in a gazebo in Fairmount Park

Sculpture outside the Please Touch Museum/Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park

Parade of geese on the Schuylkill River

Park bench acrobatics - Fairmount Park

Sketch Club, part deux.

Last evening I stopped by the opening reception of the Philadelphia Sketch Club's current member show in City Hall. And I had never ever been inside Philadelphia's City Hall before! Ever! What I can tell you is this: it is architecturally very interesting, and as of yesterday evening, it was very WARM. Boy, was it warm. I can also tell you this: it was full of art, at least on the 5th floor, where the Sketch Club exhibition was hung... and this was the best piece there:

Michaela, 22" x 28", Charcoal, 2008, by Rachel Constantine

I've been a fan of Rachel's work since I was introduced to it last year; a fellow artist recommended her work for the blog I contribute to, Women Painting Women. Here's a link to the post, and below is the painting I posted to the site (it was hard to choose, I love so many of her paintings):

The Ceremonial Kimono, 60" x 36", oil on canvas, 2005-2006, by Rachel Constantine

Lucky for me, we will be in the same group show this coming fall, a group show based on the Women Painting Women theme, which will be held at Robert Lange Studios in Charleston, SC. Stay tuned for more info on this exhibition, coming soon...

Recommended viewing!

Last evening I had the good fortune – thanks to the lovely and talented Alex – to be at a presentation by painter David Shevlino at the Philadelphia Sketch Club. David presented and discussed his most recent (self-produced!) painting demo DVD – and it was really quite well-done. I'm positive that I can't describe it more aptly than Lisa Gloria did in her review found on Art Studio Secrets, so I will urge you to read her review... also, you can preview this most recent video (among other painting demos by David) on his YouTube channel at this link. If you see that and become as much of a Shevlino fan as I did and decide to buy his most recent video, you can do so at this link. Highly recommended!

He has also inspired me to give Galkyd another try – the few times I've used it I was turned off by its stickiness, but I'm newly hopeful that I can keep that aspect of the medium under control with a little more solvent in the mix. Fingers crossed.

Here's a demo David did of a painting of Sumo wrestlers:

Plastic.

Hey there Interwebs,
I just dropped off this painting today for the "self portrait" show at the Plastic Club here in Philly, opening reception on Sunday, September 12 from 2-5pm.

743, 2007, oil on canvas, 10"x10", by me.

Plastics.

Art and the City.

Once again reunited with our computer! Ahhh.

So we did indeed make it to NYC for the Otto Dix show, as hoped. Great stuff! I was a little disappointed that they didn't have some of his more well-known paintings, but no matter – what they had was worth it, well worth it. Especially intriguing was the "War" series of prints, created in the years following Dix's service in the German army in World War I. You should check out the show yourself – if you can't make it to New York, the show is moving to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts next. Here's the only photo I was allowed to take in the museum:

I know I've posted a fair amount on this blog about how in love I am with Philadelphia – grimy and crusty as it is, this little city, it has wooed me nonetheless. But let us not forget about New York City and its considerable charms! I especially love the awkward and surprising ways in which nature butts up against the concrete jungle – or the fact that occasionally you can dip into a garden or park and almost lose yourself in the green. Here's some NYC love, including some love for Brooklyn, which I recently visited briefly for the first time:

Le parc central

DUMBOberries!

Brooklyn babies in distress

Jefferson Market Garden, Manhattan

Manhattan Bridge, from the Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park

DUMBO: NO ART.

Brooklyn Bridge and ze Big Apple beyond

Otto!

Still experiencing technical difficulties, in the form of no computer. Situation will be remedied soon. In the meantime, we're headed to NYC tomorrow to check out the Otto Dix exhibition at the Neue Galerie. Love his work - can't wait! More soon. Here's a sampling:

Dr. Heinrich Stadelmann, by Otto Dix, oil on canvas, 35.75" x 24", done in 1920.

Break. Broken.

Experiencing a brief blogging hiatus, due to a broken computer. Will be back shortly... sorry for the absence!