ArtShow/ArtLife
ArtShow, residual effects, tv art and more…
June is in full swing and summer is pretty much here after a pretty rainy and cool spring. I’m not complaining as I love it all and the backyard plants are responding with green glee, creating a quiet, verdant space to enjoy downtime, writing, dreaming and recharging.
[The ArtShow opening]
Last month, I told you about the coming ArtShow opening and after months of anticipation, there we all were with guests and our art displayed in the Hicks Art Center Gallery in Newtown, PA. “The ArtShow” is a group exhibit of 37 Philadelphia area artists who have appeared on Craig Stover’s “ArtShow” interview show on YouTube.
Opening night was great and I got to reconnect with old friends and meet new ones in person for the first time. I’m partially biased, but this is a really well put together show. Major kudos to Craig for his curatorial acumen. There are some really good dialogues happening between works next to and across from one another through the show. None of the works, with the exception of an outdoor sculpture by Francis Beaty is over 50 inches, so there’s a nice mix of small to mid-sized works that inhabit the gallery spaces without overwhelming them.
I’m really thrilled to be a part of this show and if you’re in the Bucks County area of Pennsylvania between now and July 17th, please make some time to stop by to see the exhibition. Here’s more info:
Exhibition Dates: May 16 - July 19, 2025 Opening Reception: Friday, May 16, 2025 5-8pm Closing Reception: Thursday, July 17, 2025 5-8pm Address: 275 Swamp Rd, Newtown, PA 18940 Gallery Hours: Monday - Friday 10am - 6pm, Saturday 12 - 4pm Free and open to the public
Participating Artists: Francis Beaty, Henry Bermudez, Jill Bonovitz, Thomas Brady, Leora Brecher, Arden Bendler Browning, Diane Burko, Jerome China, Won Choi, Matthew Colaizzo, Gerald Cyrus, Ward Davenny, Steven Donegan, Jon Eckel, Mikel Elam, Paul Timothy Gierschick II, Melissa M. Haims, Lisa Haun, Darla Jackson, Jon Manteau, Tim McFarlane, Jedediah Morfit, Stuart Netsky, Stuart Rome, Rachel Romano, Rebecca Rutstein, Samantha Simpson, Larry Spaid, Simone Spicer, Gerri Spilka, Robert Straight, Kate Stewart, Craig Stover, Ron Tarver, Robin Tedesco, Amanda Tinker & Ben Weaver
[In the studio :: rags to art(?)]
In late 2023, during one of my detours from the paintings I was working on at the time, I embarked on a fairly ambitious journey that connects directly with making use of the residue of everyday life. In this case, it’s using the residue of making art, and more succinctly, the rags that I use to clean my brushes, tools and wipe paint from surfaces with.
This is the first, largest and still my favorite of the bunch I’ve made since 2023 (so far). It’s made of several rags attached using acrylic medium as a glue. My first thought in using it was to draw on it with markers and paint. I spent a lot of time working on and then abandoning it for weeks at a time. I was trying to figure out what this was and how to approach working on it.
I knew wanted it to be an extension of my usual painting practice, but I also didn’t want it to just be another surface with images on it. I wanted it to be more material-centric in terms of how paint was applied and comprehended. I saw the phrase “material abstraction” recently and it fits with what I’m trying to do here, I think. I have to think a little more about what “material abstraction” means for this work, but it feels right.
Once I had the understanding that I wanted more than images on the cloth, I went ahead and started applying paint thickened with heavy acrylic gel to the surface and dragging the paint across the surface. Wherever the paint landed, that’s where it stayed. I want interested in pushing the paint into the surface crevasses and valleys; it needed to accumulate as part of a palimpsest of marks. This approach is another way of presenting the history of the piece to the viewer, who then gets to explore the archeology of the work.
This is an on-going body of work that’s slowly evolving. There are several more of these pieces that I’ve made in between making my usual paintings and works on paper. Next is figuring out how best to display these and make it relatively easy for others to install. I’m hoping to have a nice body of these to exhibit later this year or next spring. I’m taking my time with these. Also, of course, there’s the issue of titles, but everything will come in its time.
[And just like…]
Ok, I think I can finally let you know about this. So, sometime early last year, I received an email from someone who said they were the set designer for the then-upcoming season three of HBO’s And Just Like That. They wanted to know if I would be interested in licensing one of my painting images for use in the show.
Naturally a skeptic, I had to go and research the person emailing me and associated people. The short of it is that they were legit. I sent the image, got paid and now that the show is out, you have the chance to look for it because I don’t watch the show. I don’t even know if it’ll actually be used on camera.
Supposedly, the character Lisa Todd Wexley is an art collector or dealer and a lot of the art centers around her. There’s a lot of big name Black artists whose work has been used on the show for her apartment set such as Michelene Thomas, Derrick Adams, Gordon Parks and more. My piece could also be used almost anywhere on the sets. I somehow think that my piece wouldn’t show up on the walls of a character who seems to mainly collect and lives with Black figurative work, but I’m happy to be wrong.
I’m amazed that someone connected to a production like that found my work randomly online and liked it enough to follow through on contacting me about using it on the show. In spite of my earlier skepticism, I do hope it shows up.
In the gallery
Last week, I stopped by the Bridgette Mayer Gallery and spied my 2021 painting, Here/Now displayed in the downstairs office. It was a pleasant surprise seeing it again nestled alongside works by a curated selection of small works by other gallery artists.
This and more of my works are in the gallery’s inventory. If you happen to be in center city, Philly between Tuesday-Saturday and want to see what works of mine they have, feel free to stop in and ask to see some pieces. Emma and Julia will be happy to show some of my work to you.
The Bridgette Mayer Gallery is at 709 Walnut Street, 1st floor, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Phone: 215.413.8893
Email: bmayer@bmayerart.com
[Studio visits]
Another way to have an intimate experience with my completed works and works in progress without a screen mediating your experience is an in-person studio visit. Summer studio visit slots for collectors, curators and other interested parties are open.
Contact me at tim@timmcfarlane.com for details!
Studio: 1400 N. American Street, #409, Philadelphia, PA 19122
[New mixed media work]
I recently finished this new mixed media piece and am pretty happy with the outcome. These works are a pleasure to make because of the types of visual tension each one brings. Like some of my paintings and many of it’s paper siblings, this one lives in a place between now and the unknowable then.
[seen]
I’m always surprised by something in this city. This scene is down a small side street on my neighborhood. It’s a parking spot between two houses with, as you can see, two squared off hedges and a gate. You walk down this street with small curbs and narrow row homes and suddenly there’s this missing tooth of a spot that disrupts (in a good way) all of the conformity imposed on the street.
Those rags have my heart. I don’t know what abstract materialism is but it totally feels apropos when you’re highlighting the materials in such a luscious textural intentional and abstract way. Congratulations on the gallery show, the TV show and the possibility of meeting a number of potential collectors at your open studio hours this summer. I love your noticing—and then highlighting—the missing tooth of a spot in that alley. 😍
Congratulations on the show and the other wonderful news! You are not far from me (B'more). I'd love to make it for a studio visit one day. I'll enjoy viewing your artwork onscreen until then. You are an inspiration! ✨️