Open when ready
moving in vital new creative energy
Wild, it’s November 1st and it’s definitely still shorts weather outside in Philly. I’m sitting in my studio with both windows open, feeling like it’s spring. In fact, it’s 76 degrees F and going up to 78F today. This is definitely a new normal, since recent Novembers have been pretty warm and quite different from what I remember as a child. No real cold weather until nearly December anymore.
I’ll still take it, even if it means I can’t quite know how to dress at all most days now.
Last month, I told you that “Black Drawings and Other Things You Didn’t Know About” was opening in The Gallery at Mercer County Community College and this time, you get to see what it all looks like, virtually, at least. On opening day (Oct. 16th), I gave a lecture to an audience of students, faculty and some community members at noon and attended the opening reception at 5pm.
In between, I spent some time in the gallery taking photos and getting video footage to share with you. I liken the layout of the gallery to a barbell with square ends instead of round ones; there are two rooms on either end of a long, wide hall. I like this layout because it facilitated the creation of two new wall collages that have a dialogue across a wide space, as well as with the works they share their respective spaces with.
The work is wonderfully installed, with attention paid to the varying ways these works from the past four years share commonalities across two bodies of paintings. Some of the pieces have been shown and others are only being shown for the first time outside of the studio. My thanks to gallery director Lucas Kelly and gallery assistant, Karolina Zbaski for all of their hard work on everything related to this exhibition.
Below are sets of videos and images from the three gallery spaces, along with titles of the pieces in each section in order of appearance. All works, except the wall collages are available for collecting. For more information about the works, their availability and an exhibition checklist, contact the Bridgette Mayer Gallery directly: 215. 413.8893 or bmayer@bmayerart.com.
“Black Drawings and Other Things You Didn’t Know About” is on view until December 18, 2024.
Gallery hours: Mon., Wed.: 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Tue., Thur.: 12 to 7 p.m.
Location: 1200 Old Trenton Road
West Windsor, NJ 08550, Communications Center, 2nd Floor
Room 1
Photo 1: A Sure Thing, For Sure & One Way Out Photo 2: One Way Out & I Wanted You To Have This (wall collage) Photo 3: I Wanted You To Have This & Black Drawing 2
Room 2
Photo 1.: I Was Just Sitting There Thinking, Large Bright Corner, Photo 2: Black Drawing 3, Photo 3: Reconfigured Portal Endpoint, A Face Full of Bright Air, To Float Perhaps Finding Peace
Room 3
Photo 1: Black Drawing 1, There’s No Mistaking What Happened Photo 2: There’s No Mistaking What Happened (wall collage), Photo 3: The Roar Between Two Beats and Echoes of Lessons Learned
Crits (fast and considered)
One of my favorite ways of engaging with students is through being a visiting critic. Just this week, I had the honor of doing just that for students at St. Joseph’s University, just across Philly’s western suburban border. A friend teaches there and has a class of seniors who are painters, illustrators and ceramicists all doing thesis work.
It’s interesting doing these crits because they require a lot of focus due to time constraints (approx. 20-25 minutes each) and I haven’t witnessed the development of the work all along. I honestly don’t mind that part because I’m jumping into the a student’s creative world and ideas sight unseen and have to consider and react to it with constructive criticism immediately. I’ll admit that there are moments where I might be stumped for how to speak about a student’s work, but I always find
It’s exciting and work to not impose my own way of working onto them. I like meeting them where they are, while also nudging them to reach deeper and farther into their ideas by giving them new approaches to consider.
I’m available as a visiting critic, as well as to having classes come to my studio. If interested or if you know someone who might be interested for the spring 2025 semester, feel free to contact me: tim@timmcfarlane.com
Update: Mural fundraiser continues…
We’ve had a fantastic start, but we’re still raising funds for me to make a second community mural in the Chinatown section of Philadelphia and need your help in spreading the word! Please share this GoFundMe link with friends, family, colleagues and more if you can. If you can donate, please consider doing so, as well. Our goal with this is $27,500 to help cover production costs including paints, scaffolding, administrative costs, artist fee and more. I’m beginning the design phase of this project soon, so stay tuned to see how things are progressing!
What’s this? New studio?
No, not a “new” studio, but a huge change in the space that makes if feel like a brand new place. Over the past couple of weeks, since the opening of “Black Drawings…”, I’ve been spending more time thinking than doing and generally slowing down a bit to take stock of where I’ve been and where I may be going as a painter. There are some good things on the horizon and I realized that this may necessitate a reevaluation of my work space.
[Above: time lapse video of me starting the reorganization]
I came in yesterday (Thursday, 10.31.24) with energy and a new vision of the space that probably needed to happen sooner. I wasn’t ready for it before now, apparently.
Anyway, I realized that I hadn’t been using the space as I thought I would after two years of being here. In order to accommodate new ideas and work, I needed to open up the space. The biggest difference was changing the orientation of my main work table and line it up with the long walls. That, along with moving a few other things around made a HUGE difference in how I experience my studio now.
[Bonus: walking through this morning]
I love my space and am so grateful to have it. Now, it really does feels new and makes me more confident about working with what’s coming around the corner.
Golden hour and studio plant appreciation moment from last week. Thanks for being here and I’ll catch up with you next month!
email: tim@timmcfarlane.com