Showing up at the Sheraton
New exhibit in center city Philadelphia and more...
It’s a really hot August Saturday and I’m staying inside, at least during the day, and that seems to be the way to go. I hope that your summer is going well, you’re staying hydrated and cool. I’m doing my best to keep cool, but life keeps requiring me to go outside, mostly against my will.
So, I wrote in last month’s newsletter that there wasn’t going to be one for August, but apparently I lied. I really thought there wasn’t going to be anything to share worth your time this month, but that’s turned out to not the case, so here we go:
Sheraton Downtown Philadelphia Installation
Earlier this year, my work was chosen for a special artist spotlight installation at the Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown lobby. The installation features several large works, including: Sail To The Moon (top), THG (Walking Into A Dream, Everyday is Everyday is Everyday and Seen and Heard: Today, Tomorrow, Forever.
This is a wonderful light-filled space to have these works shown in and I’m honored to have the opportunity for the paintings to be seen by thousands of visitors per day, both from out-of-town and locals who might not otherwise see my work. My thanks to everyone involved in making this happen and for the Sheraton for lending me its walls!
The Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown is located at 201 North 17th Street in center city Philadelphia. The entrance to the lobby is just off of 17th Street.
The installation is scheduled to be on view through December. All works on display are available through the Bridgette Mayer Gallery. Contact the gallery directly for inquiries: 215.413.8893 or bmayer@bmayerart.com. Visit my gallery page for. other available works.
Sharing some installation day behind-the-scenes shots and more above. Installing the work was a major undertaking and since there was a last minute snafu with a helper, I stepped in and assisted with installing the work. A big shout-out and thanks to Bridgette Mayer Gallery installer, Mark Knobelsdorf, for his expertise in this undertaking. We were able to knock this out in way less time than I thought it would.
I had a rather pleasant surprise when I heard from a former co-worker of mine, David Anthony Parker (pictured above). Dave and I used to work together at Essene Market & Cafe, Philadelphia’s first macrobiotic natural food store during it’s heyday. David is a vegan chef who works at the Sheraton and shared this photo of him posing next to the information sheet in the lobby.
New from the studio
Before anyone else sees them, here’s two new paintings just completed this past week. Since I debuted my Soft Poem series earlier this year, I’ve been asked if I’d consider making larger versions of those pieces, which are 12” x 9” each. I thought it might be interesting to see how something like that might work and here are the results.
While the smaller Soft Poems are meant to be on a scale close to a book, the change in scale with these two new paintings moves the Poems into new and exciting territory for me. I made these with repurposed panels that had older paintings on them. Soft Poem: Summer Juice features a section of an older work near the bottom, with stenciled floral designs showing through a couple of layers of transparent purple.
Jay Katelansky, “You Were On My Mind…”
Jay Katelansky, a now Maryland-based artist, has been someone whose work I’ve followed since around 2013. That was the year the Jay asked me to be an outside advisor for her senior thesis work at Moore College of Art & Design. After Moore, Jay attended U. Wisconsin at Madison for both her MFA and MA studies.
Over the years, Jay’s work has consisted of text-based, installation oriented works centered on the Black body and how Black people navigate space the U.S., while asking questions about her’s and our safety. These themes continue in her latest show in Moore’s Alumni Gallery with her show, “You’ve Been On My Mind…”
I had the chance to see the show last week and was moved to write an appreciation of her work on my studio blog. You can read it here: Radiating Care
Also, I seriously can’t believe that it’s been over ten years since I first met Jay. Time just goes, whether we’re paying attention or not.
Watching, listening
Jack Whitten in conversation at Hauser & Wirth London (2017)
This is a treat. Hauser & Wirth just released a video of a conversation with the iconic Jack Whitten this past week and I think you’ll enjoy it. The conversation was held on the occasion of Whitten’s show, ‘More Dimensions Than You Know: Jack Whitten, 1979 – 1989’ held at Hauser & Wirth London in 2017. The talk also included exhibition curator Richard Shiff with Mark Rappolt, Editor of Art Review. Watch below:
Kennedy Yanko is a contemporary sculptor and installation artist whose work I discovered on Instagram and have been following for a while now. She works with salvaged metal intertwined with thick colorful paint skins in very organic feeling compositions. There’s a new interview with Kennedy on the Deep Color podcast that will give some deeper insights to the artist’s life and work:
Exit
Speaking of former co-workers, I was messaging with someone else that I worked with at Essene back in the day and she sent me this photo she took. It’s sometimes shocking to see versions of your younger self that you may have forgotten about. This shot is definitely from the late ‘90s-early ‘00s. There are a few things I wish I could tell this kid about what I’ve learned, but it’s ok, he’s on a good track.
Thanks for reading and I’ll see you in September!
tim@timmcfarlane.com
Hi Tim, Congratulations on showing your work at the Sheraton! Those are such big and dynamic paintings! Also thanks a lot for including that video of Jack Whitten. He is a real hero of mine and such an inventive genius! I did a lot of research on his work for a talk I gave a couple of years ago and I found him such an inspiration. He was also quite a character and had a great sense of humor - especially about humankind! I really enjoyed watching that and seeing those two majestic pieces behind him. All the best, Nancy