The ArtShow art show
May exhibition, new works from the studio and artist books on the way...
Welcome to May…
…where it seems that suddenly every nook and cranny of the outdoors is covered in the greens of grass and tree leaves and an explosion of flower colors and I’ll take it all.
It’s a Tuesday in Philly and the warmth and slight breezes of today bring up the excitement of going outside and painting or drawing landscapes many years ago. I was 24 when I made the piece above and it still resonates for me. Every time I look at it, I’m taken back to that spot north of the Philadelphia Museum of Art standing just off of the walking/biking trail that’s beside the Schuylkill River to the right and Kelly Drive on the left.
The sun is out, people are walking past, some stopping to watch, sometimes saying something but most of the time, not. That was perfectly fine with me, as I was trying my hardest to concentrate and finish this before leaving for the day, which I managed to do. I worked fairly fast, getting most of the bigger forms down, blocking in color and building up layers with fixative in between. Most of the time spent on site was tweaking colors and forms and making choices about what to include until I left for the day.
The ArtShow art show
This month is also blooming with exhibitions, one of which I’m very grateful to be included in, thanks to Craig Stover, host of The ArtShow on YouTube. Last year, I was one of Craig’s interviewees and my episode can be seen here: Tim McFarlane on ArtShow.
Craig started out interviewing Philadelphia area artists a couple of years ago and has expanded his focus to include artists from all over the U.S. Now, Craig is bringing ArtShow to a real world space and has assembled a great group of works and artists that he’s interviewed for an exhibition called “The ArtShow”.
All of the information is below and if you’re in the Bucks County, PA area between May 16-July 19, 2025, I hope you’ll stop by to see the show.
I’ll be exhibiting the 2022 painting, One Way Out, seen below:
ArtShow is a 1/2 hour artist interview program, hosted by Craig Stover. It showcases a wide variety of artists from many different artistic disciplines and gives viewers a chance to listen to the artists talk about a selection of their works as well as their history, process, techniques and interests.
ArtShow is having it's first physical exhibition of artists who have appeared on the program at The Hicks Art Center Gallery that opens to the public on May 16 at 5pm.
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
New work :: Soft Landing
Soft Landing came together sometime in late March. I’ve been letting it sit for a little while because I wanted to be sure of the orientation I preferred for it to be displayed in. This is the second painting I’ve recently had to think about in this way. It works vertically, as well, but the horizontal orientation keeps calling me, so I’m leaving it.
I couldn’t help but notice the color similarities between Soft Landing and the untitled work directly above. I was trying to move Soft Landing in another direction color-wise, but for some reason, these oranges and gold-yellows called out to me again. The painting above was done back in January. Both are explorations into singular object-like forms taking over space in these paintings. A little bit of a departure from my often image-dense compositions.
I’ve been thinking about how the events on the world and domestic stages have been affecting myself and huge numbers of other people across the globe. Here’s the thing, I relish making my mark and form-dense paintings that reflect the unmoored sense of existence we’re living through, while otherwise, also needing to explore work that’s more “quiet”, slower in form and ripe for extended contemplation. The world as we know it now, is loudly and almost irrationally complex in so many ways. The online world is the same, and even worse in so many ways.
I’m moving between these places because that’s what it’s like being human; our experiences, perspectives and ideals are changing and being challenged more than ever. Like all of us, I’m navigating my way through intensely complex emotions, thoughts and feelings that span a wide range of territory. There’s a need to explore as much of it as I can.
Sneak peek: artist books on their way
I may have mentioned this in a past email, but I’ve been slowly working on three small image books (?), artist books (?), zines (?)…I don’t know what to call them, yet. Anyway, there’s been some progress and I’m working my way through the third one now. This is a work in progress, with me going through the book with multiple passes of imagery, so what you see here might be altered before I settle on a final version.
I’m pretty excited about these and am looking forward to sharing them with you as soon as they are complete. I’m planning on making them available for sale and hopefully they’ll all be ready by mid-June/beginning of July.
Spring daze
Just a small snippet of how spring color has been popping all over Philly and bringing good vibes to chase the blues away…
Thanks for reading and remember to visit my website to learn more about myself and my work: TimMcFarlane.com
My work is available through and represented by the Bridgette Mayer Gallery (Philadelphia, PA). Please contact the gallery directly with any purchase inquiries.
If you or someone you know are or will be in the Philadelphia area, studio visits are always welcome. To schedule a visit (or if you have questions), feel free email me: tim@timmcfarlane.com and let’s connect.
Studio: 1400 N. American Street, Ste. #409, Philadelphia, PA 19122
Thanks for being here, I appreciate you and your support!