We are sorry to announce that the holiday exhibit, TONIGHT December 18, 2009, will be our last exhibit!  So come on by and enjoy a holiday show by some of the artists from McJawn.com

Apparently there will be music too!

Everything will be priced under $100 and available to leave with that night.  Get your last minute holiday art shopping on!

Mew Gallery Presents:

Mew Gallery is proud to present its second show curated by the infamous Mike Geno.  The Bacon Show is an exhibition of work celebrating the glory of bacon in all its sizzling, savory goodness.  Featuring artists Ellen Cagnassola, Cho, Jacob Crose, Mike Geno, Ken B.  Miller, SappyMoose Tree, John Wolfer, and more, the show will be up from October 31 through December 17.  An opening reception for the artists will be held on November 7 from 5 to 9 pm.

Mike Geno is a Philadelphia artist whose subjects include sock monkeys, deranged toys, Tasty Kakes, and choice cuts of meat.  His work elevates the kitsch and common to a unique level with a hard to resist mixture of humor and prowess.

Come out and celebrate your love for this cured breakfast meat before it jumps the shark like cupcakes did.

Bodyscapes – New Photography by Kevin Loreaux

Runs now – October 8

Opening Reception:

Friday, September 18, 2009 from 5 – 9 PM

Kevin Loreaux is a Philadelphia based studio photographer. He attended the University of the Arts, where he received a B.S. degree in Industrial Design. Kevin is a self-taught photographer who began developing his skills initially by documenting his design work. Over time and through continuous self-study, he developed his photographic skills and established a particular look marked by stylized imagery. He is greatly influenced by classic Hollywood glamour of the 1940’s and 1950’s, as well as other vintage genres.

In 1999, Kevin opened a professional and fine art photography studio in Philadelphia’s Chinatown, where he began concentrating on portrait and fashion photography. He prefers to work in the studio using elaborate lighting set ups to create his evocative and cinematic images. Kevin’s work is characterized by clarity, composition and careful arrangement of people or objects. He is known for incorporating very tight shots and getting up-close to his subjects faces.  Kevin has developed a broad collection of work that ranges from images that are very soulful and introspective in nature to images that are frequently overtly sexual in nature- often with fetishistic subtexts. Several distinct series of work have been continually in progress for years, the latest focusing on abstract compositions of body form. Throughout the various bodies of work, Kevin retains a sense of unity through his style.

www.loreaux.com

This is J.L. Schnabel’s second show at Mew Gallery! A reception for the artist will be held on August 8 from 5 to 9 PM. Her new work will be shown through September 10th.

I Am Writing To You With My Eyes is a new collection of emotionally turbulent portraits, drawings and texts by Philadelphia based artist/writer JL Schnabel. As an extension of her previous exhibitions, the work is based on the idea of the feminine heart being displaced by psychic trauma, teetering on the edge of madness, and yet still retaining a desire to be hopeful. At the core of the work is the notion of non-verbal communication, shown in the exhibition in handwritten and typewritten texts and symbols such as masks, eye beams and vintage cameras. Also explored is the suggestion of body language and supernatural powers such as telepathy and hypnosis, particularly between the females in this body of work who are almost all twins. The inclusion of multiple pairings of twins; a symbol the artist obsessively uses in all facets of her creative work, hints at the separation and conflicts of the emotional and logical selves, rampant with doom and gloom. While some of the twins are depicted conjoined, others are decisively separated, further visualizing the divide between desire and fear.

JL Schnabel is a Philadelphia based painter and writer. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from The New School in N.Y.C in 2007. Aside from painting and writing, she also assembles Blood Milk jewelry, created with “haunted” antique objects and bone. www.bloodmilkjewelry.blogspot.com

hello everyone,

just wanted keep you all updated on all of the going-ons here at MEW.

Stop in and check out our current exhibit: “Lessons Learned: New Artwork About Old Things” by Lea D. Sorrentino.

the exhibit runs thru May 7, so don’t miss it! in addition to all of the really great (and AFFORDABLE!) artwork on the walls, Lea has also constructed a really awesome 6ft. tall cut paper tree and a silhouette clothesline strung across the gallery.

I create art to understand the development of human perception and emotion. I use my artwork to tell stories, and use those stories as a vessel to create emotional connections with people. Many of the themes I use in my work are personal experiences that I feel are emotionally charged, but are universally related to. I am trying to guide my viewer into seeing that struggle is not defined by the cause, but by the emotion that cause leaves behind. I also use my artwork to explore the connections between a person’s class and their behavior.
Visually I try to make my work approachable. I use bright colors and simple drawings to express difficult experiences of my life. I want the viewer to assume that what they are about to see is secure and familiar, but in reality deals with adult subjects that can be awkward or uncomfortable. I use a “comic” style to make my artwork feel youthful and inviting, which helps push the juxtaposition of the content. I also try to use text not just to inform the viewer or push the story, but to guide them through a path around the piece.
My current work specifically deals with my experience becoming the person I am today. When you are younger you have the same emotions that you currently experience daily, but you do not have the knowledge to understand those emotions. With this work I am trying to make a time line of human growth and development. I want my artwork to be used as a way to discuss the aspects of emotion and struggle that are not individual, and are shared by all humans. -Lea Sorrentino 2009

Tuesday night workshops,
with instructor Rose Drew

April 21: Intro to Color Theory
Learn how to mix the colors you want

May 5: Intro to Gouache/Watercolor Painting
Get familiar with handling these paints

May 19: Greeting Card Painting
Create original cards with painted images

$25 per class*
*includes materials, light refreshments, and a 10%
discount on Mew Gallery boutique items.

Space is limited. Pre-registration is required no later than the
Friday before each class: 215-625-2424 or mewgallery@yahoo.com

*Coming up in May & June: Tuesday night workshops with Miss Koco!
More info to come!

Join us for our Spring Fling Co-Op Artists’ Reception!

Friday April 24

Just in time to get those mother’s day gifts! come in and meet our amazing Co-Op artists, have some drinks, eat some snacks and get some great discounts!

- more info to come!

-carolynne

Happy New Year People! We’ve partnered with Girl About Town to start 2009 off with an awesome exhibit. As I type, Ken Hinchey and Lauren Trzaska are hanging their spectacular collections of rock photos on our gallery walls. Subjects range from Patti Smith to Slash to M.I.A. to Jeff Buckley to the Roots to… oh I could go on for a while. Music lovers of every genre will find a shot of one of their favorites. You’ll have to come see them for yourself. Oh, and the work is priced affordably too, so, yeah, you’ll be able to take something home. And you will definitely want to.

Who: Mew Gallery & Girl About Town

What: Present I Heard You Looking

photos by Ken Hinchey & Lauren Trzaska

When: On view from January 2 - February 12

Opening Reception January 10 from 5 - 9 pm

Where: Mew Gallery! 906 Christian Street, in the Italian Market.

Why: You’ll see.

Lauren Trzaska is an honors graduate of Deptford High School and holds a Fine Arts Degree focusing in photography, Cum Laude, from Rosemont College. Lauren has been involved in the
entertainment business starting part time while in school with venue security and as a ‘runner,’ all the way up through Tour Management with various major recording artists.

Lauren has photographed many artists and toured throughout the world working at venues such as the Whisky A GoGo Calif, Hammerstein Ballroom NYC, Hammersmith Apollo London, to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in the Black Hills of Dakota. Lauren’s
ability to capture the essence from the fan perspective as well as
behind the scenes comfort puts the artist at ease. Well respected by such artists as John Mayer and Alice in Chains, Lauren has driven Dave Matthews around Philadelphia, took to the stage with Pearl Jam, and sung her school Alma Mater in a duet backstage with Patti
Smith in of all places, Finland. Ms. Trzaska currently operates out
of the Philadelphia metropolitan area and is a contributing photographer to numerous print and Internet publications.
Currently, Lauren has just finished a summer tour with John Mayer.

Ken Hinchey worked as a staff photographer, throughout the 90’s, for
alternative music magazine, B-Side. His photographs of personalities have
appeared in many local and international publications such as Philadelphia
City Paper, Philadelphia Inquirer and CMJ (The College Media Journal).
Ken learned the fundamentals of photography from award-winning Philadelphia
Bulletin photographer, Joseph McLaughlin, and holds a Pennsylvania
Certificate in Art Education. Ken majored in Education at Temple University
and has since earned his graduate degree from Holy Family University. He
currently resides in Langhorne, PA and teaches 6th grade in Churchville, PA.

the Isaac Bushkin/ Nikki Virbitsky exhibit! (see below post for details!) Show Comes Down THIS FRIDAY MORNING!!!!!

also! don’t forget to check out Oct/Nov window artist of the month Jonathan Hafer’s prints! (read about him in our Artist of the Month section)

we can’t believe it’s already the end of Nov!- this year has flown by, hasn’t it?! (and it’s that time again to start stocking up on gifts for your loved ones!)

Did i mention it’s your LAST CHANCE to see/buy the artwork by these 3 artists???- what great HOLIDAY GIFTS!!!

The new J.L. Schnabel exhibit is even better than we imagined! You don’t have to take my word for it though. Check out this review in Philly’s Metro newspaper. Some well-deserved press for Jess! many thanks to Doug Wallen for writing it up!

In other news: this Friday is the first show at Compound Warehaus. The show is called “The Shape We’re In”. It’s all art based on Philly’s skyline. Check out some local art about our fair city. Also, if you see a postcard for this show around town, keep it as a collector’s item! They’re all hand printed by artist Erin Broadhurst using a linoleum block carving technique.

Compound Warehaus
The Shape We’re In
Friday, August 1, 2008
6-10 PM
319 N. 11th Street