Jim Brossy at Third Street Gallery

My husband and I took in some art gallery shows this past weekend. The first one was to see Jim Brossy’s paintings at the Third Street Gallery in Philadelphia.

The Third Street Gallery is across the street from O’Neil’s Pub, a hangout of mine in another life.

It’s a cooperative gallery that was founded in 1978, and it’s run by members and volunteers. For a partial list of members, press here.

I’ve written about Jim Brossy before. He refers to his work as “Crackpot Realism. ” He integrates materials such as “tar, cement, wax, latex, steel, objects and other ‘non-art’ materials” with traditional art media. The object is to “eliminate boundaries [between the work and the viewer] creating new form.”

And so the works do not have traditional margins or borders. They continue off the canvas, or bubble and wrinkle over the canvas, adding texture and dimension.

Some of the works spill onto the floor. Others make you do a double take. That which seems painted is a “non-art” material.

Other parts which seem to be “non-art” materials are actually painted.

For more about Jim Brossy and his work, go to his website.

The show runs to May 25. More information here.

POST Tour 2016: Jim Brossy

Last weekend was the East-of-Broad-Street portion  of the  Philadelphia Open Studio Tours or POST for short.    It’s lots of fun to visit artists’ studios, have a look around, and learn about the work they do.  My first stop was  Jim Brossy’s studio  in Northern Liberties.  It’s a cavernous space and it has to be because Jim works very large.  His  multi-dimensional works  exhibit an eerie storybook quality.

“The painting is not a representation of life, but a real thing, an object in a real space, that can be experienced as a picture. The integration of  tar, cement, wax, latex, steel and other “non- art” materials along with traditional art materials, eliminates boundaries creating new form. ”

 

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Jim’s work  pulls the viewer in and elicits an emotional response. It is difficult to look away He refers to his work as “Crackpot Realism.”  Read about Jim and see more of his work here.

Next Week: E.C. Bradley