Painting & Collage combines words and images that Pop! plus what’s going on this week in art
By Lele Galer, Columnist, The Times
Painter Jasmine Alleger will be exhibiting this Thursday July 31st at Galer Estate Winery for a Pop up show from 4-8pm. Alleger’s newest series of collage and fine-painting combinations are tied to specific word and image allusions. Her “Behr Premium Color Series” is tied to hardware store paint chips and her “Fruit Cake Series” ties painted images of fruit with cake box fronts. Jasmine has a terrific sense of color, paints well, and is drawn to iconic retro advertising elements that make us smile and go a bit dreamy.
Jasmine Alleger
But along with that particular aesthetic, Jasmine also shows hard work – a determination to work through a series concept from start to finish. I love to see evidence of the artist’s integrity as they work through as aesthetic complexity.
Sometimes Pop type imagery, and vintage collage, while fun to look at, can fall a bit flat intellectually and emotionally. It does not fall flat with Jasmine’s touch. Her determination and attention to detail come through in each piece. Jasmine says, “My day job is with a construction company, so I spend a great deal of time in the hardware store. I got to thinking how funny the designer names of colors are and decided to make work about it. ”
Behr Premium Color Series by Jasmine Alleger
Upon the completion of this series, which she found “very labor intensive and challenging”, she developed her “Fruit Cake Series” which has a lighter touch, but just as aesthetically pleasing.
To see Jasmine’s work, meet the artist and hear her speak about her artwork (7pm on the dot) come to Galer Estate Winery this Thursday from 4-8pm. A portion of the proceeds benefits the kitchen remodel at Tick Tock Early Learning center in Avondale. Jasmine also has a show coming up “The Symbiotic Relationship” at The Gallery at MC3 Main Campus in Blue Bell October 13th-November 7th.
Even though it is mid-summer there is a lot of things going on in the arts in Chester County! One not-to-miss exhibit is at the new Church Street Gallery in West Chester which is doing a special exhibit “Criterium” to highlight the big bike race this week “the Iron Hill Twilight Race Series”. This is a group exhibition of cycling related paintings and sculpture which opens with food and refreshments on August 1st. The promotional image of cycling is by painter John Suplee, who is also co-owner of this wonderful new gem of a gallery in West Chester.
Bike II by John Suplee.
First Friday is coming this Friday for the Oxford Art Alliance. There will be an Art Gallery sale on August 1st from 5-8pm called the “Neighborhood Services Center Unique Art Sale and Auction”. Isn’t it great when the sale of arts can reach out and help community areas in need! The Alliance is also a drop off location for donations of school supplies for children in need for this Fall. First Friday is the donation deadline for this initiative.
Shouting out to artists — The new MAC Media arts group has decided to become a cooperative, and there are a few spots left to join this interesting multi-medium group of artists. Contact Judy at exec@mediaartscouncil.org if you are interested in showing with this group in Media. Likewise, if you are interested in joining in with the Delaware Valley Art League, you should do so soon so that you will have a shot at their cool new show coming to West Chester University. DVAL will be exhibiting and selling their Longwood Gardens Plein Air paintings that they have been painting this week at Longwood Gardens Conservatory Ballroom on Saturday & Sunday, August 2–3, from 9 am–5 pm.
The wonderful Hickman has decided to change up their successful “Art of Caring” fundraiser to include more artists and more venues. The Chester County Art Association and The Hickman will join up for two fundraisers to highlight the arts. Artists can drop of 1-2 artworks for juried review at CCAA on September 19th and 20th. This is for a Gala celebration show September 26th that will start at The Hickman and end at CCAA. The theme is “PLACE”, including home, neighborhood and town. The second fun art event is a Hickman/CCAA Street Art Festival September 27th 10am-4pm. Only 30 artisans will be selected to have their own booths. You should apply to this before August 15th by going to The Hickman’s website.
Also – artists –if you would like to get your name and image out there, the newest “Art and Culture” issue of Kennett FIG is coming out.
Lele Galer is an artist who has chaired numerous art shows, taught art history and studio art, public art and has chaired, written and taught the Art in Action Art Appreciation series for the UCFD schools for the past 12 years. She worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and wrote for the Asociated Press in Rome. She has been dedicated to Art History and art education for most of her adult life. Lele and her husband Brad own Galer Estate Winery in Kennett Square and co-Chairs the CCAA’s New Building Campaign.
