First Friday February Wrap-Up

The weather felt like spring this past First Friday February 3^rd, 2012 and in response there were fantastic crowds found exercising their artistic appreciation and why not? That pesky Puxatawny Phil, the Seer of Seers, the Prognosticator of Prognosticators, etc. etc. predicted six more weeks of winter this past week and Scrantonians responded by stepping out and embracing the mild weather with a don’t mind if I do attitude.
With some venues even propping their doors open, First Friday embarked on its first event of the new year and it didn’t disappoint. At Eden – a vegan café members of The Delaware Highlands Mushroom Society presented lots of gorgeous photographs viewing & purchasing pleasure, as well as information on the society & wild mushrooms. Steven Schwartz, a forager in the society, was there with fellow members and enlightened those with questions about the various types, benefits, and personal preferences of fungi as well as informing people of the upcoming 2012 NEMF Foray held in East Stroudsburg, PA August 2-5 www.nemf2012.org for complete information.
A number of fellow non-traditional galleries from Fanciful Fox, Freedlove,  greenbeing, and Cangiano’s to Bella Faccia, Pierre’s, and Duffy Accessories also seemed to be reaping the benefits of the warm weather and enjoying a great turnout. Those of you who visited greenbeing witnessed Brooke Wandall showcasing some colorful paintings that appeared to represent containers of some sort, backpacks or terrariums. If you’re interested in knowing more, check out her interview here http://shopgreenbeing.tumblr.com/. The expressive use of color was also displayed by Koval Grippo at The Hope Horn Gallery at the University of Scranton.  In contrast to Wandall’s encapsulating use of color Grippo, a native of the area, exuberantly splashed hues and tints across canvas. The abstract paintings, which are mostly reminiscent of nature, capture the fleeting moment of movement; a theme seen in the majority of her exhibited work. Her work will be on display from February 3^rd – March2nd, 2012.
Motion and its perception are also key concepts in the art of photography. Sometimes this motion is actual and sometimes it is perceptual, the latter being the case in Timmy Walsh’s photographs at Duffy Accessories. Walsh’s pics tell the time-worn artist’s trope of seeing through the eyes of another; sounds simple enough. A more careful inspection reveals the story behind the origination of the picture taking itself. Documentary style photographs catalogue a Timmy’s journey from state to state, but aside from a casual tourist interest why is he taking the pictures. In short there are many ways people create art and Timmy’s is one of selfless giving. Be sure to click here to find out more http://www.cameraforacure.com/About.html.
In another manifestation of reflection David Bender exhibited his work at Artworks. The range of materials from sculpture to found object creations to meticulous drawings ask you to put yourself in the time and place where they exist. While sometimes this is achieved through sheer scale as in the neurotic, finely rendered drawing of machinery, at others it acts in a more residual way as in when the contextualized objects seem to recall the created pieces of art. Bender’s work will be on display @ Artworks from February 3 – March 29, 2012 (Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Friday, 11 am – 5 pm & Saturday 11am – 3 pm).
Across the street at A.F.A. Gallery Paul McCrone’s work contemplated a more visceral perception of reality. His retrospective blends together recognizable, figural elements with painterly ambiguity. The blurring of distinctions allows for multiple perspectives much like Francis Bacon and also permits a looser, abstract quality to enter the obvious figural references. Paul, who passed away last year, utilized many of his sources as icons that would then experience transformation throughout the artistic process, thus moving them from objects to vessels. McCrone’s work will be on display during the month of February 2012 (Gallery Hours: Thursday – Saturday, 12 – 5 pm).
However, investing in these types of introspective viewpoints wasn’t necessarily the primary goal at Vintage Theater in regards to the milieu of interactive performance art and live art creations that took place. Sponsored by the Independent Artists Collective (IAC), the process and presentation of various mediums came to life. There was not much gallery gazing going on here. Over a dozen artists were actively engaging those who visited the Vintage Theater in live work creations ranging from pottery, drawing, printmaking, sculpting and painting. In addition there were live performance art pieces, featuring John Bromberg, Ryan Hnat, Conor O’Brien and Oliver S Pettinato. As if that wasn’t enough for the art addict in you, ER Production Co. was in the process of collecting interviews to support its documentary featuring the work of Marywood prof. Dennis Corrigan and his puppet creations. While the interactive and live art components won’t be available for viewing, the gallery and in-house coffee shop are open Wednesdays (6:00 pm to midnight) and Thursday – Saturday (noon to 6:00 pm).