[note: Here are responses by two students in Colette Copeland’s critical writing class at the University of Pennsylvania to work by Marcie Feldman at Third Street Gallery.]
Post by Ainsley Adams
Marcie Feldman‘s colorful collages, on display at Third Street Gallery until
November 28, are playful and fun. Inspired by a recent trip to New Mexico, Feldman infused each piece with the energy of the southwest through the bold colors and rudimentary forms. The collages are intricate arrangements of handmade paper involving layering and a variety of tearing techniques. This attention to detail creates different visual effects that give the pieces a unique depth and complexity. The colleges convey a sense of liveliness and appear bursting with movement.
I particularly enjoyed the more representational pieces in which the subjects are frequently depicted smiling and dancing, whether they are animals, cars, or the sun. The casual juxtaposition of the objects at various angles contributes to this impression of animation. Certain decorative items are stamped onto the collage and resemble artwork by the Native Americans of the southwest. They include abstract designs like swirls as well as realistically modeled ladders, chairs, and hands. This celebration of life and culture characterizes the entire exhibit.
Post by Lea Marin
Marcie Feldman’s prints are a celebration of life, painting, and the studio. Her work is about losing all inhibitions and self-consciousness in order to allow the magic of painting and the studio to take hold and manifest itself in art. Through bright colors and busy compositions, Feldman imbues her work with an unrestrained passion and dreamlike quality. Plant and animal symbols dance rhythmically across Feldman’s works and burst with fiery energy and excitement.
Artist Reception (open to public) Sun., Nov. 14 1-5 p.m., exhibition through Nov. 28, 3rd Street Gallery on 2nd Street, 58 North Second Street, (215)625-0993.
