Getting Ready for June!

It is going to be very hard to narrow down the selections for Sea and Sky.  We have received so many really good entries!  James and I have been working hard to come up with the best possible show to act as a related counterpoint to the solo exhibition of Linda Mehnert's Sand Stories, which will be in the gallery at the same time as Sea and Sky and was the inspiration for the theme.  

Linda Mehnert The Find oil on linen

a pretty little vase with a mouth full of garlic

I came up with a very simple solution, for now.  I think this little vase draws some attention to the gallery without taking away from the elegant simplicity of the storefront.  It also happens to be sitting on the chess board table I made, which has stayed with me since grad school at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.  I made it out of a chess board I bought at a thrift store and ikea legs,but it has sat at the entrance to each of my galleries.  Afif Gallery, Square Inch Gallery and now Liz Afif Gallery.

The allium which I put in the vase at the advice of Joon at Old City Flowers is very pretty, but as allium is apt to do it smells like garlic.  I love garlic, but I don't know if it is an aroma which inspires the desire to buy a painting, although I suspect my visitors today left the gallery with a sudden hankering for Italian food- "You're welcome, La Locanda Del Ghiottone!"

What's wrong with this picture?

I love the simplicity of my storefront.  Liz Afif Gallery is the one in the middle.  The problem is that right next door is the awning for Pottery Row which is not a series of pottery shops, but refers to the apartments that exist over my gallery and over the comic book store on the other side of that Pottery Row awning. So I need to find the best way to not get lost to passersby..,

Back, Set-Back, Back, and Forward

We have been working hard getting the gallery ready, and are having our first opening on April 5th, 2013. It has been difficult and we have run into lots of problems to solve, some big and some small, and I was tempted to blog about it here, but I didn't have the time to or inclination to complain to the whole world. I am really excited about the art we will be showing and want to share some of it here with you. There will be artists from Philadelphia, Seattle, NYC and Boston. Here is a sneak peek of a few of the pieces that will be in the inaugural opening.

John Sevcik


Cathey White


Linda Mehnert


James Kingdon Fisher


Kerri McGill

and please check out our website! LIZAFIFGALLERY.COM lizafifgallery.com

Gallery Bound

I will be hitting as many galleries as I can tonight, because starting next month-- I'll be gallery bound- well bound to my gallery. I am opening Liz Afif Gallery in Old City Philadelphia on March 1st. I live in old city now and have not been going to too many openings because I have become accustomed to these streets on quieter nights and get a little overwhelmed with the sudden activity. Usually we buy our groceries and I cook up something and we stay in on First Friday. But tonight I am very excited to be a part of it as a spectator/prospective buyer.