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MARY LIZ MEMORIAL MASTERS EXHIBITION 19
Off the Wall Gallery at Dirty Frank's
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Old School
Being chosen as a MARY LIZ FELLOW is a unique privilege. Named for our founding director, who passed away in 2004, this is the highest accolade we can bestow on artists in our community.
At the outset of this two decade-long tradition (reflecting a year off for the pandemic), most Fellows had first shown here during Mary Liz’s directorship and were now more established in their careers. More recently, the showcase has evolved. We often spotlight newer artists and even introduce brand-new artists working at the highest level. For example, in 2022 Jean Plough made a spectacular and unique debut as a MARY LIZ MEMORIAL MASTERS solo artist. But it was a far cry from being her first time at Dirty Franks.
This year’s top-flight edition — MLMME19 — pairs these types of Fellows, both of whom are decidedly “old school” in their own ways.
JESSE VANDENBURGH was a close friend of Mary Liz and has exhibited paintings on the Wall since the eighties. MLMME19, for Jesse, marks a record-tying third stint as a Fellow and no two outings have been the same: 2008 featured only realist still lifes...2017 mixed traditional with new, a foray into abstract painting...and today you encounter a newer body of work that shares the lineage of Jesse’s classical paintings, while delving into new subject matters, which he describes as “dreamlike” at times, and perspectives that may employ humor or choose not interpret objects literally in pursuit of fresh possibilities within a setup.
JEFF THOMAS is the “newer” Off the Wall artist, yet he possesses equally deep roots in our community. A Franks patron since the sixties and a working artist since the seventies, Jeff made an eye-cathcing debut here in 2017, sharing the prestigious Mary-Rowe Memorial Jury Prize with Karen Rodewald. In the brief time since, Jeff’s iconic two-sided “hanger paintings,” often inspired by photographs, and his more recent wood sculptures, artfully conceived from log fragments (and a tribute of sorts to his unique log cabin home), have become a staple of our Wall and 3D space, gaining an increasing following.
Once again, we’re the luckiest ones of all. For five brief weeks — a short run because Brick by Brick 2 needs to go up before Pride Month — our audiences can immerse themselves in the work of two of our most gifted painters and two old souls who always are at home right here.
(NOTA BENE TO ONLINE BUYERS: While we requisition in-person purchases on an almost-daily basis, it is still possible that you may purchase something on this website that may have already sold in our Gallery. We will make every effort to avoid this circumstance.)