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Don’t miss Bliss at Synderman September heralds the new art season, and one exhibition that’s had people talking all summer is “Ugly Beauty”: featuring work by Rachel Bliss at Synderman Gallery (www.snydermanworks.com), 303 Cherry St., Old City. The title is taken from a tune by bebop pianist Thelonious Monk, and in keeping with his music, Bliss’ own work is filled with visual syncopation. One view are a variety of pieces that range from the decidedly strange to some akin to L.A. School art in their nod to 1930s animation. Where they diverge from Left Coast Cool is the humanity and emotional heft with which Bliss imbues her work. Many features juxtapositions of tone within a single painting, as exacting facial portraiture finds the rest of the figure to be, say, a bird boasting comical, unreal and surreal features. An impressive sequence is a number of figure composed on small, square floor tiles. The totality runs the gamut from the very painterly to rough hewn drawings done in graphite. Mixed media is emphasized throughout, and the materials used pace her vision, A further connection to the music of Monk is that all possess is a very improvisational quality, as the artist worked and reworked many of the pieces. This is the artist’s second one-person exhibit at Snyderman Gallery, and she has also shown solo at the Philadelphia Art Alliance, Rider University in Lawrenceville, N.J., plus many other venues. Some group shows include those at Philadelphia City Hall, Temple University Gallery and Pagus Gallery in Norristown. Further afield, she has been featured in group shows at The Alternative Museum in New York and Coombs Contemporary Gallery in London among others. An accomplished lecturer on art, she has delivered talks at the Wood Turning Center in Saskatoon, Canada, where she held a residency. Locally, she has been behind the lectern at Moore college of ART and University of the Arts. Besides her art and discussions on the same, Bliss is also an in demand toymaker, with a couple examples being a jack-in-the-box and a pull toy; however, both are in art collections rather than the playground. Back on the jazz front, her work has adorned the covers of several avant garde musicians, including Philly pianist Uri Caine, while her photography found its way to work by Philly trumpeter John Swana. “Ugly Beauty” leans toward the latter as Rachel Bliss makes art that holds a fine balance between concept and composition. R.B. Strauss
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