Nothing can Tripp up Mt. Airy gallery owner

By R.B. STRAUSS

What does a gallery director do during the off hours? If it's Luella Tripp of Gallery Siano in Old City, she searches out other venues where her roster of artists has yet more opportunities to exhibit their work.

Such is the case at the Museum Restaurant in The Philadelphia Museum of Art, where "Painting Process," featuring David Foss and Vincent Romaniello, runs through June 30. On view is work that expands the boundaries of abstract art.

There is an uncanny confluence between both artists' endeavors. Foss opts for the accumulation of details and touches to build up grand canvases filled with sweep and grandeur. In his equally large paintings, Romaniello takes a more meditative approach where "less is more" results in equally expansive art.

As to the particulars of this show, Tripp, a Mt. Airy resident, is ever on the lookout for venues other than the standard ones for presenting art. "I always have my eyes open," she offered. "If I see a bare wall someplace, why keep it that way?" A strong advocate of art in public places, Tripp believes that this is a resource all too often underutilized. "There is always a place for beauty where most people wouldn't think to see art."

And the art she's talking about is abstract art, the form that is her favorite, and one which she believes is more difficult to do well than realism. "You can have a piece that is technically superb but may not produce a reaction. The piece has to communicate emotion." This emotion is strongest when fields of color coalesce into something that is derived as much from the subconscious as through any direct effort with a paintbrush. Whereas a still life, portrait or landscape is a translation of reality, Tripp explained, "Non-objective art comes purely from within."

As does the need to get that art out to the masses. Such as "Painting Process." Whereas it's nigh impossible to find new venues to exhibit art, with the Museum Restaurant no heavy lifting was involved. "Art Works (The Philadelphia Museum of Art gallery for art and sales) exhibited a painting by one of my artists. It was through this that I became aware of the exhibitions at the Museum Restaurant. The Museum Restaurant spatially lends itself to showing larger works and, of course, is an excellent venue for promoting an artist's work, so I submitted information on each artist for review and they were approved." And it was as simple as that.

Of course, Tripp is not calling it a day when "Painting Process" closes. She is already planning what to bring into the Museum Restaurant next. And she is not settling for just this single venue either. There is going to be an exhibition sometime in the future at Widener University, plus there are many bare walls throughout the city that could use a little life.

Gallery Siano is at 309 Arch St. For more information, call 215-629-2940.