Love Hate Love Hate Love

Location: Philadelphia, PA aka The City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection

Greetings! For the past 5 years, my husband, David, and I have been living in Philadelphia. I got accepted into art school here in Philly and we were both up for an adventure.

As we stare down the end of our living options in the City of Brotherly Love, I thought it might be fun to share with you dear reader, what I have loved about living in Philadelphia and, frankly, what I’ve hated.

Love

First let’s get going with the good stuff here in Philly because there’s plenty of it. Culture abounds in this town. And, though David and I have barely scratched the surface, I’m going to list my favorite cultural things going on in this mighty city:

Studio Incamminati: this incredible school offers a rigorous curriculum to students interested in drawing and painting realistically from life. I finished this 4-year program in 2018. Yes there are all kinds of schools and ateliers popping up all over the world. But, there are huge differences. The teachers are all working artists and their approach to drawing and color is unmatched by any other school out there today. Contact the school for a tour or sign up for the newsletter on their website. There are public events throughout the year that are informative and inspiring.

Sooooo the Student recital series at Curtis is free and in a word, incredible. Typically performances start at 8pm on Friday nights and the recital hall is at 1726 Locust Avenue. You will not be disappointed!

Hate

Alright let’s mix it up a bit here and talk about what I hate about Philadelphia. Confession: I was raised in the suburbs of Boston MA and am used to living near trees, grass and sidewalks. Philadelphia has all of these things: trees, grass and sidewalks. But they are not abundantly available to those of us who live in downtown Philadelphia.

I guess you could say this gripe applies to any urban area, not just Philadelphia. Which is why I prefaced this with my suburban chick confession. But good grief, it is rugged to live amidst concrete, graffiti and tall buildings all the time.

And don’t get me started on sidewalks. In Philadelphia, people with cars, think sidewalks are parking spots, people. So, even if you do decide to be brave and get out and walk everyday like we do (with our dog), you will have to wander into the action and traffic packed streets to get around people who think their cars belong on sidewalks.

Love

The best antidote to the concrete jungle is a walk on grass along the Schuylkill River Trail. Ahhhh! Your peripheral vision actually sees a horizon line. You also see a flowing river with historical markers along the route. There are trees (yayyy!), gardens (wahoo) a board walk and lots of active people (runners, cyclists, dog walkers) who will acknowledge you and say ‘hello.’

Aside from the culture (plays, live music, and indy movie houses), I will probably miss my daily walks along the Schuylkill River more than anything.

Alright let’s get back to sharing a few more gems about this town. Yes the Philadelphia Museum of Art is wonderful and the view of the city from the top of the stairs is fantastic. But guess what? I love the museum at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art. Check out their gallery in the Historic Landmark Building, 118 N. Broad Street. Why? It’s small and has numerous paintings by one of my favorite painters in history Cecilia Beaux.

And PAFA museum has just purchased a painting from one of Philadelphia’s living artists, Rachel Constantine. Her work is lovely. Check out her site, sign up for her announcements and enjoy a glass of wine and see her paintings during the fall Open Studio tour she hosts each year.

Hate

Ok I’m going to rant a bit about garbage and overall tidiness here. And, c’mon I’m not saying this phabulous town is not worth visiting. Quite the opposite! Come to Philly! See the Declaration of Independence and the Liberty Bell and all the places I’ve mentioned above. Check out some hidden delights at Hidden Philadelphia.

But please don’t look too close at the sidewalks, garbage, streets and alleys of this town. Because, grime is everywhere. It’s probably something you won’t notice if you visit (I hope!) But shazam, people pitch stuff out of their cars, throw cigarette butts on the sidewalk, don’t pick up after their dogs (uh huh) and it’s just a bummer how grungy dirty this place feels sometimes. Maybe everyone who is doing all these not so tidy things are actually tourists…but I don’t think so.

So come on Philly! Put that cigarette butt out in the trash. Pick up your dogga poopa, people! Do what your mamma probably already has told you to do (and you know you hate to admit it, but, she’s right!)

Love

At the end of the day, this place is just loveable, people. There’s a rich mixture of cultures, generosity and creativity all here to see and love. And before I sign off, I gotta share some of my favorite artists who are either teachers or classmates or models from my experience at Studio Incamminati. I share their information here because they had the patience to teach me or the willingness to befriend me on this journey. I also think you will enjoy looking at their work. So before I sign off, please check out the work of mighty teacher, Stephen Early, classmates Sachelle Dae, Damian Smith, Lynn Snyder, Wendy Wagner, Scott Woyak and fantastic model and muse Hillary Pearson.

Last but not least, I could not have even gone on this adventure without my trusty partner in crime and super spouse, David. His support, sense of humor and camaraderie have been absolutely critical. Who else would tell me to “Suck it up and get back to class, Jules. You’re in the Art Army!” Yup, David said that to me on a bad day at school and I look back on that with love, gratitude and a big grin.

What’s new in your world and what are you loving and hating these days? Do share!