Alan Soffer
b1937
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Alan Soffer has been making art since 1973 in a variety of modalities. His work as teacher and curator continues to augment his primary passion for abstract expressionist painting which began in 1985. An amazing encaustic painting by David Siqueiros, exhibited at MOMA in NYC, lead to incorporating this modality following studies at Ringling School of Design in 1998. Encaustics allowed Soffer to marry a sculptural component to his painterly approach. The hot, pigmented wax's inherent translucency perfectly supports his vocabulary for expressing space from the microscopic to the galactic, and continues as his main direction to this day. Around 2000 opportunities emerged for teaching encaustics, which was just beginning to gain popularity. In 2005 Soffer organized the first national conference on encaustics in the US and curated an exhibition surveying artists from across the country, which travelled to five venues from Maine to California. Further workshops developed primarily in the area of abstract painting, which he thought was being neglected. These workshops, which he conducts with his artist wife, Libbie Soffer, now are given internationally, as well as,at his studio outside Philadelphia.
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Résumé
Born: Philadelphia, PA
Painting the reality of the mind in wax, oil, and acrylic
"This journey with acrylic, oil and wax (encaustic) has become my signature. It was further emphasized when I organized and curated the national exhibition. OIL + WAX, which traveled the US for a two year period. Concurrently, with the exhibition in the Philadelphis area I led the first national conference on this art form, which contributed to the revival of the encaustic technique."
Awards
2017 Community Art Center, Wallingford, Pa .. ink,acrylic painting
2014 & 2012 Wayne Art Center, encaustic painting
2012 Goggleworks, Reading, PA, encaustic painting
2012 Lyceum, NJ, encaustic painting
2010 Extravaganza in Red , CCAA, encaustic painting
2005 Best of Scottsdale, contemporary painting
2002 Members show/ MLAC, painting
2001 Small Works/ Big Ideas, painting
1998 Images '98, collaged painting
1998 Printmaking '98, collaged monotype
1997 Photography Open, watercolor
Curatorial
CAC, Wallingford, PA
Siano Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
River Tree Arts, Kennebunk, ME
Northern Cal. Arts, Novato, CA
Robert Roman Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
Waxing Philosophic: Wired Gallery, Bethlehem, PA
Teaching & Workshops
ENCAUSTIC PAINTING:
Main Line Art Center, PA
CCAA West Chester, PA
CAC Wallingford, PA
LBI Foundation, NJ
Tempe Center, AZ
Soffer Studio, PA
West Windsor Art Center, NJ
ABSTRACT PAINTING:
ART INCUBATOR, Santa Fe, NM
Haverford College, Krinski program, PA
Painting for the 21st Century, Jamaica
The Creative Center, NYC
Soffer Studio, Wallingford, PA
BOCA ART MUSEUM School
Casa de los Artistas, Puerto Vallarta
Lee County Art Center, Fort Myers, FL
GOGGLEWORKS, Reading PA
Museums & Corporate Collections
- Sulmainy Museum, Kurdistan
- Museum de Montbelliard, France
- Rosenbaum Foundation, NY & Jerusalem
- American Express, FL
- Eaton Corp., OH
One Person Exhibitions
2019 Main Line Unitarian Church TO BE OR NOT TO BE Wayne PA
2018 Delaware Art Museum Counter-Point(3 person) Wilmington DE
2018 Cape Cod Cultural Center SHAKEN & STIRRED (2 person) S. Yarmouth, MA
2014 Villanova University 40 Year Retrospective Villanova PA
2013 West Chester University DREAMING, drawing with wax West Chester PA
2011 OVJAC RIGHT SIDE / LEFT SIDE Philadelphia PA
2005 Chester County Art Association OSMOSIS West Chester PA
2003 Widener University Gallery PROGRESSION Chester PA
2000 Hoyt Instituet Deconstructions of the Life Cycle New Castle PA
1995 Chester County Art Assoc. CONCERNING CREATION West Chester PA
1992 Delaware Ctr. Contemporary Art EVOKING ORIGINS Wilmington DE
1988 Community Art Center ONE + ONE + ONE Wallingford PA
1985 Natl. Museum Amer. Jewish History ELEMENTAL THREADS Philadelphia PA