It’s no secret that Philadelphia’s tourism industry has focused largely on attracting would-be settlers from New York City. The hipster side of Philly is a lure for artists who want to settle in an edgy area, but can’t afford exorbitant rents.

Ray King

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation has embarked upon a $5 million, two-year campaign to appeal to scrimping artists in New York City, Boston, and Washington, D.C.

So where can these artists relocate to emulate the coolness factor of Greenwich Village? The tourism bureau is fervently hoping that Northern Liberties will become the obvious choice.

But the artists’ trek to Northern Liberties isn’t new, said Deborah Scoblionkov, a spokesman for local Philly artist and Northern Liberties resident Ray King.

“Artists have been coming to Philadelphia, and Northern Liberties in particular, for years,” Scoblionkov said.

Bruce Pollock

King, who was born in Philadelphia, works from his studio on north 3rd street. But his works haven’t been restricted to the local area – he has shown his light and glass sculptures all over the world, from museums in Tokyo to a winery in Italy.

King attempts to fuse fiber optics with technology to result in “an interaction of light and shadows.” He uses glass reflectors to create prisms of color that truly dazzle the eyes.

Too high-tech for you? Check out another local artist, Bruce Pollock. Pollock received his Masters of Fine Arts at Philadelphia’s Tyler School of Art in 1978, and has shown his mathematically-scintillating paintings at galleries across the country.

Ray King

Pollock’s paintings, once described as “bracing as a shot of vodka,” are delightful in that they’re meticulously wrought according to various patterns, not unlike those explored in classes like Math 170: Ideas in Mathematics. No math lover myself, even I can appreciate the beauty of his works.

If the Golden Ratio isn’t your thing, look up the works of Huston Ripley , a talented drawer/painter who went to Penn. His works explore themes like terror, peace and death contained within haunting images that look like The Ring combined with ancient Mayans.

The gratifying aspect of checking into these works is that you can head down to the artists’ studios yourself — and talk with the artist face-to-face. And that makes it easier to track someone’s work over the years, especially if they’re only a SEPTA ride away.

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