ROBERT A. NELSON ~ “LITTLE PEOPLE” OCTOBER 4th THROUGH NOVEMBER 30th
Robert A. Nelson’s exhibit “Little People” opens Thursday October 4th and runs through Friday November 30th.
the dreams of
Robert A. Nelson
RobeRt A. NelsoN is iNspiRed by just About eveRythiNg—
Flash Gordon, American history, Buck Rogers, and the Wizard of Oz. His drawings are just a little bit bizarre, and he likes it like that.
As a highly respected contemporary painter, sculptor, printmaker and collage artist, Robert A. Nelson, 87, has created works of art included in the permanent collections of many major museums, including the Smithsonian Institute, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, and Boston’s DeCordova Museum.
His illustration-style drawings, both strangely comical and compellingly uncomfortable, are fantastical but extremely technical portrayals. As a resident artist Robert’s work can also be found throughout the year. Robert is a retired art professor from Millersville University where he spent 16 years teaching, and where he was granted the rank of Professor Emeritus. “I’ve had the pleasure of instructing incredibly fine students who have gone on to wonderful things.” Dr. Nelson and his wife, Louise, now reside on a 65-acre Oregon farm. Surrounded by beautiful northwestern farmland and their beloved horses and dogs, their hearts still beat for Lancaster County. As his wife expressed:“Oh, Lancaster is home for us.”
“Drawing is the First Art—Everything else springs from that.”-Robert A. Nelson
“You hope that the images you put together will be so interesting that the viewer will lean into the drawing and say, ‘Come here and look at this.’”
ALIVE ~ DIANE PODOLSKY
“ALIVE” ~ DIANE PODOLSKY
About the Artist
Diane Podolsky is a mixed media and installation artist based in Philadelphia. Diane has garnered many awards for her work, including the Gold Medal at the Philadelphia Plastic Club and Best of Show at the Bethlehem Fine Arts Festival. As a teaching artist, Diane was awarded an Art Futures Residency thought the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 2012, and was also awarded a New Courtland Artist Fellowship in 2009. In addition to her paintings, Diane produces a line of linocuts and etchings that she brings to area art and craft shows.
Artists Statement
The images in this exhibition reflect my love of nature, particularly the mundane or “less beautiful” creatures and plants we take for granted. My goal is to capture the essence of these living things rather than produce an exact replica.
“ALIVE” by DIANE PODOLSKY RUNS SEPTEMBER 6th THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30th
Read MoreONCE UPON A CANVAS ~ BARBARA OLSEN
Barbara Olsen
Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area, Barbara has created art since she was a child for her own amusement and enjoyment. In 1980, when her three children were grown, she began devoting most of her time to her artistic career. A fully self taught artist, Barbara has achieved an international reputation with a style that combines shimmering colors, a unique sense of design, and the artful skills of a storyteller.
Storytelling is at the heart of this former preschool teacher’s art and her very soul. Blessed with a fertile imagination that was nurtured early on by her Irish immigrant father, she grew up listening to his tales of mischievous fairies and leprechauns. Today she uses words as well as images to tell her stories on canvas and handmade paper. Using a variety of found objects, Barbara creates unique and colorful images: snips of paper, dabs of paint, scraps of fabric are transformed into whimsical mixed media collages. People who own and live with her delightful images talk about the good humor, the optimism, and the evocation of fond memories of childhood. Barbara’s gift is to touch the inner child of each of us.
Barbara’s original paintings and prints appear in many prominent private and public collections throughout the world; President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan, President and Mrs. George H. W. Bush, President and Mrs. Mikail Gorbachev, the Museum of Science & Industry in Chicago, the Mazza Museum of Children’s Book Illustration in Findlay, OH, University Hospital’s McDonald House, Cleveland, OH, and University of Chicago Children’s Emergency Ward, Chicago, IL, to name a few. Her work has been in magazines, books, on television, and in numerous newspaper articles. Featured articles about Barbara and her art work have appeared in Country Home, Americana, Style, Diablo, American Enterprise, Exit (Japan), and America Club (Hong Kong) magazines. One of her paintings, “Rosie The Riveter” depicting a woman working in an American defense factory during World War II, is in the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, IL. A special proclamation from the Mayor of San Francisco, Art Agnos, recognized her significant artistic achievements and declared October 25, 1991 as Barbara Olsen Day in San Francisco.
In 2002 Barbara’s illustrations for a children’s Halloween book, THE WITCH CASTS A SPELL, was published by Dial Books for Kids. She is currently working on illustrations for another book. Images of two of Barbara’s fine art paintings, “Martin Luther King, Jr.” and “I Have A Dream,” were included in the book IN THE SPIRIT OF MARTIN, the companion publication to the Smithsonian Institute major traveling exhibition celebrating the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. In 2006 Barbara was awarded two Marianne Lambert Curator Awards for two of her paintings in the Spotlight on Art Show. Barbara was invited to participate in two additional shows of which Marianne Lambert is Curator at Swan Coach House Gallery in Atlanta. She has illustrations in many school textbooks published by Holt, Rinehart, Winston; Scott Foresman; Harcourt Publications, and MacMillan Education, Oxford, UK.
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COMPLETELY AS IT SHOULD BE ~ RONDA MICHEL
Ronda Lynn Michel, an award winning artist, began teaching herself to paint landscapes in oil after retiring. A creative person her entire life, she has also produced marvelous works using acrylic and found objects . Her recent medium of investigation is encaustic. She loves collage and wax is a perfect way to explore mixed media during the layering process.
Very spiritual in nature, she remains open to the voice of the universe and it’s cues, creating her works in a space she calls Inspiration Studio on a mountaintop where she lives with her husband, Wayne. She has three sons and a young granddaughter who is a delightful, flourishing artist.
“I live in a glass house on a mountain. I have views of beautiful trees, bird songs, and the ever-changing weather. My view powers my passion and I am compelled to create. I have found that when I use mixed media I can share the feeling of wonder I get when I look out my windows.
I work to find a harmony with nature in the colors and the subject matter. The serenity of my world is what I try to capture in my art. And when I succeed the beauty of the world is there for all to see on my canvas.”
Life has many mysteries and art is one of them.
Ronda Michel
Where the spirit does not work the hand, there is no art.
~ daVinci
*50% of Ronda’s proceeds will be donated to Operation Smile
Ronda is a retired dental hygienist and her husband Wayne was born with a cleft palate which required many surgeries in his young life to correct the condition. Many children around the world cannot afford to have the surgeries needed to correct the malformation so they may eat, speak, smile and be socially accepted.
Operation Smile is an international children’s medical charity that heals children’s smiles, forever changing their lives.
As a children’s charity, we measure ourselves by the joy we see on all of the faces we help. At Operation Smile, we’re more than a charity. More than an NGO. We’re a mobilized force of medical professionals and caring hearts who provide safe, effective reconstructive surgery for children born with facial deformities such as cleft lip and cleft palate.
Every three minutes a child is born with a cleft — often unable to eat, speak, socialize or smile. In some places these children are shunned and rejected. And in too many cases, their parents can’t afford to give them the surgeries they need to live a normal life.
That’s where we come in as an international charity providing much needed surgical services. Since 1982, Operation Smile — through the help of dedicated medical volunteers — has provided more than 2 million patient evaluations and over 200,000 free surgeries for children and young adults born with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities.
As one of the most prominent children’s charities in the world and with a presence in over 60 countries, we are able to heal children’s smiles and bring hope for a better future.
Thanks to the generosity and spirit of volunteerism shown by our supporters, we heal thousands of children per year. With your help, how many lives can we change tomorrow?
A SUMMER HARVEST ~ MARC DANIELS
Autobiographical sketch:
It was probably dumb luck or good fortune back in 1978 when I bought Ralph Mayer’s fourth edition of The Artist’s Handbook. Through the glossary of pigments that was located in the back, I picked up some basic rules that directed my palette. Mr. Mayer itemized each color, its origins and the time it was developed and in use. This guide helped me select and limit the colors and shades in the pictures that I paint, ensuring accuracy to their period in history. This started my career.
Recently I saw some of the stuff that I painted way back in the 80’s. It looked as crisp and as accurate as the day it was done – Arslonga vita brevis – so I’ll just carry on. It’s hard to believe that it has now been over thirty five years of showing paintings and meeting the nicest people from all over America.
It has been an honor for me and a very humbling experience to be numbered with this extraordinary group of artisans that have been gathered and exhibited at City Folk in Lancaster, Pa. It has truly been a pleasure to work with all the fine folks at City Folk. And yes, thank you City Folk for your welcome and your support. I’m excited about being at the First Friday in June at City Folk.
Marc
A Summer Harvest~ Original Oils by Marc Daniels
Exhibit runs June 1st through June 30th
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“SECRET LIFE OF EGGS” EXHBIT by KATHLEEN STOLTZFUS ~ MAY 4TH THROUGH MAY 31ST
THE SECRET LIFE OF EGGS RUNS THROUGH MAY 31ST
THE GATHERING ~ KATHLEEN STOLTZFUS
A Quiet Life
“The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind.”
Albert Einstein
Impossible for me to have said it better. I’ve been thinking about this in my own life recently and was pleasantly surprised to happen upon this quote. Living here on the hill for four years now, my life has become increasingly quiet, less complicated, more in tune. With my dogs for company as I work, farm animals for the occasional distraction, a garden for physical exertion, and a good book to read in the evening, I am rarely bored.
When we deliberately slow down the pace of our lives and stop allowing ourselves to be constantly bombarded by everything that screams for our attention, we are able to find the quiet moments to think and reflect. To allow imagination free reign to entertain us. To dream and to ponder the “what ifs”. For me, that’s where art comes from. That quiet place.
Kathleen
Artist statement
With a degree in fine arts and an ongoing career in advertising, I have also returned to making art for pleasure. Living and working in the rolling hills of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, my work is inspired by the things I love most – nature, animals, and the surrounding scenery. The mediums I use vary widely – often combining techniques to create unusual mixed media pieces.
Artist bio
Graduated from Kutztown State College in 1983 with a BFA in Communication Design.
Have worked in advertising since 1983 as a graphic designer, art director, and creative director.
Currently own and operate a design and advertising firm, Stoltzfus Associates – clients and projects range from the annual reports of Fortune 500 companies to logo design for start-ups.
“The object isn’t to make art, it’s to be in that wonderful state which makes art inevitable.”
Robert Henri
Visit Kathleen on FB https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.234069586612214.76954.118272858191888&type=3
Read MoreJAC JOHNSON “FISHES & FEATHERS” EXHIBIT
Jac Johnson creates custom one of a kind art using primarily wood, metal and paint as his mediums. His focus remains mostly in the realm of traditional folk art, however he can custom create anything as long as you have an idea. April’s show is just a sample of his amazing talent.
Jac’s Fishes & Feathers Exhibit opens April 4th and runs through April 30th.
FOWL IMAGES ~ ERIC FAUSNACHT
I love Eric’s work. It is whimsical and never fails to remind me not to take things too seriously; from the Colonial Rider on Pig, to When Pigs Fly, to his Intense Polish Roosters on a baroque background… I mean how can you? It is light and fun and definitely shouts “spring is coming.”
A little bit about Eric’s work:
My acrylic and oil paintings explore the realms of texture, color and strength in the portraiture of domestic fowl. My paintings of roosters and chickens show a photo realistic style brought together with an ornate baroque background to illuminate the regal portraiture of the subject matter. My work is in private collections throughout the United States, Europe, Canada, and Asia and has sold in art auctions for several charitable institutions.
A little bit about Eric:
I received a Bachelors of Science in Art Education from Millersville University of Pennsylvania in 1992. I continued my education at The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. During this time I began an interest in the study of the strength and textures of birds, especially domestic fowl.
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BRUCE MURRAY COLLECTION by SHAWN MURRAY
BRUCE MURRAY COLLECTION, LLC
Timeless Works of Two Generations
of True American Photographers
Bruce Murray, Sr. (1893 -1969)
Bruce Murray, Jr. (1919 -1991)
Since 1991, Shawn Murray, the grandson of Bruce Murray, Sr., has been publishing and marketing his grandfather’s photo artwork. For over four decades, “The Master” photographer, Bruce Murray, Sr. (1893-1969) has captured amazing images of sports legends, historical figures and Americana.
His son Bruce Murray, Jr. followed in his footsteps and was a press photographer for the Evening Bulletin before and after his time in the service in W.W.II. He learned his skill from his father, and had the foresight to preserve whatever existing photography of Bruce Sr.’s that survived. He passed on the skill and photography to his son, Shawn (almost Bruce III). Shawn has proudly preserved the legacy and committed his life to publishing his grandfather’s (and father’s) work. Shawn prints these photographs directly from the original glass plate negatives that were handed down to him. The baseball photographs feature the true legends of the game and are done in a numbered limited edition. The final number photos are now part of the permanent collection of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. These archival silver gelatin photographs are perfect for corporate gifts or office and home decor.
In April of 2003, Shawn opened an art gallery in Center City Philadelphia called “Twenty Two”, located on 22nd Street between Locust and Spruce Streets. There he exhibits many of his grandfather’s photographs, as well as different local and national artists’ work. He has an art opening with artist’s reception on the “Second Friday” of every month from 6 to 9 PM. The gallery is open 5 days a week: Wed. to Sun. Noon to 6 PM or by appointment. For more info call 215-772-1911 or visit the website at www.twenty-twogallery.com .
Over the years Shawn has succeeded in getting his grandfather’s work in the public eye. Bruce Sr.’s work was included in the Sports Illustrated book “20th Century Sports – Images of Greatness.” The photo collection has been featured nationally on QVC, the Yes Network and Fox Television networks. The photos have been auctioned at many charity fundraising events for such organizations as the Red Cross, ALS, Alzheimer’s Assn., Aids Coalition and M.S. Society. The photos are also part of the permanent collections of such institutions as the Thomas Edison Museum, the Babe Ruth Museum, the Franklin Institute, Haverford College and the International Boxing Hall of Fame. They are part of the private collections of many notables such as Reggie Jackson, Tom Hanks, Larry King, Gary Sinise, Les Paul and John Goodman. Homegrown collectors include former Phillies Larry Christensen and Don Money, and Phila. D.A. Lynn Abraham. “I’m always happy to to shake hands and talk about my grandfather’s work,” Shawn said. “Even though they are both gone, this keeps me very close to them…I’m proud to do it.”
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ROBERT A. NELSON “NEW EGGS” HELD OVER THROUGH DECEMBER with 35 NEW PIECES ADDED
I have been head-over-heels in love with Bob’s art since I first laid eyes on it. He is an icon and I have truly enjoyed the many stories shared from those who studied with Dr. Nelson, admire him and his work, or who have the pleasure of collecting. It has been a real treat getting lost in this exhibit for hours on end. Standing in the gallery, with 32 pieces surrounding me, I am in pure glory.
Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1925; Dr. Nelson studied at the Art Institute of Chicago where he received his B.A.E. degree in 1950, and his M.A.E. degree in 1951. He taught at his Alma mater as well as the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, and the University of North Dakota, before returning to school at New York University where he received his Education Doctorate in 1971. The next year he began teaching at Cleveland State University, where he stayed until 1975, when he joined the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He then joined that of Millersville University and in 1997 Millersville University granted him the rank of professor emeritus. Nelson’s art is included in the permanent collections of many major museums: the Smithsonian Institution~ Washington, DC, the University of Texas, the Seattle Art Museum, Ohio University, the Walker Art Center~ Minneapolis, DeCordova Museum~ Boston, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The Museum of Modern Art owns three of his lithographs and two of his collages. He was also the recipient of the prestigious Purchase Prize in the 31st National Exhibition of Boston Printmakers and was awarded the Cezanne medal from the government of France, in 1961.
You can see the things that influence Bob including: past Presidents and historical figures, the Wizard of Oz, Flash Gordon, and classic fables. You can also find some of the many animals from his homestead in Lakeside, Oregon which he shares with his lovely wife Louise.
*the New Eggs exhibit runs through November 31st.
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