The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine … is simplicity.Walt Whitman
There could have been no finer day for the quick draw Paint Out competition in Bel Air, MD yesterday morning. Easels and artists lined the Historic Main Street and in other locations, scattered throughout town for two hours. A short window of time to complete a painting!
It is always refreshing to see youth jump in on the fun, and work on their painting skills. One participant appeared to be as young as 5. I spoke with a fourteen year old and she has been doing the yearly competition since the age of 8. Her practice is paying off well, I was impressed by what she was bringing to her canvas.
A few collages of photos tell the stories of just some of the plein air painters who participated. Indeed, there were many! And at the end of the two hours, winners of the 2023 Paint Out are selected.
The Paint Out is just one of many other arts events spread out throughout Harford County for a sixteen day period from September 15 to Sept 31, 2023.
Do return in four days time, I will post some of the fabulous paintings on display at the Bel Air Armory from September 15, 2023 reception and awards ceremony which kicked off the arts festival. On September 17th, the exhibit will be moved from the Armory to a space just a stone’s throw away, just behind the Bel Air Armory for a six week period. There are a few events scheduled in October.
“The role of culture is that it’s the form through which we as a society reflect on who we are, where we have been, where we hope to be.” ~ Wendell Price
Historical Societies play an important part even in today’s world. In fact, they are vital organizations serving as weavers of the past with the present.
Last night, the annual gathering of the Historical Society of Baltimore County was held at the Manor Mill Gallery for a second year in a row. An excellent choice of venue! Many elements of what has quickly become a community gathering place are present at the Manor Mill Gallery. The primary use of the pre-revolutionary grist mill, is an art gallery. Art exhibitions are held there and as well as workshops planned to fit the historical venue. On site is a pottery studio, which appeals to those who enjoy one of the earliest crafts in our country.
The HSOBC program of the night was “Maryland Voices of the Civil War,” author and historian Charles W. Mitchell presented. The audience was given a glimpse into his book through his reading of letters, journals and diaries of ordinary people, such as farmers, children, enslaved people, clergymen who lived during the era. Many documents spoke of their personal viewpoints, struggles and concerns about loved ones who fought for liberties of fellow Marylanders.
Historical societies are a defensive line in the battle of today’s changing culture.. It is vital to protect the ideals of community cohesiveness because it has always always been a stronghold in our country’s history.
I’d like to thank Scott and Taylor Batton (my brother and my nephew) for inviting me to attend the annual HSOBC gathering. They both serve as Board members to the organization and their company, Batton Builders, has experience in historical preservation and revitalization of Maryland’s heritage.
Art, music, light food and drink and tours of the Manor Mill Gallery made for a delightful evening, which was not only fun but also informative and educational.
In a few days hence a new art exhibit, “COUNTER CURRENTS: THE FISH SHOW” will be opening at the same site. Stop in to the met the artists and to support them. For more information, visit the Manor Mill Gallery website.
“Well, while we’re here, let’s do it!” My twin sister and I agreed wholeheartedly that we may as well check one off on the bucket list while in the Brandywine Valley.
After an informal lunch on a patio at a Main Street local eats place in Centreville, Delaware, onward we went to Winterthur “America’s artistic, cultural, social, and intellectual history and home to the DuPonts, a dynasty of entrepreneurs, engineers, collectors, and horticulturalists.”
Even though I already knew a little about the home/museum, library and gardens of Henry Francis du Pont (1880–1969), and his two succeeding generations. I was overwhelmed by the property’s expansiveness. The mansion has 190 rooms and on the 2600 acres, at one time they had their own post office, dairy and butcher, gardens and orchards which fed 250 workers who also resided there. I was completely astonished at the overwhelming spans of the grounds, home and library which houses over 100,000 volumes of “rare books, trade catalogs, manuscripts, ephemera, and photographs related to the study of art, decorative arts and design, everyday life in America, and Winterthur’s estate history.”
The estate has 25 miles of walking trails through woodlands which spring forth with seasonal blooms such as azaleas, dogwoods, hellebores, daffodils, trilliums and redbuds. But that is only some of the most notables in spring. There are stars in every season. Rather than spend the day walking, we opted for the garden tram which took us all over the estate and it is included in the admission price.
The museum has furniture, china, silverware and fine art paintings befitting and collected by the influential, wealthy family of DuPont industrialists who saw it as their civic duty to drive industry for the prosperity of our country.
Photos – Two distant views of DuPont Dynasty’s 190 room mansion at Winterthur.
The DuPont’s legacy story continues with each generation of DuPonts who have a variety of interests and passions. We only touched part of what was there to see at Winterthur, and there is so much more in the Brandywine Valley for next time I visit. I’ll return for a tour of artists N.C. and Andrew Wyeth’s home and studios, and the Nemours Estate and Hagley Museum, also DuPont properties. I’ll keep an eye on upcoming art exhibits which strike my fancy at the Somerville Manning Gallery and will draw me back to the Brandywine Valley so very willingly.
Photos from through the lens of a cellphone could never capture the expansiveness of Winterthur so I’ve posted a small glimpse. Visit their website for more information and for professional images, taken by their professional photographers.
Thanks to some artist friends and acquaintances, our second stop in the Brandywine Valley was on our list of things to do and places to go before we even left home. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.
The location of the 24th Annual National Juried Exhibition of AIS was just a short trip from the Brandywine River Art Museum into Delaware on a gorgeous country road, winding alongside the river. I had an idea of what to expect to see at the show – exquisite art from artists all over the country who have reached top levels. The Somerville-Manning Gallery’s fabulous location in the small stone settlement of Brecks Mill – Henry Clay historic district is what I wasn’t expecting. In 1813 the settlement was the home to Alfred Victor du Pont’s early 19th century woolen mill. The stone gallery shares building space with the village’s Post Office and the Brandywine River runs through the settlement tripping over the stones lining the stream bed.
Photo: The host of the 2023 AIS National Juried Exhibition was the Somerville-Manning Gallery located on the second floor of this fabulous historical stone building in Montchanin, DE.
The gallery assistant was both welcoming and knowledgeable. I could have stood in front of each and every painting for a whole afternoon. Too many words are needed to describe the quality of the work and all that I was seeing in each painting. My twin sister summed it up by saying “I have never been exposed to fine art like this in an exhibit anywhere.” But, our life-time experiences have been different even though we are twins.
What else was of great surprise to me, was to come across Chula Beauregard‘s painting “Winter Gathering” which won 2023 Artist’s Choice Award! I met Chula while living in Steamboat Springs, Colorado for ten years (her home town). At the time she was represented by Wild Horse Gallery, a place where I worked. I had the great honor of writing a book about one of her earliest art mentors, Richard Galusha. Chula and I became nice art acquaintances when I interviewed her in November 2011 for a post about her vision for her art career on this website AllThingsFulfilling.com. Wow! Has her command of her art ever grown since then and her collectors list has too!
I share photos of just a few more images of the many, many paintings included in the 2023 American Impressionistic Society‘s Show. My apologies for the poor photography. The paintings were many, and getting good photos with corresponding attribute labels was difficult. Outstanding images of all paintings, and of AIS Masters, including Quang Ho, are in the show catalogue. It may still be available by contacting the Somerville-Manning Gallery.
(Photo: The building which housed du Pont’s woolen mill can be seen across the Brandywine River.)
Before you leave this post, check out the Somerville-Manning Gallery website, too, for more information about the exhibit.
In a few day’s time, I will share more about our Magical Day in the Brandywine. We hit one of our regional bucket list items. It was quite overwhelming!
“Something waits beneath it. The whole story doesn’t show.” ~ Andrew Wyeth
Photo: View of the Brandywine River from the Museum
In the dog days of summer, it’s hard to find the “bony structure” of the Brandywine Valley that was often described and seen in the canvases of the Wyeth Family paintings. The density of trees and leafy greens prevents it. This August the art at the Brandywine River Art Museum was full of contrasts.
Abstract Flash: Unseen Andrew Wyeth exhibit was as stark as the winter landscape in the Brandywine devoid of the lush trees and foliage which is abundant in the summer. The collection is color-limited and as brittle as the gnarled hands of old Man Winter and the tree branches. That is not to say I did not enjoy it. Such is what makes much of Wyeth art distinguishable and identifiable immediately.
Book covers by N.C. Wyeth which are still seen today on many of the classics was also included in the Wyeth art displayed at the museum located in Chadd’s Ford, Pennsylvania, often referred to as “Wyeth country.” This author/book-lover appreciated revisiting many of the images I saw on front covers of the books which sat on my bookshelf in my childhood bedroom.
Mysterious Island by Jules Verne. Book Cover Illustration (1918) by N.C. Wyeth
In the second exhibit, the art of Joseph Stella is in sharp contrast. Saturated with bright color, top to bottom. Nature is seen in a most visionary way – full of energy, both magical and imaginary. Like a tropical floral environment ramped up to the nth degree.
One of many of Joseph Stella’s floral paintings
My stop at the Brandywine River Art Museum was our first in a day filled with art, history and all things fulfilling. My twin sister and I love to see and experience museums and other cultural places together. Do return to this website. I will have more about our visit to the Brandywine Valley in my next post a few days from now.
“With an orchestra, you are building citizens, better citizens for the community.” ~ Gustavo Dudamel
By the virtue of their talents and willingness to be part of a seventy-five member, all volunteer symphony orchestra, this community was treated last night to the first of eleven complimentary, summer open-air concerts.
The first instrumental piece, offered by the Susquehanna Symphony Orchestra, called Harford Fan Fare, and an instrumental with vocal accompaniment, called I Chose the Mountain, were written specifically in honor of year the long celebration of Harford County’s 250th Anniversary of it’s founding. The gentleman who wrote both arrangements is a transplant from North Carolina to this community.
The other tunes were a nice variety and many recognizable from Souza to Brahms, to a Mozart Minuet, and quick sing-a-long of Sweet Caroline. At the end of the concert, the talented vocalist was presented a scholarship from the Community Foundation of Harford County.
Sheldon Bair, the Maestro, founded the SSO in 1978 and last night he shared the stage with two guest conductors, Ryan Bair (genealogical relation is unknown) and with a Maestro who had the great honor of directing the “Phantom” orchestra on Broadway. Last night he led the selections from “Phantom,” right in our community. Aren’t we fortunate? Phantom of the Opera recently closed out it’s run of 35 years in New York.
To read more about the SSO and the impressive places where they have had the honor of performing, visit their website.
It was a beautiful and well- attended evening at the William A. Humbert Amphitheater in Shamrock Park, Bel Air, Maryland. By the time the concert ended, there were hundreds of people gathered. Thank you to all members of the symphony for sharing your time and talents with your friends and neighbors.
My travels last week took me to Howard County, Maryland to see an exhibit at the Columbia Art Center. The artist lives just a hop, skip and a jump away over two county lines. I’ll refrain from using the term “local artist” because in some individual’s minds, the term connotes an amateur artist which is far from the truth when it comes to Janice Kirsh’s talent.
Janice’s art education started with the Maryland Institute of Art and then onto the Shuler School of Fine Arts where she studied the techniques and methodology of the Old World Masters. With time, she found her own style. Her strong foundational skills are evident. She’s continued studying with some of the best of the best and has been taught by master artists such as Quang Ho, Scott Christiansen, David Leffel, Sherrie McGraw and other top-notch painters who are also known for their top-notch teaching workshops.
Chasing the Hibiscus 14″ x 18″
Although she does some studio work, Janice’s love for plein air painting often finds her in gardens and outdoors settings. Her paintings are well-executed because she is skilled at bringing different light and atmospheric variables to the canvas. For collectors who have an appreciation of the difficulty that it takes to get it right, they will fully appreciate what they see. Particularly telling is her only coastal/seascape painting in her current exhibit. The horses with people riding on the beach is only one of many of her exceptional oils. To my eyes, in “Morning Ride” the artist brings a bit of an “old world quality” to the canvas.
“Morning Ride,” Cannon Beach, Oregon, Janice Kirsh
Janice’s self-assuredness as an artist is seen through her paintings, and her canvases are a testimony to her versatility as an artist. Her confidence, in part, comes from painting many locations – from Dublin, Ireland to Port Clyde, Maine to the coast of Oregon to the Adirondacks. Some landscapes were painted closer to her home such as at National Mall in, D.C. to locales in Virginia, Baltimore and Ellicott City. Every stroke of the brush seems deliberately placed for a specific reason yet, there is still a marvelous looseness to her work. I so enjoyed conversing with her about some of those purposely put dabs of paint and we discussed each and every painting in her Columbia Art Center exhibit.
Warm Winter Light 20″ X 16″, Janice Kirsh
“Landscapes Near and Far” at the Columbia Art Center will be on display until June 3, 2023, so there is still time to see the show. It’s always fun to discover high-quality artists whose work you are unfamiliar with. A few of the posted images are of canvases which are in her Columbia Art Center Exhibit.
Font Hills Habitat, 10″ x 16″ Janice Kirsh
Baltimore “Flower Mart” Janice Kirsh
Eastport Annapolis 12″ X 18″ Janice Kirsh
When you look at Janice Kirsh’s long list of invitational exhibits, awards and juried shows she’s been included in, she’s obviously valued as an artist. She has been featured in a book “100 Plein Air Painters of the Mid Atlantic.” If you are not close enough to see the show in Columbia, MD check out her website to learn more about the artist, Janice Kirsh, and to see many more images of her fabulous paintings.
Julie Kurzava who holds a Masters Degree in Voice and Opera from Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University held a three-part lecture series in Bel Air, MD. A woman of many talents, she is a singer, actor, voice teacher, lecturer and teaching artist. She is also Founder and Director of New Moon Theatre Company. She shares her love for musical theatre through many platforms!
The attendees were given insight into three of the most beloved mid-century musicals ever written – the King and I, My Fair Lady and Music Man. Much of the information Julie related only an individual who is well-studied in this genre of performance art would know because she’s so well-researched the subject. Her background information on the songwriters and anecdotal stories of having performed some of these roles, live on stage, added a personal touch to the lecture as did her small lilts of the show tunes in her own, gorgeous well-trained voice.
We explored the difference between mid-century musical theatre and the shows that are on Broadway in this day and age. What has kept the mid-century musicals on stages, regionally and in communities, over the ages when their runs on Broadway were so short compared to Broadway hits of today? She informed us of some of those reasons. As she pointed out “when the dialogue from songwriters become cliché, you know the lyricist has arrived!” Yes! Lerner & Lowe, Meredith Willson and Rodgers and Hammerstein have left their mark on theatre stages everywhere for many decades.
At the end of the third lecture, Julie asked if anyone had any comments. One of the attendees said, “Musicals make you think you can sing!” If you are one who grew up in the golden age of musical theatre, consider how many times you may have sung in your head or aloud “Pick-A-Little, Talk a Little,” “Shall We Dance“, “To Dream the Impossible Dream” or “Wouldn’t it Be Loverly?”
Thanks to the support of the Bel Air Arts & Entertainment District and the Maryland State Arts Council we were fortunate to have this very worthwhile lecture series brought to our town. I do hope Julie can return and speak about some of the other most beloved musicals from the same era.
Welcome back to Part 2 of a post about the 2023 Artists in Residence at Ladew Topiary Gardens. If you missed part 1, I’d encourage you to visit the article.
Every year it’s’ interesting to see which artists have been chosen to be featured at Ladew. Along with Quang Ho and Adrienne Stein, Sam Christian Holmes is the third artist for this year. His medium of work in this exhibition are large installations, which he calls “totems.” They are especially visible at this time of year in the wildflower field. As the growing season progresses, and as the closely cropped field begins to prosper with new greenery and blooms, the totems will be seen a little differently later in the season than how they now appear in the landscape.
The artist encourages all who see his sculptures made from metal accented with what looks like oversized-looking beads of assorted color and shapes, to stop and have a conversation with oneself. How do the shapes, colors, cylinders, ellipses seen in the meadow serve as beacons to the cosmos and the spiritual rhythms of ourselves and the Universe?
I encourage you to visit Sam Christian Holmes website where you can learn more about his vision for his art, the various mediums he works with and where he has taught in the community and at institutions of higher learning.
In the Art Barn of Ladew Gardens, there are more paintings from Quang Ho and Adrienne Stein, along with some works of other artists such as Michael Bare, Palden Hamilton, Sam Robinson and Joanne Bare. Do check them out when you visit the gardens of Harvey S Ladew which are said to be one of the “10 incredible topiary gardens around the world.”
All Things Fulfilling 