Porchwalk on Saturday

Porchwalk will be held this Saturday in the Lititz Springs Park.
Thank you Covid for making us change from various porches and yards around Lititz to putting all exhibitors in one location... the park.  
Saturday, October 2 from 9 to 4  FREE!
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I am the featured artist at the Purple Robin downtown Lititz. 
I will have work available for the month of October.  This is a wonderful store featuring local artist and craftsman and well worth a stop.  You could do all your holiday shopping here!

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THANK YOU to our friends the Wardell's for the fresh bittersweet. It is always a nice addition to our fall decor.   Kind friends make the world so much nicer!



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BACKYARD plans are well underway.   Linda has the hill weeded and trimmed and she was working on the backyard until her allergies got the best of her.  Something back there is really kicking this year, any more meds and she might as well go to bed and forget it!  Framing supplies are streaming in.   We picked up a van full of pumpkins and mums.  Linda has a special treat planned and I am still painting fantastic new paintings.
Make your plans to stop in for our Annual Open House starting next Wednesday. 
Bring a friend!


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On a very sad note... our tenant in the cottage passed away unexpectedly on Monday.  Denise was only 35 and we are still in shock.   She had been with us for 8 years.   
It is a huge reminder that life is so tenuous.

Feels like fall

 Every year for years our friend Lynn drops off our first pumpkin of the season and some of the best shortbread I have eaten.  Today was the day!  I say all the time how spoiled we are.  Over the years there have been some pretty interesting pumpkins, picking just the right one is an art form! 
Now Fall can begin.

This little number is a special order heading to NY.

And while we are getting ready for the Backyard show and all that goes into that, we are getting estimates on replacing our furnace.  Wow is all I can say.   We started our porch remodel project so there is lumber and stuff setting everywhere.  By we I mean a carpenter!   Tomorrow Linda goes for a dental check, she still has a numb lip and is not very happy.

update...

 I spent the whole weekend working on another larger painting for my BackYard Open House.  I am pretty excited about the new work.   I am not sharing until closer to the show.

This Sunday, Sept 26 at 10am
I am exhibiting at a PopUp Show at Regina Marie Designs
Fine Art and Craft Gallery
Held at: 4076 Skippack Pike, Skippack Village, Skippack PA

I will have a tent in front of the Gallery and will be demonstrating.
If raining...I will be inside!

2021 Sunflower #7

 
SOLD!  $145. (unframed) 4x6” mini original watercolor

Available to the 1st person to email
(framing $35 - shipping available at cost)
If unsold by 9/18 the price goes to $225

This is my last sunflower for the season!

This morning I had the privilege of working with Alison and her film crew filming me painting in the Lititz Springs Park for a video for the Gingham Gala fundraiser. Part of LGH Foundation fundraiser for patient support fund at the Cancer Institute.  I can't wait to see what they put together.

2021 Sunflower #6

SOLD! $145. (unframed) 4x6” mini original watercolor

Available to the 1st person to email
(framing $35 - shipping available at cost)
If unsold by 9/17 the price goes to $225

Finally a show in good weather!  We left last Wednesday for Pittsburgh.  Checked into our Air B&B and then had a nice dinner at Point Brugge which we always try to go to.  It did not disappoint.   Thursday was set up and then show Friday to Sunday with long hours.  Drove home on Monday.  Unpacked and did laundry.  A week goes by fast.   Tuesday Linda had some oral surgery and I played caretaker.  She is struggling with some numbness but we are hoping that goes away.  I take my turn in October.  The surgeon can take a vacation on our dental bills!

I finished two more original watercolors for my Backyard Open House.  Invites go out on the 20th so watch your mail.  I think we only are sending them to PA,  thinking that people are not traveling.  An email invite will go out to everyone.  If you want more info send me an email.

2021 Sunflower #5

 
SOLD!   $145. (unframed) 4x6” mini original watercolor

Available to the 1st person to email
(framing $35 - shipping available at cost)
If unsold by 9/9 the price goes to $225

Another sunflower from the Wardell's garden in Lititz.  I had fun with this view, the viewer is looking up at the sky with clouds floating by...

Vacation is over, we are heading home!  BUT Linda talked us into one last stop.  We had been trying to contact the The First Presbyterian Church of Bath about seeing their sanctuary but no one was returning calls or emails.  We took a chance to simply stop in and the doors were unlocked, it was meant to be.  A custodian turned the lights on for us! It  is a gem.  I said earlier we are always on the look out for Tiffany windows.   Well this is a whole sanctuary of Tiffany.

Only one of five remaining churches with an entirely Louis Comfort Tiffany designed interior as well as the only remaining church in the United States designed by renowned architect Jacob Wrey Mould. At a cost of $50,000 Mould designed this Venetian Gothic style building in 1877, which was followed by the Tiffany designed interior in 1897. Of particular note are the Tiffany acorn light fixtures, the geometric stained glass Tiffany windows and the detailed inset mosaics of the chancel rail and pulpit. This was a treat and my photos do not even express the beauty.

So worth a stop!  Now a 4.5 hour drive home.  I hope you are inspired to explore the Finger Lakes yourself, there is more than just the wine trails.

2021 Sunflower #4

 
SOLD!   $145. (unframed) 4x6” mini original watercolor

Available to the 1st person to email
(framing $35 - shipping available at cost)
If unsold by 9/8 the price goes to $225

Sunflower #4
This beauty is growing in the Wardell's garden.
Thank you Wardells for the use of your photo! If you have a good sunflower photo and give permission to paint it...send an email!

The rain on Sunday caused so much extra work for us on Monday.  Everything was wet and needed to be hung in the sun to dry.  Refolded and packed.  We are only home two days and then off to a show in  Pittsburgh, PA.  

If you are near Pittsburgh or have friends in Pittsburgh, help spread the word.
Sept. 10-12:  A Fair in the Park
Fri. 1-7,  Sat. 10-7 and Sun. 10-5
Mellon Park, 1047 Shady Ave. Pittsburgh, PA

Vacation: Our last day.  Something a bit different was scheduled, we went to Wohlschlegel's Maple Farm in Naples, NY.

Here I am waiting for the tour and enjoying the views. We had an appointment for a private tour. I knew very little about Maple syrup. It was fascinating. We were there 2 hours because we had so many questions. This is a well run operation. They are looking to retire so it is for sale by owner if anyone has an itch to move to the country and make Maple Syrup!  We finished the tour with a tasting. This was the best syrup I have ever tasted. Nothing like what you buy in the store. I had to buy some, here is my stash.

We decided to go back to our B&B and relax, I painted.  Getting our minds ready to go home!

2021 Sunflower #3

 

SOLD!  $145. (unframed) 4x6” mini original watercolor

Available to the 1st person to email
(framing $35 - shipping available at cost)
If unsold by 9/4 the price goes to $225

Sunflower #3  Standing tall

This Weekend is Heart of Lancaster!
My space is #136 (my usual spot)
FREE!!  Grab a friend and come out and see me!

Vacation: How can it be Friday?  It is time to pack up and move on. I mentioned variety, this morning we did a RailRide!  We have done this in a different area and each time the experience is a bit different but it is fun.  You do not need skill, almost anyone can do this, it is 5 miles round trip.  The guide did a great job narrating and giving some history as we pedaled along. 

Riding the rail...

Here are our friends, we were behind them.

Now on to Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion.  Covid was hard on this site.  The gardens struggled without anyone tending them and the Mansion needs work. They do have an outstanding collection of trees on the grounds.  I don't want to give a poor review because they need tourists to visit to help keep it up.  It was a bit shabby, if you could overlook that and see the opulent mansion it once was you will enjoy it.  I feel a little spoiled with Longwood and Winterthur at my fingertips and Sonnenberg is along the same lines without the financial help.   It is still worth your time if you are in the area.  Off to check into our B&B;  Los Gatos.  The grounds were beautiful and so was our view.  This is where I got my sunflower inspiration.  They spoiled us with delicious breakfasts and kindness.

2021 Sunflower #2

     
SOLD!  $145. (unframed) 5x5” mini original watercolor

Available to the 1st person to email
(framing $35 - shipping available at cost)
If unsold by 9/3 the price goes to $225

Sunflower #2  Another one from our B&B in the Finger Lake.  They had a huge garden filled with vegetables and fruits and flowers.

Vacation:  Thursday morning was take out breakfast from Blue Heron Bakery.  The croissant made me feel I was in France!  We are headed to the Seneca Art and Culture Center to learn about the Seneca Indians.  I must say I learned a lot.   We finished out our day at the Garrett Memorial Chapel. It was a little hard to find, down a lane in the middle of no where and we had it all to ourselves. A beautiful chapel with an interesting story and beautiful views.  I really do not know how Linda finds these gems.

The outside gates, with Bruce photo bombing me!

Beautiful entrance, I am thinking about painting this.

A stunning view.