February’s Art Exhibit Presents Artwork by Kathy Agostinelli

January 21, 2023January 21, 2023 | Skip Gosnell

February’s Art Exhibit “Changing Gears”, brought to you by Swarthmore Friends of the Arts, presents the whimsical artwork by artist Kathy Agostinelli.

An exhibition of original oil paintings by Ms. Agostinelli will be on display from February 3rd through February 28th at Swarthmore Borough Hall, 121 Park Avenue. The public is invited to the artist’s opening reception on Friday, February 3rd, from 5-7pm. Both the exhibit and the reception are free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

Kathy Agostinelli holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and a degree in Graphic Design from Delaware County Community College. She has provided graphics for the production of “Tommy,” and the scenery for “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” “My paintings explore both the fun side of kitsch as well as more serious and introspective themes, such as spirituality.” Kathy teaches classes at the Paper Mill House in Newtown Square on Saturday mornings from 10:00 a.m.-12:00 Noon. All are welcome. For information about the classes please contact her at kathyagostinelli22@gmail.com.

Follow on Instagram: @kathleenagostinelliartist

The exhibit is free and open to the public. Exhibit hours are M-Th 9am – 8pm, Fri 10am – 7pm, Sat 10am – 3pm, Sun 1 – 5pm.

The exhibit is sponsored by Swarthmore Friends of the Arts. For information about Swarthmore Friends of the Arts or to submit a request for your own show, visit www.swarthmorearts.org or contact Martha Perkins, martha.perkins@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for exhibition schedules and images of inspiring artwork by our local artists.

January’s Art Exhibit Presents Artwork by Monique Sarkessian

December 30, 2022January 2, 2023 | Skip Gosnell

January’s Art Exhibit “Love’s Abundance”, brought to you by Swarthmore Friends of the Arts, presents the thought-provoking artwork by artist Monique Sarkessian.

An exhibition of original oil and encaustic wax paintings by Ms. Sarkessian will be on display from January 4th through January 31st at Swarthmore Borough Hall, 121 Park Avenue. The public is invited to the artist’s opening reception on Saturday, January 7th, from 2-4pm. Both the exhibit and the reception are free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

Monique Sarkessian is a Philadelphia artist who creates vibrant oil and encaustic wax paintings, and salvaged and ceramic sculptures that bring healing joy found in the revelation of the presence and love of God in and around us. Monique enjoys using a variety of expressive art mediums to bring the viewer into the divine mysteries explored in her world. She loves creating, it’s what she has loved doing since age 4 when she decided to be a painter. She seeks to touch collectors’ hearts with the joy and love of God through her artwork with vivid color and joyful depictions that keep the viewer’s attention to look and look again. Her work transforms homes shifting the atmosphere by bringing in the joy of the Lord and the colors of heaven. Monique has been painting, exhibiting, and selling her work professionally for nearly 40 years. She has exhibited widely and had works honored with awards at numerous exhibitions and competitions across the US including two museums, several universities, and recently in Paris, France. She has also painted and exhibited in Italy.

For more information on the artist:

www.moniquesarkessianart.com

The exhibit is free and open to the public. Exhibit hours are M-Th 9am – 8pm, Fri 10am – 7pm, Sat 10am – 3pm, Sun 1 – 5pm.

December’s Art Exhibit Presents Artwork by Michele Southworth and Nancy Barch

November 23, 2022November 26, 2022 | Skip Gosnell

December’s Art Exhibit “When the Student is Ready, the Teacher Appears”, brought to you by Swarthmore Friends of the Arts, presents the artwork of local artists Michele Southworth and Nancy Barch.

An exhibition of original mixed media by Ms. Southworth and Ms. Barch will be on display from December 1st through January 1st at Swarthmore Borough Hall, 121 Park Avenue. The public is invited to the artist’s opening reception on Saturday, December 3rd, from 2 to 4 pm. Both the exhibit and the reception are free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

In 2011, Michele Southworth was a ceramicist who had come to a turning point and needed to work in a new medium to refocus and refresh her creative eye. Nancy Barch was a mixed media painter, much admired for her striking and innovative abstract work, who offered classes and workshops in the Delaware Valley area. Since their first encounter in a 12-week mixed media painting class at the Community Arts Center in Wallingford, their artistic relationship and friendship has developed and grown. Ms. Southworth observes that “Nancy’s teaching, for me, hits the sweet spot of offering techniques, resources, inspiration, and feedback while giving her students complete freedom and support to develop their own creative voice and direction.” They now spend one Sunday a month together painting and eating pizza, and are pleased to present a joint show of their work.

Ms. Barch, whose art studio is located in Clifton Heights, began her career as a freelance illustrator in Philadelphia. She left the commercial art field to enter the fine art arena, initially focusing on watercolor, and then transitioning to mixed media to create her paintings. She has garnered numerous awards for her work, and maintains an active teaching schedule, which allows her to share her knowledge and passion for art with others.

Ms. Southworth’s day job is as a family therapist and therapist trainer/educator at Council for Relationships in Philadelphia, where she derives great satisfaction and fulfillment from work that deeply engages the verbal and cerebral side of herself. After listening and talking all day, it is freeing and very valuable to have opportunities for expression that do not involve words or thinking.

For more information on the artist:

The exhibit is free and open to the public. Exhibit hours are M-Th 9am – 8pm, Fri 10am – 7pm, Sat 10am – 3pm, Sun 1 – 5pm.

November’s Art Exhibit Presents Artwork by Elizabeth Breakell

October 25, 2022 | Skip Gosnell

November’s Art Exhibit “Sunlit Impressions”, brought to you by Swarthmore Friends of the Arts, presents the artwork of local artist Elizabeth Breakell.

An exhibition of original oil paintings by Ms. Breakall will be on display from November 2nd through November 27th at Swarthmore Borough Hall, 121 Park Avenue. The public is invited to the artist’s opening reception on Friday, November 4th, from 5 to 7 pm. Both the exhibit and the reception are free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

A lifelong student of painting, Pennsylvania native Elizabeth Breakell works primarily in oils. With a background in scientific and technical illustration, Elizabeth has softened the edges of her subjects and infused them with light. Studying with regional and national artists such as Christine Lafuente, Donna Cusano, Frances Galante and others over the last fifteen years has rounded out Elizabeth’s training. Her Plein-air landscapes capture the essence of a day whether a cornfield, a coastline, or a brightly blooming treeline. Stories unfold through her interior scenes, sunlight filtering through the sheers, blocks of light on the floor the viewer is transported through her images.

For more information on the artist: www.ebreakell.com

The exhibit is free and open to the public. Exhibit hours are M-Th 9am – 8pm, Fri 10am – 7pm, Sat 10am – 3pm, Sun 1 – 5pm.

Event Alert – Little Crum Creek Park Plein Air Landscape Artist’s Reception coming in September!

August 16, 2022August 16, 2022 | Skip Gosnell

“Summer Rhapsody in the Park” by Sarah McKelvey

Swarthmore Friends of the Arts September’s Art Exhibit at Borough Hall – Inspirations in Little Crum Creek Park – is co-sponsored by Friends of Little Crum Creek Park. Featuring a variety of local Plein Air (painting outdoor) landscape artists’ original works of the Park, the Opening Reception is Friday, September 2nd, 5-7 pm as part of Swarthmore’s First Friday Art Events.

The opening reception is free and open to the public. Come meet the artists while enjoying complimentary drinks and hors d’oeuvres.

The exhibit will be on display from September 1st through the end of September at Swarthmore Borough Hall, 121 Park Avenue, Swarthmore. Most of the artwork will be for sale, available for purchase through Swarthmore Friends of the Arts. A portion of the proceeds will help support the Friends of Little Crum Creek Park organization for maintaining the Park. For information about this wonderful group click here: https://friendsoflittlecrumcreekpark.org/

The exhibit is free and open to the public. Exhibit hours are M-Th 9am – 8pm, Fri 10am – 7pm, Sat 10am – 3pm, Sun 1 – 5pm.

Swarthmore Friends of the Arts is the volunteer organization responsible for the rotating art exhibits at the Borough Hall in Swarthmore. Their mission is to encourage the free expression of all forms of art by local artists and to arrange for the exhibition of the work of artists for the enrichment and enlightenment of the community. For information about Swarthmore Friends of the Arts, the upcoming exhibit schedule or to submit a request for your own show, visit www.swarthmorearts.org or contact Martha Perkins, martha.perkins@gmail.com.

August’s Art Exhibit Presents Artwork by Megan Lee Wenger

July 18, 2022July 18, 2022 | Skip Gosnell

August’s Art Exhibit “Of the Quarry”, brought to you by Swarthmore Friends of the Arts, presents the powerful, layered, and textured artwork of local artist Megan Lee Wenger.

An exhibition of original mixed media paintings by Ms. Wenger will be on display from August 2nd through August 31st at Swarthmore Borough Hall, 121 Park Avenue, Swarthmore. The public is invited to the artist’s opening reception on Friday, August 5th, from 6 to 8 pm. Both the exhibit and the reception are free and open to the public. The reception will have complimentary beverages and hors-d’oeuvres.

I’m very interested in finding my paintings along the way: in the process and the layers I can discover more about the things I choose to reveal or cover up; the things we remember and the things we forget; the things we find precious, beautiful, worthwhile, hard. In my work, I use trash, found objects and debris, gold leaf and pressed flowers; things that have been discarded, and things that have been delicately preserved. I think both are valuable and substantive.

For more images, follow Megan on Instagram @mleevlee to see her latest creations.

The exhibit is free and open to the public. Exhibit hours are M-Th 9am – 8pm, Fri 10am – 7pm, Sat 10am – 3pm, Sun 1 – 5pm.

July’s Art Exhibit Presents Mixed-media Art by Mary Pax

June 24, 2022June 24, 2022 | Skip Gosnell

July’s Art Exhibit “Be Where You Are”, brought to you by Swarthmore Friends of the Arts, presents the mixed media artwork by local artist Mary Pax.

The exhibition of original artwork by Mrs. Pax will be on display from July 1 through July 29 at Swarthmore Borough Hall, 121 Park Avenue, Swarthmore. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

Mrs. Pax is a mixed media artist drawing inspiration from people and places around her. Most of her work involves drawing and painting in reverse on clear acrylic panels with Sharpie markers, acrylic, and spray paint. Certain works include collage elements or sparkle of glitter. “Some of my work has a narrative quality, but also welcomes the viewer’s interpretation”. She has exhibited in various venues in and around Philadelphia, and is a contributor to the Souls Shot Project.

Additional information about the artist:

@MaryPaxArtist on instagram
Mary Pax on Facebook

Exhibit hours are M-Th 9am – 8pm, Fri 10am – 7pm, Sat 10am – 3pm, Sun 1 – 5pm.

Plein Air Painting in the Park event

June 2, 2022June 2, 2022 | Skip Gosnell

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The Board of Friends of Little Crum Creek Park is hosting the second summer Plein Air Artists Painting in the Park event, Sunday, June 5th, at 1 p.m. (rain date is June 12th, 1 p.m.) This is a fundraiser for Friends of Little Crum Creek Park and an opportunity for you to have your artwork on display at the Swarthmore Borough Hall for September’s exhibit. This event is in partnership with Swarthmore Friends of the Arts.

There will be light refreshments and a tour of the park if anyone wants to see the boundaries. The park is 5-acre with lots of trees and streams (Little Crum Creek and a tributary) and is open from dawn to dusk. There are picnic tables and grills available for use anytime. Parking is free along Cresson Lane. We’ll meet at the Cresson Lane entrance to the park, which is at the intersection of Cresson Lane and Columbia Blvd in Swarthmore (there is a gazebo as a landmark). Feel free to invite other artists who may be interested in joining the event in the park and share this event with any painting groups you’re a member. It will be helpful to know how many will be attending our Meet and Greet on June 5th for refreshment planning so please email Susan Kelly at susankelly339@gmail.com

Finished paintings should be dropped off at Borough Hall on Thursday, September 1st (drop-off time will be emailed to all participants). Each piece must be wired for hanging. The Swarthmore Friends of the Arts entry fee will be paid by Friends of Little Crum Creek Park. Artists receive 50% of each piece sold and Friends of Little Crum Creek Park receives 40%.

The exhibit reception is Friday, September 9th, from 6 to 8 p.m. This event is sponsored by Swarthmore Friends of the Arts and is free and open to the public so invite your friends and family. It is a fantastic opportunity to show your work, meet other artists, and make new friends and patrons.

If you have any questions, please contact us. And, if you can’t make it on June 5th, please come at your convenience.