Visit me Nov 6th and 7th for Art Studio Tour

A corner of my studio

My gallery and studio, Arts on Union, 203 N. Union St., Middletown, is one of the 32 central Pennsylvania artists on the upcoming, free Art Studio Tour. The event, in its 12th year, will take place Saturday, Nov. 6 from 10 am. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, November 7 from noon to 5 p.m. and is designed to offer the public the chance to meet and support local artists by visiting the studios in which they work.

There will be a free drawing for a $100 gift certificate and a $50 gift certificate. Winners can use the certificates at any of the studios on the tour later this year or during the Art Studio Tour 2011. Registration cards will be available at each participating tour location.  In addition to Arts on Union, artists in Annville, Elizabethtown, Hershey, Hummelstown, Lebanon Mt. Gretna, and Schaefferstown are on the tour.  Visitors may set their own agenda in making their way from studio to studio. Arts on Union will have tour brochures and tour cards for a chance to win the gift certificate.

This is my third year of doing the tour and I love meeting folks from Middletown and all the travelers who stop in. Some people come to Christmas shop. Some come because they are curious about what an artist does. At the very least, people who visit will leave with an understanding of why my jeans and sweaters always have a freshly-painted look. The event is also good for Middletown. I like to send visitors to our restaurants and shops and I like hearing, afterward, that they did spend some time in town before continuing the tour.

During tour weekend, visitors to Arts on Union will have the opportunity to watch me work on several projects, including paintings on canvas and photographic prints. I like to talk about what I do, so feel free to ask questions.

Folks who are shopping for new home decor, art or doing their holiday shopping will find bargains!

Fixing Broken Cities From a Field in Rural Central PA

What in the world, you might be asking, does fixing urban landscapes have to do with being in a field at Mt. Gretna?

I'll be in a field all day tomorrow and Sunday because Arts on Union is participating in the Mt. Gretna Arts Show. By the way, don't look for me in the village proper, I'll be IN the field.

Anyway, during those lulls in activity, I will be reading John Kromer's newest book. Artists are fixer-uppers by nature and it just so happens that during the day, I research and write urban policy in my job at the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Like I tell anyone who will listen, being an artist and writing effective policy are all about thinking OUTSIDE the box, so my careers work well together.

What makes this all the more interesting is that today in the mail, I received a postcard soliciting art submission for a show titled "Structures" and the postcard features what appears to be urban buildings on the cover. Hmmm... just yesterday, while reading Kromer's book, I started to think about building a new show based on urban landscapes.

Coincidence? NOT!

By the way, while you can count on hearing more from me about "Fixing Broken Cities," I do encourage you to pick up the book. Kromer is a friendly, practical writer. So, it's not like I am asking you to read academic jargon.

Finally, you don't have to live in an URBAN environment to experience blight and all the social ills it brings. Folks in boroughs, townships, towns and villages face similar problems and the solutions, while not one-size-fits-all, often relate and integrate.

If you decide to read the book or begin thinking about re-claiming your community, look me up. I'm all about place-making. I am, after all, an artist.

See you at Mt. Gretna.