THE LANDSCAPES OF BERKS COUNTY
Opening Reception: Fri, Oct. 16, 5-7pm
Exhibition runs October 16 through November 21
Yocum Institute, 3000 Penn Ave, West Lawn, PA 19609.  610.376.1576
Mon-Fri: 9 AM–8 PM     Sat: 9 AM–12 PM          Sun: Closed

Three good artist friends and I–each with our own distinctive style and perspective–thought it'd fun to take you on a tour of Berks County through four unique lenses:
  • For decades, Jon Bond has masterfully used oils,  watercolors and egg tempera to capture beauty, mystery and poignancy around the rolling hills of Albany Township.
  • Bob Seabourne's love for painting and local history come together on his canvases, usually with distinct senses of narrative and connection to each place.
  • In our exhibit, Karen Weber brings two wonderful worlds together–her flair for painting Berks County landscapes and well-known, whimsical, animal-inspired themes designed to make people smile.
Above is a preview of some of my contributions to the exhibit. For a dozen years I’ve enjoyed painting all around Berks County, N-S from Hamburg to Hopewell Furnace, E-W from the Oley Valley to the fields and streams around Robesonia. You’ll see paintings of all of these areas as well as the visually-rich middle of Berks. Wyomissing Park remains one of my favorite subjects. While I’ve returned to some spots in the park many times, I make an effort to not paint the exact same thing twice. Different angles, seasons, clouds and light make it a new painting every time.

Ten of my paintings in this show are exhibited to the public for the first time. You’ll also find several “semi-news”–paintings that were originally shown during plein air events, where entries in the competition had to be completed on-site. With the judging over, artists are free to add finishing touches in the studio. And so I did. Some are minor refinements. Others are major–Allegheny Aqueduct, Summer at the Spring House and a couple others reflect several hours of studio refinements. The Certificate of Authentication on the back of these will show both dates, e.g. 2021/2026.