The Caernarvon Township Community Center in Morgantown transformed into an art gallery as artists, patrons and members of the Twin Valley Rotary Club gathered for a preview of the 20th annual Tri-County Art Show and Sale on Friday, April 10.
The art show is open to the public Saturday, April 11 and Sunday, April 12 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
There were 27 artists, three making pottery, according to Rotary Club member Ron Moyer. About two-thirds were present on Friday night to showcase their art.
The featured artist, Marilyn Shafer Bush, set up her creations near the entrance. Her artwork consists of mainly landscapes of the local area and portraits of animals. The Royersford native has been painting for 30 years and participated in the annual art show for about 10 years. One of her featured works was a painting called “Family,” which portrays a cemetery right in town along Route 23.
“Everything I paint kind of has a feeling to it. I don’t like to just paint a picture. I like to paint something from the heart,” she said.
Bush is known for her portrait of a mountain gorilla distributed around the world by the Diane Fossey Gorilla Fund and making an album cover for Seattle artist Marilyn Milano. Bush’s work is displayed at Chadds Ford Art Gallery in Chadds Ford.
Carol Sumner, exhibiting her abstract and mixed media at the show for about five years, said, “It’s good exposure to show your work and show people what you can do.”
Another annual participant, Jere Brady, set up his artwork on a table, accompanied by a notecards that told the story of each piece. His work varied from Morgantown stationary, to landscape paintings, to a book on Twin Valley schoolhouses that he wrote and illustrated.
“Sometimes it may take me a couple weeks or a couple months. Some I worked on for 20 years,” he says about his work.
He now owns Brady’s Village Art Gallery and Rock Shop in Morgantown. He formerly taught art for Twin Valley School District.
One patron who attended, Louis Frame of Honey Brook, remembered Brady being his first grade art teacher about 45 years ago.
“He was one of the greatest teachers I had,” Frame said.
Frame and another attendee, Michelle Onorati, liked a lot of the pieces, but particularly a painting of two chickens.
Onorati said of the art show, “It brings everybody together [and] is for a good cause.”
Frame added, “It’s a great compliment to bring a little culture to the area.”
Twin Valley High School students displayed artwork as well. The Rotary Club judged the pieces and awarded cash prizes to winning students.
Students from the high school provided music at this event for the first time while the local St. Peter’s Bakery catered light appetizers.
Patrons had the opportunity to bid in the silent auction of about 20 items and purchase artwork.
Annette Freeze, whose husband is a Rotary member, enjoys “the varied styles of art and the general atmosphere,” and always purchased artwork in the last 4 to 5 years of the event.
“Any money we raise goes back to the community,” said Moyer.
The art show is the local Rotary Club’s biggest fundraiser, and the recipients of donations vary year to year. According to Moyer, the club has donated in the past to the Twin Valley Food Pantry, The Village Library, Honey Brook Community Library, scholarships for Twin Valley High School students and more.
Artist Arline Christ benefited from the Rotary Club scholarship when she was in high school. That day, displaying her work at the show, the painter said she does not know where she would be today without the Rotary’s help.
“This show is helping many things in this area,” she said.
This was Rotary Club’s 20th year hosting the art show.
