Hamburg artists Jay and Martha Ressler welcomed about 20 guests to their home for Art in the Garden, a Reading Symphony Orchestra League fundraiser.
The RSOL supports the Reading Symphony Orchestra.
Jay and Martha are artists and contracted local builder Mike Adam to build their home with their art studio being the main focus. Martha makes art quilts.
“They are defined as creative visual work that is layered and stitched. My work is three layers like a traditional quilt but the difference is the top. Instead of 19th century iconography or patch work, they have to be original creative expressions,” said Martha, who uses a raw edge applique.
Since moving from Pittsburg to Hamburg, Martha’s art has evolved from industrial and Asian themed to country images like the Wild Turkey Parade.
Jay’s art is photography based that he calls digital works on paper. He has a piece in the Art of the State in Harrisburg, for which combines a photograph with three textural layers. One of the layers is a French love letter and another is glitching.
Proceeds of the ticket sales for the Art in the Garden and 25 percent of art sales goes toward the RSOL. One of the ways RSOL supports the symphony is by providing a meal at their Friday rehearsals.
Sisters Gretel, Hanna and Elsa Larese, of the RSOL, organized the event.
“With the help of Martha and her husband Jay, we thought it would be great to showcase their talent but also raise some funds for the symphony. Hopefully everybody would have a good time. Today is a perfect day for it,” said Elsa. “We try to get money different ways.”
Elsa said RSOL hosts a golf tournament in August and a fashion show in November, as well as a 5k run, to name a few.
For more about RSOL, visit https://www.readingsymphony.org/rsoleague.htm.
