Central Penn Arts Guide, a new on-line promotional website for news, reviews, schedules, interviews and happenings recently interviewed Gallery Blu owner, Christina Heintzelman-Jones.

“Christina has her finger squarely on the pulse of the revitalizing Midtown art scene and what’s necessary for the momentum to continue. Let’s hear it in her words…” For more, go to Central Penn Arts Guide!

Also, be sure to check out Gallery Blu next time you’re in Harrisburg! Located at 1633 North 3rd St.

The Inaugural Rt15 ByWay of the Arts Exhibit opened on Friday, June 11 with a reception featuring demonstrations by Rt15 artists Gay Foltz, wood carving; and Mary Beth Brath, acrylic painting. Guests also enjoyed music by Jonathan Frazier, who also has a painting in the exhibit. Refreshments were provided by Espresso Yourself Cafe and wine by Hunters Valley Winery.

The Exhibit will remain through Friday, August 20 at Landis House, 67 N. 4th Street in Newport, PA. Regular hours for Landis House are Wednesdays and Fridays from 1 – 5 p.m. and also by appointment. Simply call 717-567-7023 to set up a time to visit the exhibit.

Don’t forget when you visit to enter to win a Rt15 ByWay of the Arts gift basket, with goodies like wine from Hunters Valley Winery, note cards by Rt15 artist Carolyn Pio, and a sunflower hand-painted wine glass by Rt15 artist Joan Lenker. A winner will be randomly selected at the close of the exhibit.

Gay Foltz demonstrates her wood carving at the Rt15 ByWay Exhibit Opening.

Mary Beth Brath demonstrates an acrylic painting from a photo at the Rt15 Exhibit Opening.

Jonathan Frazier entertains guests as they stroll through the exhibit.

The main exhibit room at Landis House features Rt15 artists such as Fitzgerald Pottery and Jason Lyons.

The 22nd Annual Harrisburg Gallery Walk is slated for Sunday, September 12, 11 AM to 6 PM, with 31 sites included this year. As always, Gallery Walk is free, with a flyer and map available at all participating galleries and online at www.artassocofhbg.com. The Patriot News and WXPN are the sponsors of Harrisburg Gallery Walk this year.

Galleries for this year include, in order of appearance on the map: The Art Association of Harrisburg, The John Harris/Simon Cameron Mansion, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Cathedral House Gallery, McKissick Associates, VQC Designs, Harrisburg Camera Club (at City Government Centre), and Penn National Insurance. Back this year is CASA in their new space in Strawberry Square, LaFemme Jolie, and the new Harrisburg History Centre on Market Street. Susquehanna Art Museum and their Art VanGo! are part of Gallery Walk again, as is The Middletown Area Arts Collective, located for the day at Salem United Church of Christ on Chestnut Street.

Also included are The Gallery at Walnut Place, ArtHouse Lounge,SPRAMA.design, Arts at 510, the new Gallery@Second,Pine Street Presbyterian Church, Mangia Qui & Suba, The State Museum of Pennsylvania, and the Harrisburg Midtown Arts Centre. Other Midtown sites are Hodgepodgery, Midtown Scholar Bookstore, The Mantis Collective,Nonna’s Deli-sioso,Gallery Blu, and The Youth Advocate Program’s Dauphin Family Clinic. The Governor’s Residence will showcase works by The Seven Lively Artists.

The remaining two locations on the roster require driving: Reservoir Mansion is at 100 Concert Drive in Reservoir Park, and then continuing out Walnut Street/Rt. 22, one can visit Mitrani at Home at 3535 Walnut Street.

All Gallery Walk sites can be identified by the emerald green flags sporting a big yellow “G”! Visit www.artassocofhbg.com to view the brochure and pick one up at the Art Association when you begin your tour on September 12!

NEW THIS YEAR ARE THE HARRISBURG BIKE-TAXIS, WHICH WILL PLY THE GALLERY WALK ROUTE THROUGHOUT THE DAY! Call 461-2202 to “hail a cab”! (Riders must pay their fares individually).

The HodgePodgery introduces a monthly market dedicated to all things art and craft. The “HoPoRoadShow” will be held monthly on 3rd in the Burg Fridays and Saturdays beginning July 16 &17. Friday hours are noon til 7 and Saturdays 8-4.

The market will surround the outside of the Historic Broad Street Market, the country’s oldest continuously running market, and during cold or rainy weather, inside the Historic Harrisburg Association building on 3rd and Verbeke Streets in Midtown Harrisburg. Both venues are two blocks uptown from the Hopo. This will be a year round, rain or shine specialty market with the 2 venues accommodating accordingly.

For more information, visit www.thehodgepodgery.com or call 717-236-0150.

Rt15 ByWay of the Arts is pleased to announce its inaugural Exhibit from June 11 through August 20, 2010 at Landis House, Newport. The public is invited to attend an opening reception on Friday, June 11 from 6-9 p.m., which will include live demonstrations from Rt15 artists, refreshments provided by Espresso Yourself Café, wine from Hunters Valley Winery and live musical entertainment by Jonathan Frazier. Visitors can also enter for a chance to win a Rt15 ByWay Gift Basket! The PCCA Gallery will also be open during the evening and is located in Newport’s square.

The exhibit features a range of works created by artists who live or have studios along Rt15, including Cathy Mabius, Jason Lyons, Linda Billet and others. Also on display will be information and offers from Rt15 member destinations, such as Gallery Blu in Harrisburg and Gelinas Manor Victorian Bed & Breakfast in Boiling Springs. The event highlights the creative culture of PA that is abundant along Rt15, with a sampling of watercolors, oils, acrylics, clay sculptures, jewelry, fiber art, metal sculpture and glass art that you will experience when traveling the ByWay of the Arts, an ultimate art-filled getaway with PA’s scenic countryside serving as a beautiful backdrop along the way.

Landis House is located at 67 N. 4th St., Newport, and is free and open to the public on Mondays and Wednesdays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. For more information about the Rt15 ByWay of the Arts Exhibit or other events at Landis House, call the Perry County Council of the Arts at 717-567-7023 or visit the website at www.perrycountyarts.org. More information about Rt15 can be found at www.rt15arts.com.

Rt15 Artist Thom Glace is a watercolor artist specializing in fish and dragonfly studies, landscapes and miniatures in transparent watercolor. The life of a working artist involves getting out and about to show and demo his work. Check out Thom’s busy schedule below!

Find out more about him and see a porfolio of his work at www.thomglacewatercolors.com.

This Spring, you can see Thom’s work and live demos at the following locations:

March 9 Through end of April – Allenberry Resort Inn (also a Rt15 Lodging Partner); Exhibit of watercolor studies of freshwater fish of the the Susquehanna River Watershed.

April’s Artist of the Month Exhibit at the New Cumberland Library, One Benjamin Plaza.

Starting in April — art displayed at new restaurant, Cafe 101, in Boiling Springs.

April 10 – Live demo of a dragonfly watercolor at Village Artisans Gallery in Boiling Springs from 1 – 4 p.m.

April 14 – Live demo of a watercolor study of a butterfly at Sophia’s on Market in Camp Hill from 4 – 8 p.m.

April 24 – Live demo at Leaf of Eve, West Pomfret Street in Carlisle from 1 – 4 p.m.

May 1 – One of six artists representing Mechanicsburg Art Center at the Harrisburg Mall, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Rt15 Hospitality Partner Espresso Yourself Cafe, located at 8 S. 2nd St. in Newport, is hosting a benefit concert on Monday, April 5 from 7-8:30 p.m. with kitchen opening at 6 p.m. for dinner before the music. $5 cover charge. Call 567-9882 for more information.

The concert is part of the Half 4 Humanity Tour and will feature the following musicians:

ALIA – www.myspace.com/aliamusic

ERIC FROM PHILLY – www.ericfromphilly.com

Half of the proceeds from ticket sales, CDs, donations, and merchandise will go to Hurricane Katrina and Haiti relief efforts!

Thursday, April 1, 2010 marks the 15^th anniversary for the Village Artisans Gallery in Boiling Springs, PA.  The day will be celebrated with a jewelry trunk show featuring two of the gallery’s top designers, Jeanine Saylor and flame-work bead artist Sharon Carlucci.   Local author Eileen Graham will be on hand to sign her book, An Outlander’s Journal, (Word Association Publishers, Tarentum, PA).  A gallery-wide 15% discount on all purchases and light refreshments will also be offered!

The gallery opened on April 1, 1995 after extensive renovation to the building which began its life as a rural church in 1875.  At the time, it housed three studios and a retail floor and showcased the work of 50 or so artists and craftspeople.  Today, that number has grown to well over 200 of the nation’s finest craftsmen.  The gallery’s inventory is exclusively American with roughly three-quarters of it generated in Pennsylvania.  Nationally recognized folk-artist and Rt15 Member Gay Foltz presides as the gallery’s artist-in-residence, offering visitors a glimpse into her unique and whimsical style of traditional woodcarving.

The April 1^st festivities will kick off a year-long celebration which will include a special birthday discount for customers with coupons offered on the gallery’s email newsletter and website: www.villageartisansgallery.com. Village Artisans is located at 321 Walnut Street, Boiling Springs, PA 17007. Phone is 888-258-0256.

The historic village of Boiling Springs, PA will again be the scene Saturday, June 5, 2010, of the 24^th Foundry Day Arts & Crafts Festival. The juried arts & crafts festival is held the first Saturday of June each year in this quaint Cumberland Valley site by the Appalachian Trail. Original works of 100 fine artists and craftsmen of the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen as well as professional artists and craftsmen from throughout the country will be featured, including several Rt15 ByWay of the Arts members.

The event will be from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., rain or shine, and admission is free! Also, free shuttles will be available from the Boiling Springs High School to the festival site. Handicapped parking is available.

A wide variety of outstanding juried art and crafts at this festival will include fine art, pottery, furniture, fiber, jewelry, wheat weaving, handmade brooms, decorative painting, leather, enameling, woodworking, glass, doll sculpture, photography, and ironware.

This year an added attraction will be “Quiltfest 2010.” Held in conjunction with Foundry Day, the biennial quilt show will be located in Iron Forge Education Center, Forge Road, Boiling Springs. Over 150 quilts will be displayed and the show will include quilt vendors, appraisals, demonstrations and a charity raffle.The Appalachian Trail Conservancy and Trout Unlimited will also be a part of the festival, supplying educational and visitor information.Entertainment will be ongoing during the festival including activities for children. A variety menu of food and drink will be available by local organizations and commercial vendors.

The festival is sponsored by the Foundry Day Committee, Inc., in cooperation with Boiling Springs Civic Association  and the Yellow Breeches Chapter, Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen. For information go to www.ybcrafts.org or send a message to: yellowbreeches@gmail.com.

Look for the following Rt15 artists at Foundry Day:

Gay Foltz, Wood Carving

Jason Lyons, Metal/Found Object Sculpture

Linda Billet, Fused Glass

Erin Keck, Copper Journals/Clocks

Richelle Walk, Gold/Silver Jewelry

Jean Van Brederode, Copper Enamel Jewelry

Hunters Valley Winery, one of Rt15 ByWay’s most beautiful destinations, is also a stop along the Susquehanna Heartland Wine Trail. There is no better time than March to plan a spring getaway by traveling the ByWay and the SH Wine Trail together!

The circuit of all seven wineries can best be made in a few trips or a weekend. Wine-trekkers have the whole month to reach all the wineries in order to qualify for gifts and prizes. A scavenger hunt for information is new this year. The grand prize for one lucky winner is a wine refrigerator full of wines from the Susquehanna Heartland.

Every weekend in March, each winery will feature particular wines paired with food. Musical entertainments are on tap at times to be posted on the web site, www.pawinetrail.com.All of the wineries on the trail – Benigna’s Creek in Klingerstown, Brookmere in Bellville, Hunters Valley in Liverpool, Mount Nittany in Boalsburg, Seven Mountains in Spring Mills, Shade Mountain in Middleburg, and Spyglass Ridge in Sunbury, are family owned and operated; all have received awards in competitions.

Each person who gets to all wineries will receive a valuable wine-themed gift, and all completed tickets are entered into a lottery for fine dining meals and nights at bed and breakfast. Tickets cost $20 each or $35 for two; designated drivers are free. Information is available at pawinetrail.com or by calling 877-447-7211.

The beautiful Hunters Valley Winery with spectacular views.

There are still 18 pieces in the main gallery for $100.00 each and other art in the side gallery for under $100.00 waiting for a new home. We are currently at $8,000.00 of our $10,000.00 goal for the local Salvation Army Art Benefit. Art will be available through March 6.

Rebecca Francis and her Rag Rugs will be featured at Ideas and Objects, a contemporary specialty shop featuring unique home, office and personal furnishings and accessories located in Strawberry Square in downtown Harrisburg.

Rebecca”s work will be featured between March 19-21. She will be showing her rugs and runners, answering any questions, and sharing her thirty year weaving story between 12 – 4 p.m. all three days.

Rebecca’s handwoven Rag Rugs can be found in homes, apartments, upstairs, downstairs, on the stairs, on walls and tables, in tree houses, boats, cabins, a church, or even a tepee.

Ideas and Objects is located in Strawberry Square in downtown Harrisburg at 11 N. 3rd St. For more information, call 717-234-4505 or 717-432-2095.

The NEW Rt15 ByWay of the Arts Trail Guide is officially available for download from www.rt15arts.com.

You can also Email Maggie@perrycountyarts.org for a full-size 11×17 version of the guide.

Pick up yours today to start planning your ultimate art-filled getaway along PA’s Rt15!

Don’t miss the chance to see Rt15 artist David Bottini’s “Still Memories” Exhibit at Isadore Gallery, 228 Prince Street in Lancaster! Exhibit will be on display through Saturday, February 27.

Contact the Gallery for more information: 717-299-0127 or Info@Isadore-Gallery.com

Below is one of the 22 paintings in Bottini’s exhibit.

“Dappled Light on Shumaker Road,” 24″ X 24″, acrylic on canvas, 2010

Hunters Valley Winery received a Silver Medal for 2009 Niagara and a Bronze Medal for 2009 Seyval Blanc at the 2010 Pennsylvania Farm Show Competition. Both are white wines: Niagara is sweet and grapey, and Seyval Blanc is clean, crisp and semi-dry with good fruit taste and aroma.

Visit the winery at their breathtaking location in Liverpool to sample these award-winning wines for yourself!

Location: 3 Orchard Road, Liverpool, PA 17045

Phone: 717-444-7211 or 877-447-7211

Email: info@huntersvalleywines.com

Web: www.huntersvalleywines.com

Gallery Blu, a Rt15 ByWay of the Arts Destination, will be holding an art benefit for the Salvation Army beginning on Friday, February 12 at 7 p.m., with a special encore on Friday, February 19 to celebrate Harrisburg’s new art venue, “3rd in The Burg.”

The benefit, titled Sweet Salvation 100 for $100, will feature 100 pieces of art from well known local and regional artists. The art will be available by silent auction with bids starting at $100. The goal is to raise $10,000 to support our local Salvation Army.

Below are a few examples of the beautiful art that will be available.

“Pines Aglow” by Susan Getty

“Swimming” by Mimi Shapiro

“Tortie” by Karen Commings

Third in the Burg is a new Harrisburg-focused take on First Fridays. On the Third Friday of each month, city galleries will be hosting special exhibitions and events throughout Harrisburg.

Rt15 ByWay of the Arts participating destinations are:

Gallery Blu, 1633 N. 3rd St.

Arts @ 510, 510 N. 3rd St.

The HodgePodgery, 1100 N. 3rd St.

Mixed media paintings by Susan Gottlieb featured at Arts @ 510 on Friday, Jnuary 15 from 5:10 – 7:10 p.m.

Don’t miss the new ceramic exhibition now on display at one of Rt15 ByWay’s art destinations: The Gallery at Penn College, Williamsport!

“Shayla Marsh, Ciphers”

Shalya Marsh’s work expresses the intrinsic limitation that language places on communication, through the use of decipherable codes and symbols.  Marsh’s hand built ceramic sculptures reference illuminated manuscripts, ancient cuneiforms, and primitive accounting systems known as tokens; these archaic systems of recording information are juxtaposed with modern codes and ciphers such as binary, substitution, and Morse.  The viewer is invited to literally decode the piece’s nonsensical pangrams and whimsical definitions.

Marsh attended the State University of New York at New Paltz, earning a BFA in Ceramics. She currently teaches ceramics at the Lancaster Museum of Art, and La Academia Partnership Charter School. Her work has been exhibited regionally and nationally including exhibitions at the Rose Lehrman Art Gallery, MICA’s Fox Gallery, the Delaware Center for Contemporary Arts, and the Center for Emerging Visual Artists.

A reception will be held TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m.

The artist will offer a lecture at 4 p.m. in SASC 1056 (presentation room), and a gallery talk at 5:30 p.m.

The PCCA Gallery, a Rt15 ByWay of the Arts Destination, located at One South Second St. in Newport, is offering a variety of fun and educational classes and workshops over the next few months. Check out the schedule below.

Classes & Workshops

“PMC-precious metal clay Workshop”

Saturday, January 16 @ 9:30am at PCCA Gallery or
Saturday, January 30 @ 9:30am at PCCA Gallery

Make a silver pendant! The Perry County Council of the Arts (PCCA) Gallery is offering a three hour Saturday workshop on PMC ®-Precious Metal Clay, a relatively new product, manufactured by Mitsubishi that allows you to make your own pure silver jewelry without all the expensive equipment of traditional jewelry making. It handles much like modeling clay but when you’re finished you have a real piece of jewelry! Instructor Diana Gregory, PMC Certified Level 1 & 2 will show students how to shape it, dry it, fire and finish.

Cost: $65 members/$75 non-members; includes a 25g pack of PMC and use of the instructor’s tools. Class size is limited to 5 participants. Contact Jasmine Colbert at PCCA Gallery for more details 717.567.7023 or pcca@perrycountyarts.org

“Playing with Color” – Watercolor Class

Saturday, February 20 @ 9:30am at PCCA Gallery

Two hour class introduces students to the art of watercolor painting, covering various applied techniques and necessary supplies. Students are encouraged to explore and determine their own style while under the guided instruction of artist illustrator and Rt15 member Carolyn Pio.

Cost: $30 members/$35 non-members; includes supplies. Class space limited to 10 students. Contact Jasmine Colbert at PCCA Gallery for more details 717.567.7023 or pcca@perrycountyarts.org

“Seat for Yourself” – Upholstery How-To

This eight-week upholstery series will be taught in the workroom of Dawn’s Upholstery, providing participants with personal, one-on-one instruction on how to give drab, dowdy furniture a makeover for hundreds less than the cost of having a professional do the job. Attendees bring furniture (to be no larger than a wing-back chair). Dawn’s Upholstery is located on 5136-B Erly Road in Elliotsburg.

Session Dates
February 2, 9, 16 & 23: Evening Session. 6 to 8pm at Dawn’s Upholstery
February 4, 11, 18 & 25: Morning Session. 10am to 12 Noon at Dawn’s Upholstery
March 2, 9, 16 & 23: Evening Session. 6 to 8pm at Dawn’s Upholstery
March 4, 11, 18 & 25: Morning Session. 10am to 12 Noon at Dawn’s Upholstery

Cost: $120 for members/$150 for non-members. Call Roger Smith at 717.567.7023 with questions or to register. Register by January 28th.

“The Art of Presentation” Place Settings, P’s & Q’s and Practical Pointers for Parties

February 3, 10 & 17 from 10am to 12 Noon at Landis House
Instructor Barbara Holliman will help students explore the rich history of silver ware, learn easy ways to use household items for table decorations, and brush up on the manners that many of us have since left in the dust of grandma’s dining room.
Cost: $25 for members/$35 for non-members. Call Roger Smith at 717.567.7023 with questions or to register. Register by January 28th.