Featured Artists

Peg Belcastro
Artist Statement

Color is everything! I love how the palette of a painting sets the mood for the narrative within. Creating my paintings using many layers of colors, collage elements, mark-making tools and whole-body movements is a joyful experience for me, and I like to think that the viewer feels that joy when observing my work. I keep this quote by Mark Rothko always in mind, “A painting is not a picture of an experience, it IS an experience.” When painting with an attitude of playfulness, I find myself less concerned with the rules of art-making and more connected to my own spirit. I easily become smitten with the lusciousness of a color, the curve of a line or the impact of patterns on the canvas. Working intuitively, I respond to the last brushstroke with the next one, building up layers of colors, marks and washes that provide depth for the final piece.

Kristin Blanck
Artist Statement
“Time Out of Place”

Growing up in Chester County my travels were somewhat limited and certainly not exotic in destination. My first international trip as a fashion designer was to Hong Kong. From the minute I stepped off the plane I was absolutely captivated. The city was nothing like anything I had ever experienced and I loved everything. Upon returning home I immediately marched into the vice president of the company’s office and told him if they wanted a liaison based in Hong Kong I would go happily. Sadly, that was not to be, but I was fortunate to return
numerous times a year for over a decade.

It wasn’t a conscious decision, but on every trip I ended up boarding the plane home carrying boxes filled with blue and white chinoiserie. Over the years these pieces have graced my table and held beautiful flowers, but most often they have served as inspiration for still life’s. There is something unique about the blue and white coloration in that it seems to complement most other colors. While not “neutral”, they operate as such in my mind. I love capturing the various blue tones, the luminosity of the white areas, and the traditional Asian motifs. Above all, when I stage and paint pieces from this collection, I am reminded of the magical travel opportunities I was afforded during my previous career.

Janet Smedley
Artist Statement

Summer on the Farm is my celebration of the joy, warmth and peace that summertime has
always brought into my life. This collection is inspired by treasured childhood memories of
spending summers on my grandparent’s farm in Chester County, where the days seemed
endless and life moved at a gentler pace. I remember sweet corn picked fresh for dinner,
followed by ice cream from the local creamery all enjoyed on the large screen porch on the
hottest nights. We would even sleep there listening to the sounds of summer. I remember my
grandmother’s gentle hands, the chickens and goats that provided fresh eggs and milk, and the
quiet harmony of country life memories that continue to fill me with gratitude and have become
the heart of these paintings.
Color is the language I used to express these memories, Cadmium Yellow Deep is the dominant
color throughout this collection, capturing the warmth and radiance of summer sunlight mixed
with cobalt teal and ultramarine blue. It creates an endless variety of warm and cool greens that
echo the fields, gardens and skies of the season. I wanted every painting to glow with the
richness of summer’s yellow, greens and blues. The subjects themselves are natural
ambassadors of summer. Sunflowers with their bold faces turned toward the sun are the
quintessential summer flower and this year, my daughter’s beautiful Dahlias became another
joyful source of inspiration with their brilliant colors and intricate petals.
Scattered throughout the collection are my whimsical sheep, whose playful personalities never
failed to make me smile. They bring a sense of humor and lightheartedness to the paintings,
reminding us that joy can often be found in the simplest moments.
My hope is that Summer on the Farm offers viewers a place to pause, smile and remember
their own happy seasons. Whether through the brilliance of a sunflower, the beauty of a
blooming Dahlia, the peaceful presence of grazing sheep, I hope these paintings evoke warmth,
nostalgia and the enduring happiness found in life simplest pleasures.