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Dear Friends:
This past Saturday, members of my Mathews, Virginia, staff participated in the First Annual Bobby Stewart 5k Walk/Run to benefit the Gloucester-Mathews Free Clinic and the Ware Academy Scholarship. The Moss Portfolio was a water station sponsor. Bobby, Jr., as he was affectionately called, was a native son of Mathews County, a respected physician, and a beloved friend to all who knew him. The Walk/Run was organized in celebration of his spirit.
I wish I could have been with the staff participating in the charity walk, but I received a last-minute birthday party invitation for a dear friend in St. Petersburg, Florida, and I flew down for the weekend. Friends are special, and we must support them and celebrate with them.
Members of The Moss Portfolio staff and friend Mary Morgan participated in the First Annual Bobby Stewart 5k Walk/Run in Mathews, VA, this past Saturday. Back row, l. to r.: Cathy Williams, Lori Dixon, and Michelle Berrier. Front row, l. to r.: Patty Moss, Christy Moughon, and Mary Morgan.
I’ll return to Virginia just in time for this weekend’s Museum Open House and Barn Show. The Valley will be beautiful. We’ve had a little cold spell that has slowed down the blooming process just at the right time, so the blooms should still be on the dogwoods, redbuds, and other flowers this weekend. Virginia is so beautiful this time of year.
The special print edition that will be released during this weekend’s show is titled Secret Garden and is based on a painting I did many years ago while vacationing in the south of France. I had been showing in Nice and afterward stayed at the San Michele for a little while. I was delighted when I discovered the garden, which I often had all to myself. I sat and absorbed its peace and tranquility and painted to my heart’s content. The result was this painting.
Secret Garden will be released at my Museum Open House and Barn show in Waynesboro, VA, April 18-20. For more information, contact the P. Buckley Moss Museum at 1-800-343-8643.
I will always remember that vacation with joy, for the wonderful view of the Côte d’Azur, that blessedly peaceful garden, and for the delightful antics of Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner. They were staying at the San Michele, too, and it was such a treat to watch them together. They were both so vibrant and full of life and fun. When I think about the tree in that garden, I think of the lives it has seen and those who have enjoyed its shade and peace. I think about the beauty that’s all around for us to enjoy and the beauty of life.
Dubuque, Iowa, is celebrating its 175th anniversary this year. Participating in the celebrations, Creative Touch Gallery in Dubuque is holding a “Show Without Moss” April 21-May 3, and I have created a special print edition to commemorate the event. Dubuque’s 175th “Terquasquicentennial” Celebration features, left to right, the Town Clock, Dubuque County Courthouse, and the Julien Dubuque Monument. I want you all to know that I have learned a new word, one that I didn’t even know existed before creating this painting and print edition. “Terquasquicentennial” means 175th. This is a good example of how learning different people like myself—I have dyslexia—learn through the arts.
Dubuque’s 175th “Terquasquicentennial” Celebration will be released during Creative Touch’s Show Without Moss April 21-May 3. For more information, please contact the gallery at 563-556-6279.
Last week, playwright Greg Johnson, his wife Libby, and some of their friends visited Cortona, Italy, and paid a visit to my daughter Becky and her family. Greg wrote the play Thursday’s Child about my life, my art, and my work on behalf of learning different children. The play premiered last August at the Greenbrier Valley Theatre in Lewisburg, West Virginia. The P. Buckley Moss Society Board of Directors has been working with Greg to film the play and release it on DVD. The target date for the filming and release is early 2009.
Greg Johnson, seated on the left; his wife Libby; and some of their friends had lunch in Cortona, Italy, last week with my daughter Becky and granddaughter Michela (at the head of the table).
I’m excited about the upcoming May 15 airing of the documentary that WVPT has made about my life and my art. WVPT is Harrisonburg, Virginia’s, public television station, and they have such wonderfully interesting and educational programs. I’ve enjoyed working with their film crew this past year. They were a creative group and so much fun to be with. I’ve been a supporter of WVPT and public television for many years, donating a special print edition each year since 1980. This year’s special print for WVPT is titled Winter’s Peace and will be unveiled during this weekend’s Museum Open House and Barn Show.
Winter’s Peace will be available through WVPT-TV in Harrisonburg, VA. For more information, contact WVPT at 540-434-5391.
This week marks the one-year anniversary of the tragic shooting at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, last year. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the victims, including the family of the troubled young man who perpetrated the tragedy. Those of us with children and grandchildren can certainly imagine what a terrible burden their loss is to bear.
’Til next week…
Love,
Pat
"Welcome to our country, Pope Benedict XVI!" I pray the Pope’s visit this week will inspire better understanding, compassion, and peace in all of us.
The Moss
Portfolio
74 Poplar Grove Lane
Mathews, VA 23109
(800) 430-1320
©P. Buckley Moss 2005