P. Buckley Moss e-newsletter

Dear Friends:

I was so thrilled to show my new pieces over the weekend at The Hotel Roanoke. It is such a wonderful place to have conventions and shows my work at its best.

My dealers came from near and far, the nearest being Mary Ann Warren of Graphics, Etc., in Roanoke and Rachel Nichols of Apple Barn Gallery in Buchanan. I think Canada Goose Gallery from Waynesville, Ohio, travelled the farthest. Gallery owners Laura DeRamus and Kathy Heims come to every convention. They are ever so faithful and always bring a framed piece for the Framing Competition and auction. This year, we didn’t have a Framing Competition, so they donated their framed piece for our next fundraiser for the P. Buckley Moss Foundation for Children’s Education, which will be held at Barren Ridge Vineyards July 12, 6:30-8:30 p.m. All the proceeds from the event will go toward the education of learning different children, either through scholarships for students or grants for teachers. If you come to this fabulous affair, please be generous in your bidding and know that the money raised will be used for children’s education. Not every child has the same support in their early life, and I know I’m grateful for all the support I got as a learning different child from my mother.

My convention weekend kicked off by attending an art exhibit at HopeTree Family Services in Salem, Virginia, Wednesday afternoon. The exhibit featured the work of Jimmy Hickson, who has been a participant in HopeTree’s Developmental Disabilities In-Home Services Program since 2001. HopeTree is a remarkable place. The staff members are so genuine and so caring, and I was impressed with how happy and how well-run everything was there. It was a joy.

With artist Jimmy Hickson at HopeTree Family Services in Salem, VA. I loved his dog painting!

L to R: Dr. Stephen Richerson, President of HopeTree; me; Gerri Wade, HopeTree VP of Developmentally Disabled Ministries; and Johnny Nash, HopeTree VP of Children's Ministries.

Thursday morning I had a fun interview with Karen McNew of WSLS Channel 10 in the lobby of The Hotel Roanoke. Both she and the cameraman have family who have collected my work in the past. It’s a treat to talk about family and collections.

I had a great interview with WSLS Ch. 10’s Karen McNew Thursday morning.

Shortly after my interview, Rob Murphy, Director of Development for Sunnyside Retirement Communities, picked me up and whisked me away to Martinsville to give a talk at their King’s Grant community. It was absolutely beautiful. I think my mother would have approved. She was a resident at their Summit Square community in Waynesboro. They certainly do things well. I was delighted to see some old neighbors and friends from Waynesboro, and some of them came to the convention on Saturday.

Giving my talk at King’s Grant in Martinsville. Note the print in the background. I published From Humble Beginnings to a Century of Caring in honor of Sunnyside Retirement Communities’ 100th Anniversary last year. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this print helps to support care for Sunnyside’s residents.

I very much enjoyed meeting Bob Phipps at King’s Grant. He has a wonderful story of working with the government and the navy.

Libby Kormos is a collector of my art and an old neighbor from Waynesboro, VA. She seemed to remember all my children.

The Moss in the Valley Chapter of the P. Buckley Moss Society coordinated a tour and a luncheon at the O. Winston Link Museum in Roanoke for Friday morning. There were about forty of us, and it was fascinating. It’s a great place to take children, and I met a teacher who took her class there. She made them get dressed up to go to lunch at The Hotel Roanoke afterward and incorporated etiquette into her lesson by teaching them about holding doors and chairs and how to handle their silverware properly. She came to the convention afterward, and I hope that in the future she will bring her class to one of my shows. I love to talk to young people about what I’m doing and what can be done.

L. to R.: Noel Cosby, me, and Jim Cosby at the O. Winston Link Museum. Jim is the Treasurer of the Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society and Chairman of the Virginian Station Restoration Committee.

Jim Cosby and Jake Henderson, President of P. Buckley Moss Galleries, Ltd.

Birthday girls! My friend May Johnson from Pennsylvania was also celebrating her birthday last weekend. This sinfully good cake was our dessert for the luncheon at the Link Museum.

Roanoke is where I had my very first show outdoors, and it was an honor to receive the Key to the City and a lovely Proclamation naming May 24-25, 2013, as P. Buckley Moss Days. I was impressed and very thankful. Hurray for Mr. Beverly T. Fitzpatrick, Executive Director of the Virginia Transportation Museum and former Vice Chairman of the Roanoke City Council! He came to the convention Friday evening and gave me the Key and the Proclamation. He was such fun, and everyone loved him.

Beverly Fitzpatrick came to the convention Friday evening and gave me the Key to the City and a Proclamation from the Mayor. Bev is the Executive Director of the Virginia Transportation Museum and former Vice Chairman of the Roanoke City Council. He was also instrumental in helping me get permission and reference photos so I could paint The Virginian, featuring the Virginian Railway Passenger Station, for the convention.

We celebrated several things last weekend: Memorial Day, the convention, and my birthday, which was actually May 20. I think the best gifts one can have in this world are one’s children and one’s friends, and I certainly felt like I had both this past weekend. Thank you, all my friends! Thank you for being in Roanoke on a special weekend.

After the Dinner Dance Saturday night, members of the Moss in the Country Chapter of the Society presented me with a gift of an apple crate, courtesy of Apple Barn Gallery, full of delightful, wonderful things like homemade pickles, dark chocolate candy bars, fruit, etc. What a joy and what friends! They certainly put a smile on my face.

Don Bunce, seated far left, is a member of the Society’s Moss in the Valley Chapter, and he made me this glorious quilt for my birthday. What a happy surprise!

Happy birthday to me! Saturday night’s Dinner Dance doubled as my 80th birthday party. My dear friends May Johnson and Phillip Roark were also celebrating birthdays last weekend and came up to help blow out the candles.

Friends from the past. The lovely lady on the far right has attended one of the Foundation’s Creative Minds Conferences for teachers.

I couldn’t resist joining the Society’s Trees of Life Chapter, who came all the way from Defiance, OH, for their depiction of Ho! Ho! Ohio!during the Costume Parade. What fun!

There is so much to see in Roanoke, and I hope you will visit and experience all it has to offer. We will return another year!

Another week and my granddaughter Chiara Gabellieri will be graduating from high school. Last week she received a gold cord from the National Honor Society, and this week she received a pink cord at the TriM Music Honor Society Ceremony, which was held on the grounds of my Museum. Chiara has been a member of TriM for all four years of high school. Members are required to be enrolled in a music class each year, fulfill ten community service hours, and support the musical programs in our area by attending at least five events. We are all very proud of her.

Chiara, far right, with her National Honor Society friends.

The TriM Music Honor Society Ceremony was held on the grounds of the P. Buckley Moss Museum Tuesday night, and my granddaughter Chiara received her pink cord.

Our quiet little County of Mathews will host a car show and concert this Saturday, June 1, with the proceeds to benefit local law enforcement, fire, and rescue. I hear it’s going to be quite an event!

Love,
Pat

Fundraising Opportunity for the P. Buckley Moss Foundation for Children’s Education

Pufferbellies Toys and Books for Children, located at 15 W. Johnson Street in Staunton, Virginia, is offering its charitable giving program called “Shop Sundays for a Cause” in June to the Foundation. If you shop at Pufferbellies Toys and Books during any Sunday in June, it will donate 10% of the Sunday’s sale to the Foundation. Please visit this wonderful and unique shop on a Sunday in June.

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