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Dear Friends:
It was lovely to be back in Roanoke, Virginia, and to be in the area of the Roanoke Farmers’ Market and see it bustling and all the wonderful little shops—not that I had time to shop, but you know I do love it. I was there for my show with my friend Mary Ann Warren at Graphics, Etc., and to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Moss in the Valley Chapter of the P. Buckley Moss Society.
Graphics, Etc., owner Mary Ann Warren, left, and I with the show print Spring Together.
Thursday afternoon I met Peter Lewis, a delightful man who runs Apple Ridge Farm, Inc., in Copper Hill, Virginia. Apple Ridge Farm provides outdoor and educational experiences for at-risk youth and will be the beneficiary of the Moss in the Valley Chapter’s raffle this year.
L. to R.: Peter Lewis, Apple Ridge Farm, Inc.; Mary Ann Warren, Graphics, Etc.; Linda Markham, President, Moss in the Valley Chapter; and me. Moss in the Valley is raffling the remarqued and framed Colonial Winter print hanging behind us to benefit Apple Ridge Farm, Inc. I remarqued the print, which was donated by the P. Buckley Moss Society from its charity print collection. The framing was donated by Graphics, Etc.
Friday morning my daughter Patty and I were treated to a wonderful tour of the Taubman Museum of Art. We went with members of the Moss in the Valley Chapter, and we had such fun. Mary Ann Warren, owner of Graphics, Etc., even took the time to join us, too. If you’re ever in Roanoke and can visit the museum, try to get one of the docents to take you around. We had a delightful, knowledgeable woman who loved the museum and made it very special for us. After our tour we had lunch at the museum’s café and then walked over to Graphics, Etc., for the show.
Members of the Moss in the Valley Chapter, my daughter Patty, and I enjoyed our tour of the Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke, Va., very much. Note how the stairs have a green glow. The steps are glass with green lights under them—very effective and beautiful!
As we toured the museum, I was so happy to see that a painting had been donated in honor of Peter Rippe. It hangs in the Contemporary Art Gallery of the museum. I’m sure many of you remember that Peter was the first director of my Museum in Waynesboro, Virginia, and was responsible for helping to get it set up and established. We were so lucky to have Peter. He had been the director of The Roanoke Museum of Fine Arts and had given me an important retrospective show that helped draw attention to my work. Peter is a delightful man, and everyone at my Museum loved him. My mother especially thought that he belonged to her. As I looked at this painting, I tried to look at it with Peter’s eyes and figure out the things that he would notice and find interesting.
We left in time Friday afternoon to drive to Radford for my granddaughter Sarah Donnelly’s graduation ceremony. After raining for two days, the sun came out as we left the show, and it turned out to be a beautiful evening with a lovely breeze. The ceremony was supposed to be held outdoors; but, when it looked like it would be rained out, plans were made to move it inside. We are all grateful that Mother Nature smiled on us and stopped the rain in time for the ceremony to be held outdoors after all. It was beautiful.
Sarah and Valedictorian Sanjay Kishore received the King Award, which is a pewter cup and scholarship for the “Best All-Round” Senior, as voted on by the faculty. Sarah also received the Mickey Clements Award for “Nobility of Character”, as voted on by the faculty and coaches, and the Norman G. Lineburg Scholarship. I am so proud that Sarah has been accepted to Virginia Tech’s Engineering Department.
Sarah’s friend Sanjay Kishore was Valedictorian, and he gave a terrific speech. I loved it. He even mentioned Sarah teasing him about being a vegetarian.
Our family gathered in my daughter Mary’s kitchen after graduation. She’s Sarah’s proud mother. Top: Mary Morgan. Middle, L. to R.: Picco Gabellieri, Ginny Moss (Gabellieri), Sean Donnelly, me, Mary Donnelly, Chiara Gabellieri, Kerry Donnelly, and Patty Moss. Bottom/Front: Sarah Donnelly.
So many children in my “extended Moss family” of staff members and friends are either graduating or advancing to the next grade with honors. We are so proud of them all.
We have another quilt for the P. Buckley Moss Foundation for Children’s Education to use in a future fundraising auction or raffle! This one was made by Pat Fynquist of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Pat is the aunt of Kay Frizzell’s husband, and Kay works at White’s Gallery in Osceola, Iowa. Kay played a role in getting her Aunt Pat to agree to make a quilt for the Foundation, and I’m very grateful.
Pat Fynquist, above, of Fort Wayne, In., made this breathtaking quilt for the Foundation. What makes it all the more special is that she did every stitch of the quilting by hand! The centerpiece of the quilt is one of my painted fabric centerpieces.
I’m packing my bags for Italy now. I can hardly wait to see my granddaughters Michela and Sofia Ghezzi, my daughter Becky (their mom), and her husband Roberto. I’m also looking forward to seeing my etching studio, where I hope to work for the next couple weeks. Then, we’ll all go over to Rome for the Society’s group cruise on the Mediterranean. It’s going to be such fun!
Love,
Pat
The Moss
Portfolio
74 Poplar Grove Lane
Mathews, VA 23109
(800) 430-1320
©P. Buckley Moss 2009