Dear Friends,
After two weekends that have included extensive grandchildren activities, I have devoted a whole week to painting and excluded any form of distraction. This week's letter therefore is largely about the serious matter of work and about the next big event on my calendar, the Dayton Convention.
Knowing I had no commitments to time allowed me to give all of my mind to creating. There was no need to be conscious of time because I had no appointment to be kept. There was no need to prepare food at a certain hour because there was only me to feed and that I could delay until the mood to break for eating came upon me.
During this time, I worked on the details of the paintings that will
be subjects of special prints at the Dayton Convention.
This year Ohio celebrates two hundred years of Statehood and one hundred
years since the Wright brothers' first flight.
Ohio Legacy, the large convention print, may be ordered until October
5th. Collectors do not have to be present at the convention to purchase
this print.
In the official convention print, I have represented the Statehood by placing the Capitol building in the center of the image. To honor the history of the early pioneers I then included two of my favorite grist mills, Clifton Mill and Lanterman's Mill. These mills, the originals of which both predate Ohio's statehood, were focal points for early settlers who brought their corn and wheat to be made into meal and flour.
I have been present at both mills when their water wheels have been filled and the grinding stones have lumbered into action. The noise of the stones doing their grinding and the vibrations they bring to the whole building is thrilling and leaves a lasting impression of the important part the mills played in the pioneering days.
It was inevitable that I should include a covered bridge. There are more than one hundred and thirty surviving covered bridges in the State of Ohio. The bridge I have shown is a tribute to each and to all who have helped preserve them over the years. On icy nights these bridges remained passable without risk of life from plunging into the freezing waters below. They also were trysting places for lovers seeking a sheltered corner. They each played a part in their local history.
Lastly I added the Wright Brothers' first plane. Ohio is justly proud of its premier place in aviation history. With our convention being in Dayton and this the centenary of the famous flight, I decided to move history forward a hundred years and include the brothers' plane.
Schoolhouse Visitors, the small convention print, may be purchased
only at the convention.
The small convention print shows two of my Canada geese in front of the one-roomed school found in Carillon Park, Dayton. This school will be close by the Neil's Heritage House, where my friends from PALS (Positive attitudes, love and support) for Life, the breast cancer support group that I have long been associated with, will hold a luncheon on Friday. The $20 luncheon tickets are available from PALS for Life by calling 1-877-LUV-MOSS. This number is for luncheon tickets only. For convention tickets call your local Moss dealer or The Moss Portfolio at 1-800-430-1320 for more information. I hope that those of you who can will join me there.
Proceeds from Sisterhood will benefit PALS for Life, a breast
cancer support group.
To further support PALS for Life there will be an opportunity to purchase the print I have called Sisterhood. The gentle expressions of the girls with their baskets reflects the love and generosity that I have come to identify with the wonderful ladies of this cancer support group. As a multi-year survivor of breast cancer, I am very happy that a part of the proceeds of this print will also benefit this most important volunteer service.
I am including two more prints to be launched at the convention. The
triptych (three separate but related images combined to make a single
print), Treasures of Ohio, depicts Carriage Hill Farm, Newcome
Tavern and the Wright Brothers' Bicycle Shop. The final print is of Wright
Patterson Air force Base with a Convair F106-A, a tribute to our Air Force
and their contribution to our National security. These two prints, along
with Schoolhouse Visitors and Ohio Legacy will be available
for purchase at the convention and I will be happy to sign them for you,
and also any other two prints you choose to bring with you from home.
Wow! This is a lot to be telling you! I know it probably does not mean
much to you folks from Virginia or Iowa and other places far from Ohio
but this time it is Ohio's turn and I want the people of Ohio to know
that I have a great regard for them, a regard born of more than twenty
years of friendship. I have done my best to pay my respects with these
paintings.
Treasures of Ohio features three special Ohio landmarks.
Convair F106-A "Delta Dart" is a tribute to the United States
Air Force.
Hey! You do not have to be a Buckeye to come to this convention and have a great time. Those of you who have been reading my letters for a while will remember the photos taken at the Richmond convention and at previous conventions. The photos are proof of the spirit of friendship and fun that is present from the start to the finish of a convention. You can plan to be with us the whole time or just for a part. You do not need to find a friend to come with, you will make friends amongst us. We are a relaxed warm-hearted group and we do not let anyone feel left out.
I am continuing to work in my Mathews studio until Thursday when I will head for Waynesboro and the Museum, where my daughter Ginny and I are planning to plant flowers. We want to make a special display for the weekend following the convention, October 10-12, when I will be hosting a signing event at the Museum and my barn studio. This will be the weekend of the Waynesboro Fall Festival and hopefully we will see the fall foliage at its best.
Arabella Amy Henderson, Malcolm's newest granddaughter.
After all the grandchildren photos I showed in the previous two newsletters, I cannot let this letter close without a grandchild shot. The photo you see is of Arabella Amy Henderson, Malcolm's newest granddaughter born in London on August 17th and weighing 5 lbs. She is a beauty and we will soon be visiting her.
Until next week.
Love,
Pat
PS. I am including two photos Malcolm has sent back from Panama.
With one hundred boys and girls in a school designed for thirty, grades
five and six combine to use an improvised classroom. Some the desks seen
in this photograph were made by parents. The children's attention to their
teacher is proof of their eagerness to learn.
In a break from writing, Malcolm and Andres, the senior of the two Indians who work his little farm, visited the school on the other side of the lagoon, taking notebooks and pencils for the one hundred plus students. They found the school's water catchment system broken and this week will meet with the parents to discuss what is needed to get it working again.
Kico and Chonbito, two of the farm children, pay attention to dental
hygiene in this unsolicited photograph.
The Moss
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HC 69 Box 17118 Poplar Grove Lane
Mathews, VA 23109
(800) 430-1320
©P. Buckley Moss 2003
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