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Dear Friends:
Don and Audrey McKanna, owners of The Frame Haven in Springfield, Ohio, hosted a wonderful show this past weekend. I had such fun touring historic houses and seeing so many of my Ohio friends!
Dan and Rita Sheets have been collectors of my work for years and years. They come to nearly all of my Ohio shows and are often tempted to buy an original.
Before the show Friday, I got to tour the Pennsylvania House, which I featured in my special print for the show, titled The Inn at the End of the Road. I visited the Pennsylvania House years ago, when it was painted white and before it had been restored. It is currently owned by the Lagonda Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), and they operate it as a museum. It is filled with beautiful antiques and items of a local, historic nature. You should see their button collection! It’s massive, and many of them are very, very old.
Audrey McKanna, owner of The Frame Haven, is next to me on the far right. Standing in the doorway of the Pennsylvania House are, L. to R., tour guides Bonnie Nuckles and Marty O’Connor.
Touring inside the Pennsylvania House. L. to R.: tour guide Bonnie Nuckles, Deb Weisgerber, Randy Myers, and Ginny Myers. Deb, Randy, and Ginny are members of the Trees of Life Chapter of the P. Buckley Moss Society. They have each served on the Board of Directors of either the Society or the P. Buckley Moss Foundation for Children’s Education. Randy is a past president of the Foundation. They come to shows whenever they can and represent the Society and the Foundation. I’m very grateful for their support and friendship.
It was such a thrill for me to tour The Westcott House, which was designed by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1906, and recently restored. I have always admired Frank Lloyd Wright’s designs. He was a genius!
The Westcott House in Springfield, OH, was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Touring The Westcott House; L. to R.: Randy & Ginny Myers, tour guide Doug Bisher, me, Audrey McKanna, and Deb Weisgerber.
Another joy was seeing the Richards, Raff, & Dunbar Memorial Home. This funeral home—yes, a funeral home—was originally built c. 1888 as the personal home for American industrialist and two-term Ohio Governor Asa S. Bushnell. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The wood molding and stained glass windows are astounding. I would like to give a special thanks to Keith Johnson, who made it possible for us to tour this treasure.
This castle-like mansion is now a funeral home—what a send-off! The carriage house, not pictured, is bigger than my house and your house combined, I’m sure. It’s absolutely gorgeous.
I had the privilege of staying at the beautiful, historic Simon Kenton Inn while I was in Springfield for the show. The Inn was originally the home of Simon Kenton, a well-known Indian fighter, Revolutionary War scout, and frontiersman. I especially loved the kitchen, with its huge fireplace.
All the site-seeing gave us an appetite, and a group of us went to lunch at “The Winds” in Yellow Springs after touring. Front row, L. to R.: Gesa Eimer, former owner of The Frame Haven; Audrey McKanna, current owner of The Frame Haven; me; and Nancy Lutz, co-leader of the Children’s Rescue Center, Inc.. Back row, L. to R.: Deb Weisgerber; Cindy Knotts; and Susie Rastetter, co-leader of the Children’s Rescue Center, Inc. The Frame Haven will donate a portion of the proceeds from their sales of The Inn at the End of the Road, from their show through the end of the year, to the Children’s Rescue Center. Nancy and Susie started the organization to provide after school programs for children, parenting classes and other educational resources for single parents, and Daily Bread Pantries.
After our historic homes tour, it was show time! What a joy to see so many friendly, enthusiastic people!
This weekend, I’ll be with my friends at Ginger’s Hang-Up in Omaha, Nebraska. Owner Jeff Bosiljevac has some exciting things planned for me, and I can hardly wait to show my new giclée on paper, titled This is the Good Life. The image depicts a gentle Nebraska prairie scene and features Chimney Rock in the background. Chimney Rock is a historic natural landmark located in the North Platte River Valley and was well-known to pioneers traveling west on the Oregon, Mormon, and California Trails. Jeff and I will also release a new open edition poster, titled Nebraska-The Good Life, during the show.
This is the Good Life, above, will be released as a giclée on paper during my show with Ginger’s Hang-Up in Omaha, NE, September 26. We’ll also release my new poster Nebraska-The Good Life, pictured below. For more information, please contact the gallery at 402-391-6440.
When I was in Omaha for a show with Ginger’s Hang-Up in 2007, I got to see the Holy Family Shrine, which is located on a high hill in the bluffs overlooking the Platte Valley. From the distance it looks a little like a huge corncrib on the top of a hill, but it is truly one of the most architecturally interesting buildings I have ever been in. It also has a visitors’ center that features a sheet metal sculpture hanging from above. It represents the shroud of Christ, and water drips from it into a pool below. From the pool, the water (symbolic of the Holy Spirit) flows northward and seems to exit the building. It flows through a forecourt to the chapel and on into its interior, all the way to the altar, where it forms a pond. The altar appears to float above it. It is so lovely! Since I was there, a magnificent replica of the crucifixion has been added to the outside of the chapel.
I just had to create a painting of the Holy Family Shrine, and it will be released as a giclée on paper by the same name during my show with Ginger’s Hang-Up this weekend. Please contact Jeff at 402-391-6440.
It’s time for another Chapter Focus! This week’s chapter is Moss in the Country, which is located in the Botetourt County area of Virginia. In the fall of 1994, two members of the Moss in the Valley Chapter, based in Roanoke, Virginia, decided it was time to organize a chapter of the P. Buckley Moss Society closer to home. A social, which was held in Daleville on November 14, 1994, was the start of Moss in the Country. The chapter has grown to 71 members, who will be celebrating their 15th anniversary in November.
The members of Moss in the Country Chapter, Botetourt, VA.
Meetings are held the third Monday of each month at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Daleville. The meetings include a program of interest, a business meeting, a Moss raffle, refreshments, and fellowship. Past programs have included an antique appraiser; various musical performances; speakers from organizations such as the Juvenile Diabetes Association, the American Heart Association, and the American Cancer Society; and several interesting speakers on local history. Some of the programs have been field trips. Chapter members recently took some of their favorite Moss art on the road to a local nursing facility, and they’ve also toured the Ronald McDonald House, the Roanoke Rescue Mission, The Achievement Center, the local Court House, and Apple Barn Gallery. The August meeting is usually a potluck dinner and silent auction, which is so much fun for the members. They use the money raised for various charitable endeavors. The December meeting is an annual Christmas dinner meeting. Members and their guests enjoy dinner at a nice restaurant, along with an ornament exchange, door prizes, and a raffle of Moss items.
Members are always encouraged to present a “need” to the group. The Chapter has helped local people in so many ways, including the special needs classes in the schools, an injured Botetourt fireman, gas needs for the Shriner’s, After Prom Parties for both James River and Lord Botetourt High Schools, a teenager with cancer, and an infant’s liver transplant. The Chapter has also purchased Moss books for all the elementary school libraries in the county and has provided scholarships for local teachers to attend the P. Buckley Moss Foundation for Children’s Education’s Annual Creative Minds Conference.
Members of Moss in the Country bagging rice to take to the Botetourt Food Pantry.
Each year the Chapter raffles a print donated by the P. Buckley Moss Society from its charity print collection to benefit a charity voted on by the group. The Chapter’s current raffle will benefit the Local Office on Aging. Past raffle beneficiaries include the Ronald McDonald House, the Therapeutic Riding Program, the Child Health Investment Partnership, St. Francis of Assisi Helper Dog Program, the Greenvale Nursery Sick Child Program, the Rescue Mission Women’s Shelter, The Achievement Center, the Blue Ridge Autistic Center, and six Botetourt County Elementary Art Programs.
Moss in the Country members always volunteer to help out at gallery shows and nearby Moss Collectors’ Conventions. They are a very active and welcoming group. If you are interested in joining Moss in the Country or learning more about their activities, please contact Rachel Nichols at 540-992-3551 or ab2va@aol.com.
Love,
Pat
The Moss
Portfolio
74 Poplar Grove Lane
Mathews, VA 23109
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©P. Buckley Moss 2009