Celebrating 66 years of art, education & regional flare
By Kim Chiomento, Staff Writer, The Times
(L to R) Shawn Dutkiewicz – CFE Principal, Co-Chairs Kara Hyman & Maggie Niemkiewicz (holding McCormack’s Still Life with Peonies) and Featured Artist, Shawn Faust – holding his Fall Trio. Not pictured: Lisa Albany – Co Chair and Ana Delia McCormack –Donating Artist.
PENNSBURY – Chadds Ford Elementary School (CFE) will be hosting its popular annual fundraising Art Show and Sale March 20th – 21st. Founded in 1949 by Betsy Wyeth, today More than 70 professional artists from the Brandywine Valley, and beyond, will showcase a wide variety of art and price points.
“Word is, this show is not to be missed,” says CFE’s Principal Shawn Dutkiewicz, “This will be my first year attending and I am really looking forward to it…It’s incredible for a school to have a close, ongoing relationship with the Wyeth Family. This is a unique and very special situation; certainly unlike any other I am aware of.”
Shawn Faust, who is widely recognized as one of the premier equine artists in America, is the 2015 CFE Art Show Featured Artist. His work can be found hanging in many prestigious corporate and private collections. Those attending will have the opportunity to enjoy Faust’s Fall Trio along with the unveiling of his just completed Pony ‘n Birches oil painting.
In a recent interview with The Times, Faust revealed that Pony n Birches is one of his all-time personal favorite paintings; adding to the excitement of its upcoming unveiling. Faust was captivated by the beauty, quietness and serenity on a snowy day at Lums Pond Equestrian Center.
“I still believe one of the hardest things to do is capture someone or something’s likeness…portraits for me are all about the eyes. In Birches, there was such a peacefulness in horse’s eyes that day, it was a joy to capture the moment.” During our interview, Faust most generously agreed to share a sneak peek of this stunningly life like ‘white on white’ painting for The Times readership to enjoy (please see photo insert.)
A very special sneak-peek of Faust’s Pony ‘n Birches that will be unveiled at the CFE Art Sale & Show.
Thanks to his self-taught artist and grandfather, Alexander Rand, Shawn became fascinated with the capabilities of an artist’s charcoal and the impact simple lines can make on depth and perspective. He watched his grandfather magically change a piece of paper and charcoal marks into a two dimensional drawing.
“My grandfather snapped his charcoal in two; that completely startled me as it was SUCH a ‘no-no’, we were absolutely supposed to take good care of things, not break them,” says Faust, “He then used the broken charcoal to swiftly create bold lines for a tree’s trunk and then pressed the blunt end into the paper, twisted it to create unique tree leaves for his sketch…At the age of six I was hooked…I began snapping all of my new crayons and doodling nonstop!”
Faust encourages young artist to draw whatever inspires them. “Figure out how to capture what you love and put it into two dimensions. For me, early on it was comics; which eventually led to a strong interest in human and animal forms.” Interestingly, Faust did not touch a paint brush until he was in high school and is a huge advocate of drawing and doodling; explaining, “It is the best way to keep your eyes moving, having them continually evaluate shapes and learn to interpret them on paper.”
Another highlight of the show is celebrated local gallery owner and 2015 Donating Artist Ana Delia McCormack’s Still Life with Peonies. McCormack obtained a strong Latin influence from her native country of Venezuela and likes to paint objects from nature, especially flowers, and capture them with bright, vibrant twists of color and light.
The Show takes on an interesting new twist this year with the addition of the ‘Art Salon’; a more intimate area that will showcase five local, contemporary artists and their works in steel, encaustic painting, and various mixed medium art. Attendees can also enjoy a guest speaker, meet the artists, take tours of CFE’s art collection, and for a small fee, kids can spend time in the Children’s Art Café .
If you go:
66th Annual Chadds Ford Art Sale & Show
When: Friday, March 20th (ADULTS ONLY) 7 – 10 PM: Preview, Reception & Sale
Saturday, March 21st (FAMILY FRIENDLY), 10 AM – 4 PM: Exhibit& Art Sale
Events: “The Salon” – A special exhibition titled “Other Points of View”.
Artisan Showcase – Saturday, March 21, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Art Tours – free guided tours of CFE’s art collection: Saturday, March 21, 1 & 2 PM
Saturday, 2:30 PM: “History of Chadds Ford’ Talk by Carla Westerman
Children’s Art Cafe – Saturday, 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM (charge applies)
Where: Chadds Ford Elementary School, 3 Baltimore Pike, Chadds Ford, PA 19317
(610) 388-1112 Located on Route 1 across from the Brandywine River Museum
Admission: FREE – open to the public.
Raffles:“Seed Corn” by Andrew Wyeth. This 23”x26” framed print is signed by Andrew Wyeth. Also print “A Century of Wyeths” by Jamie Wyeth and more.
Details: 30% of all art purchases are tax deductible. All proceeds support educational enrichment programs at Chadds Ford Elementary School. http://cfes.ucfsd.org/artshow. For details contact Diane Micklin, Art Show Publicity Chair 484-832-8173.
