Art Exhibit Dates November 23 to January 10
Artist Reception November 23 5 PM - 7 PM
Visit the St. Thomas Parishioner Art Show
with James Weiss, John C. Rodgers Jr., Jim Schaefer, Mike Werner, Daune Marie, Julie Phillips
Image: Dream by Mike Werner
Artist Reception and Blooming Peace Open House
Saturday, November 23, 2024 from 5 - 7 PM
Dinner at Scoogies at 7:30 (must RSVP by Nov 22)
Whitemarsh Learning & Wellness Center
7020 Camp Hill Rd., Fort Washington, PA
Meet the Artists
Reach out to any artist directly to arrange a personalized journey through the exhibition and for purchases.
25% of all sales will be dedicated to supporting Whitemarsh Learning Center, ensuring the continuation of their invaluable community programming.
Julie Phillips
(267) 530-5059
I was trained by a professional artist to paint silhouettes and tinsel paintings. The silhouettes are a form of reverse glass painting. Some people are also familiar with the cut paper version. All were popular from the late 18th century to the mid 19th century, with the Regency period in England and the Federal period in America being the height of popularity. If you look carefully in any movie based on a Jane Austin novel you will see them. In "Sence and Sensibility" Mary Ann is shown drawing one.
I have demonstrated them at many Mid-Atlantic historic sites, and taught them to a children's summer camp at Peter Wentz homestead nearby.
Jim Schaefer
My subject matter has centered around water-related material - seascapes, beach scenes and underwater views. My current work is of underwater scenes based on photos I took while scuba diving in various locations.
I began drawing and painting as an undergraduate architecture major at the University of Pennsylvania and continued at Penn as a graduate student in the masters of fine arts program. Primary influences on my work were realist painters Neil Welliver and Rackstraw Downes, both of whom taught at Penn. When I began painting I was drawn toward ocean subject matter. I have an intuitive love and understanding of oceans and beaches based on long childhood summers at the Jersey shore.
James Weiss
James Weiss is an art historian and performance artist. He holds graduate degrees from Williams College (M.A. 1983) and Yale University (M.A. 1988). His performance work has storytelling at its core, and often involves found objects. His first public performance was Spring Training (1992) at the Yale Art Gallery. His most popular performance piece is Smyth Stories (1995), a series of sweet and sorrowful stories, which tell the story of his boyhood friend, Smyth, who died from AIDS. Camera Obscura,presented at The Cleveland Performance Art Festival, (1998) and at The Philadelphia Fringe Festival (2002), is an installation artwork about voyeurism that stands on its own, but is a space in which the artist can perform. Weiss has also written two musicals, collaborating with Mickey Leone: Found Objects (2003) and The Appraiser (2024).
Since 2017, Weiss has served as the Director of The Barn at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, in Fort Washington, PA, leading more than 120 volunteers, raising money for charities by selling donated items. The Barn funds numerous outreach projects, locally and globally, including the local food pantry, The Mattie N. Dixon Community Cupboard. Since 2001, the Barn has partnered with APP (Agua Para el Pueblo) in Honduras to install gravity-fed water systems in remote villages. Weiss has also travelled to Malawi to work with GAIA (Global AIDS Interfaith Alliance) in the village of Mtengowatenga.
John C. Rodgers Jr.
I am a sculptor. My formal training has been that of a sculptor. I am also an object maker and as such I often find myself more aligned with those artists trained in the crafts disciplines. I am keenly interested in building sculptures that have a high level of craftsmanship. In the design phase of each sculpture I strive to work with the juxtaposition of curved and straight edged forms. For the construction of my pieces it has long been my goal to create and to join dissimilar materials in a unique and different way. I enjoy the challenge of joining older found objects with newer more heavily manipulated and fabricated materials. I create an aesthetic in which the clean contemporary feel of metal is softened and warmed by the rich hues and textures from exotic woods found around the world.
Daune Marie
I view art-making as a metaphor for life and a spiritual, self-nurturing practice. The intention is not on what "end product" picture is being created, but rather the attention is given to the messages received during the process and seen within the resulting images. My art is heart-focused, soul-centered, and nature-inspired. Several of the pieces in this exhibit were from a series I did on Mother Nature.
Mike Werner
I’m a St.Thomas’ parishioner, former graphic designer, and current high school art teacher. I have taught classes in black & white and digital photography, Art History, and currently focused on digital animation. My exhibit submissions are three original surreal digital prints, focused around my family and their interests. I do offer commissioned surreal prints.
Art Auction in the Entry Exhibit Room
For the first time we are offering an Art Auction! Thank you to The Barn whom donated most of the beautiful artwork available.
Artwork on display in the First Exhibit Room is available for auction.
Bidding is in-person or online: www.instagram.com/WhitemarshLearning
Auction Dates: Nov 23 to Jan 10
The winning bid is a donation to St. Thomas Church to support the Art Gallery at Whitemarsh Learning.
We will contact the winner January 10 to pick up art.
Blooming Peace Open House
We bring you tidings of great joy, BLOOMING PEACE, and goodwill as we open our doors for the first time this holiday season.
We are a NEW and unique STUDIO offering Creative Expression Experience for Well-Being.
We invite you to participate in our STUDIO “SOFT OPENING” CELEBRATION in conjunction with the Parishioners' Art Show reception in the upstairs Gallery on November 23rd from 5 PM to 7 PM.
Time will be set aside during the reception to come check out the studio space, learn about the Blooming Peace mission, meet some of the facilitators, and more.
Can't wait? Visit www.bloomingpeace.com frequently and watch for updates as our website is in the process of being enhanced to feature our event offerings and add online scheduling and payment capabilities.
Contact: dmarie@bloomingpeace.com