Public Invited to Nature Art Showcase and Sale on February 3 & 4

The public is invited to attend the free Seventh Annual Nature Art Showcase and Sale being held on February 3 and 4 in downtown Franklin, PA. This indoor art exhibit is conducted in the main lobby of the Barrow-Civic Theatre, 1223 Liberty Street, adjacent to the public park where ice carvings are featured during the ‘Franklin on Ice” Festival. Details are posted at www.nwpagreenways.org.

Original works of art depicting four seasons of outdoor recreational activities as well as landscapes and close-ups of scenes, plants, wildlife, and fascinating settings found in northwestern Pennsylvania have been registered by 71 artists, which is more than previous Showcases. Participating artists (many of whom will be in attendance during the Friday evening, February 3 free public reception from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m.) will each bring one or two art items from these eight Pennsylvania Counties – Butler, Clarion, Crawford, Forest, Jefferson, Mercer, Venango, and Warren. The Saturday, February 4 hours for the Showcase and Sale are 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.

A wide variety of 2-D and 3-D art is registered for this year’s in-person event, with over 70% of those available for on-site purchase. Examples include acrylic paintings on canvas, alcohol ink paintings on tile and on YUPO synthetic paper, charcoal drawing, fiber arts, painted porcelain, metal work, oil paintings on canvas and on cross-cut wood, pastel drawings, pencil drawings, digital photos, pottery, reclaimed wood tables, mosaics, stoneware, wood burning, wood carving, pressed plants, and more.

For instance, Kirby Neubert of Seneca, PA has been a professional woodcarver for over 30 years, and an outdoor photographer for about 40 years. His entries in this Showcase incorporate both talents, as illustrated by the accompanying picture, entitled “A River Runs Through It,” a scene along the Allegheny River in Warren contained in his hand-carved wood frame.

Gold Sponsors for this year’s exhibit are Clarion Area Chamber of Business and Industry; French Creek Framing and Fine Art; The Gallery at New Bethlehem Town Center; Oil City Arts Council; Oil Region Alliance of Business, Industry and Tourism; Titusville Council on the Arts; Victorian City Art and Frame, and Anonymous Friends. Silver sponsors are the following organizations: Barrow-Civic Theatre; Be Here – Venango Area Chamber of Commerce; Ernst Conservation Seeds; Franklin Fine Arts Council; Moonrise Porcelain & Stoneware; Titusville Area Chamber of Commerce; and Titusville Renaissance, Inc.

The Nature Art Showcase and Sale is jointly operated by two non-profit corporations -- Penn Soil Resource Conservation and Development Council (serving an eight-county area in the Commonwealth of Pa.) and the Council on Greenways and Trails (serving Clarion, Crawford, and Venango Counties).For more information, please contact Penn Soil at pennsoilrcd@wcconservation.net, 814-726-1441; or CGT’s Treasurer, Marilyn Black, at marilynblack@windstream.net, 814-671-2058.