Art in the Garden Attracts Hundreds Sunday Afternoon

Except for a couple of passing showers early on, the 18th annual Art in the Garden program in Madeleine’s Garden at the LeMoyne House in Washington had the perfect Sunday afternoon.

More than 60 artisans, including three Peters natives, and photographers from Washington County displayed their best works and sold them to a well-dressed crowd of visitors, with part of the proceeds benefiting the LeMoyne House and its programs.

“This is a major fundraiser for the historical society,” said local artist Ray Forquer, a board member and part of the Art in the Garden committee. “Eighteen years ago we came up with the idea to create a miniature arts show to make the works of the artists more affordable. It’s really taken off from there.”

Forquer said the date for the show was strategically planned in order to have the best weekend available without the threat of rain.

“Back then, we contacted the National Weather Service to find out what month and what day had the least amount of rain per year," he said. "They told us that the second weekend of September had the least amount of bad weather, and so we chose this day, and we’ve really been lucky over the years."

The day also fell on the , and this year’s art show marked the occasion with the playing of songs such as “God Bless America” in the background.

Three Peters Township artists were a part of those displaying their talents.

, of Venetia, who specializes in watercolor, displayed “Basilica Palladiana Vincenza," “Winter Oasis—Anna Marie Island” and “Almost Empty”.

“I truly love doing watercolor,” she said. “I find it to be very relaxing.”

Popko said she has done numerous paintings, many of them of landscapes and covered bridges, which she has donated to organizations such as the Ruffed Grouse Society for land conservation and bird habitat.  

She said she's recently started painting portraits and finds that she enjoys it quite a bit.

Kathleen Hartman, of McMurray, who studied art in high school and fashion and interior design at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, displayed “Cahill Garden,” “Ebenezer” and “Stream of Light,” three watercolors she painted for the show.

A member of the McMurray Art League and the Pittsburgh Watercolor Society, she has also done paintings in pastels. It marked her fifth time at the Art in the Garden show.

“I love the fact that almost every year the weather turns out for some reason,” she said. “It’s such a nice time of year to get outdoors and mingle, and to see the works of all the other artists. It’s also for a very good cause.”

Carol Modery-Kilkeary is an artist who works almost exclusively with graphite. Her works included “Chaussures de Dames,” “White on White” and “Undressed in Grays.”

“The one work is of women’s shoes, the second is of eggs and the third is a nude,” she said. “This art show has such a big variety, and that’s what makes it so special. All of (the artists) kind of know each other as well."

“When we first started this show we had to contact a number of artists, and we ended up with about 35 participants,” Forquer said. “Through the years, the word got out that it was a very good show and a very good ‘selling’ show. Now we even have a waiting list for artists to get in.”

Forquer said that many of the artists in Sunday’s Art in the Garden had been with the show since its beginning.

“There have been some pretty great artists who have participated in the past, such as Nat Youngblood,” he said. “The artists like the show because their works sell, and the public really looks forward to this event each year.”

Jim Ross, the administrator for the Washington County Historical Society, said proceeds from Art in the Garden support all projects of the society, including the LeMoyne House, Pennsylvania’s first National Historic Landmark of the Underground Railroad.

“It was special to have it on Sept. 11 because everyone here was united in a special way, as they also remembered the solemn and tragic event.”