One of my Society 6 art prints on the wall at Google’s HQ in Philadelphia!

Today is the First Friday opening of my “Bright Visions” exhibition at Bluestone Fine Art Gallery! The opening reception is tonight, May 4^th, from 5PM-9PM at the gallery at 301 N. 3rd Street in Philadelphia. The entire exhibition runs from May 4^th to May 18^th, 2012. Stop by Old City to see it! Facebook invite here. 

It all started with a Twitter message from the team at Visit Bucks County. From their artist’s tour idea grew a great initiative that they invited me to represent them in, the Bucks County Artist Tour. What better way to show off all of the beautiful and iconic spots that Bucks County has to offer, than to send an artist out to paint them!

My weekend kicked off at the Fonthill Castle in Doylestown, the breathtaking concrete castle home of Henry Mercer, built between 1908 and 1912. It was challenging but fun to paint all of the windows, nooks, and crannies the castle has. A bus tour from Lancaster stopped by while I was painting out front, and many of the people came over to say hi to me. They were all headed over to see the Offering of the Angels: Treasures from the Uffizi Gallery exhibit, being featured at the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown from April 21 to August 10.

My next stop was the Ash Mill Farm Bed & Breakfast. Just outside of New Hope, Ash Mill is a ten-acre working sheep farm featuring five Manor House guest rooms and two separate guest cottages. Emily, the head Innkeeper, was kind enough to give me a lunch and a perfect spot on the porch to paint the sheep pasture. After she lured the sheep out with some food, I was able to get several good shots of the sheep grazing in the pasture. Painting here in the serene setting was one of my favorite places on the trip.

The final stop of the day was Peddler’s Village, which is celebrating its 50-year anniversary this year. Sitting in an out-of-the-way area of the path, I was able to talk to several of the people who were walking around shopping on the nice Saturday afternoon.

By the end of the day, I was happy to have a break from painting, and settled in to my room at the Golden Plough Inn and had dinner at Earl’s Bucks County, which was delicious. I went back to my room with my complimentary bottle of wine from the Chaddsford Winery (thanks to the Golden Plough Inn), to rest up for the next day of painting.

After a yummy breakfast at Buttonwood Grill, which just opened in March, I set off on my second day of painting. The first stop of the day was the Erwinna Covered Bridge. The bridge, located on Giegel Hill Road in Tinicum Township, was built in 1832 and crosses the Lodi Creek.

My last stop of the tour was the Sand Castle Winery. The vineyards are planted in Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot Noir; the wines are 100% grown and produced on the 72 acre estate.

Overall, it was a fantastic, art-filled weekend. It was nice to get out of Center City for awhile to enjoy the beautiful landscapes and attractions that Bucks County has to offer. A big thank you to the team, Paul, Michelle, and Jess, at Visit Bucks County that coordinated the entire Bucks Art Tour!

Tickets available here.