Halloween Art Show at The Station/Eiland Arts Center, Merchantville

Once again, we are fortunate in having a wonderful Halloween Art Show at the charming Merchantville venue called The Station and/or Eiland Arts Center. It is located at 10 East Chestnut in Merchantville, NJ. It is a repurposed Train Station and houses not only a wonderful Art Gallery upstairs and down, but a great Cafe' and Coffee bar. My friends and I eat there regularly and the food is superb! The chef makes the most delicious soups - my favorites are herbed potato and carrot ginger. My favorite sandwiches have been the BLT with vegan coconut bacon, and the flaky croissant with egg and diced tomato and coconut bacon. I also like the grilled cheddar on focaccia bread with soup. The theme of the show is Hallowwen - HAUNTED PLACES.

The opening reception will be this Friday, October 6th at 6:00 p.m. and the show will be up all month. I am both happy and honored to say I have two paintings in the show. I chose to work from photographs I took of Mount Moriah Cemetery, an abandoned cemetery near Yeadon, Pa. that I discovered while researching family burials. My paternal grandfather was buried there in the 1930's but I couldn't ind the grave even though I had the plot number becaus Mt. Moriah was abandoned many years ago and has been allowed to be overtaken by a jungle. Fortunately, volunteers have been struggling to clear it of debris dumped there and to make some headway mowing in various sections. The once stately facade was almost completely destroyed by vandals who set the towers on fire. The front of the structure remains to show what it must have been once. It is so sad. Frankly I didn't know you could just abandon cemeteries like that.

My other painting is also from a photo I took from one of my many visits to the grave of Walt Whitman, right here in Camden, NJ at Harleigh cemetery which is a model of a beautifully maintained cemetery. Generally I have visited Walt Whitman's grave on his birthday to honor his immense and immortal soul.

This year, another artist and friend, Jerome Barton, has a piece entered in the show, a gorgeous stained glass piece. Jerome was a student of mine many many years ago and has kept in touch over the years. I am delighted he has become an artist and enormously proud of his beautiful work.

All works are for sale, but by all meeans, just come and enjoy the opportunity to see the show!

Happy Trails ( even through the cemetery!)

Jo Ann

wrightj45@yahoo.com