January 17, 2019 - ChaddsFordLive.com

Mixed Media: Color in winter

Stan Smokler at Delaware Contemporary — Stan Smokler sculpture on exhibit at Delaware Contemporary

The winter doldrums are upon us. Holidays are over, and now we hang out in limbo, preparing for snowstorm after snowstorm until Spring arrives. Or… you can head to Church Street Gallery for a solo exhibition of Charles Jay’s work in West Chester and get your fix of colorful florals and a flavor of warmth and vibrancy that is lacking in the winter months.

Flowers With Jewel and Butterfly by Charles Jay at the Church Street Gallery

Jay is a Philadelphia artist, who pulls inspiration from the Dutch and Flemish masters. His lush, jewel toned palette, and simple compositions nod to the vanitas and still life paintings of the 17th century Dutch masters such as Willem van Aelst. At the same time, Jay weaves other styles such as surrealism (those occasional butterflies, or winding vines) , or post-impressionism (the contrasting perspectives, the theatrically flat quality of some of his paintings) a la Henri Rousseau. Jay paints on linen or masonite. The sheen and buttery quality of his paintings reflect his preference for painting on a smooth canvas. Stop by tomorrow night, January 18th for the opening reception from 5 – 9 p.m. Exhibition will be up through the middle of February.

Delaware Contemporary is celebrating its 40th anniversary with “Origins,” an exhibition featuring work by two sculptors: founder, Rick Rothrock, and long-time supporter, Stan Smokler. The reception was last week, but this exhibition will be up through April 21st. Rothrocks’ smooth stone sculptures, steeped in inspiration pulled from nature, (waves and animal metamorphoses) gently compliment Smokler’s stark and resolute, abstract steel sculptures. Smokler often gives new life to found objects, purposefully turning them on their head and creating a unique purpose and perspective on the once mundane. Stop by check out this exhibition this winter and congratulation Delaware Contemporary for its impact on the arts in Wilmington.

Dark Roast with Cherries by Maryanne Jacobsen at Station Gallery

Station Gallery will showcase a Winter Group Show for the month of February. This exhibition will feature paintings by Dan Chow, Ed Bronstein, Michele Foster, and newcomer- Maryanne Jacobsen. Stop by for the reception on February 1st from 5 – 8 p.m. I absolutely love Jacobsen’s palette and thick, resolute strokes in the florals. Each petal of her roses, expertly executed with aplomb. The colors drastically change from petal to petal to create an abstract but readable three dimensional quality of here subject matter. Overall, this is an excellent opportunity to take in some warm, colorful landscapes, cityscapes and floral paintings. This exhibition will run through the end of the month.

If you find yourself in Malvern as opposed to Greenville, Gallery 222 will be hosting an opening reception on February 1st as well from 5:30 – 8 p.m. Stop by and enjoy the Philadelphia Watercolor Society Board Show. This exhibition will run through February 9th.

As always, tune in the WCHE 1520AM for Art Watch Radio from 1-1:30 p.m. Next week, January 23rd, tune is as Amie Potsic interviews artist Marjan Moghaddam. Until next time!

About Caroline Roosevelt

Caroline Roosevelt is a writer and artist based in Kennett Square, PA. She received her B.A. in Art History from Connecticut College and a Post Baccalaureate certificate from Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. She has previously written art coverage in Seattle, WA and Philadelphia, PA. She currently co-hosts Art Watch radio on 1520 WCHE.

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Hazel “Jiggs” Darone Smith of Kennett Square

Obituaries

Hazel “Jiggs” Darone Smith, 88, of Kennett Square, died Tuesday, Jan. 15, at Neighborhood Hospice, West Chester. She was the wife of Paul E. Smith, Sr., who passed away in 1982.

Born in Kennett Square on July 17, 1930, she was the daughter of the late David Darone and the late Lillian Bonsall Darone. She was raised in Unionville and attended the local school.

She enjoyed flower gardening, traveling, spending time in the mountains, helping others, serving her faith, and being with her family and friends.

She was known for her love of baking and family and friends enjoyed her desserts, and each could name their favorite, pizzelles being at the top of the list.

She worked many years as an assembler for Lasko, Harowe Servo Controls and retired in 1991 from Hewlett Packard, after 17 years of service.

She is survived by three daughters, Pamela Roten and her husband William of Williamstown, Karen Roark of Avondale, and Crystal Baker of West Grove; one son, Robert “Skip” Combs and his wife Judy of Troutdale, Va.; 11 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren, and “Buddy” her fur baby Lhasa Apso.

Hazel was predeceased by two sons, Joseph L. Darone and Elwood Darone; one grandson, Jamie Roten, three brothers and five sisters.

You are invited to visit with Hazel’s family and friends from noon to 1 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 23, at the Kuzo Funeral Home, 250 West State Street, Kennett Square. Her funeral service will follow at 1. Burial will be in Union Hill Cemetery, Route 82, Kennett Square.

In lieu of flowers, a contribution may be made to Neighborhood Hospice, 400 East Marshall Street, West Chester, PA 19380 or to the Brandywine SPCA, 1212 Phoenixville Pike, West Chester, PA 19380.

To view her online tribute and to share a memory with her family, please visit www.griecocares.com

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Maria Natividad Lara of Kennett Square

Obituaries

Maria Natividad Lara, 78, of Kennett Square, died Monday, Jan. 14, at Neighborhood Hospice. She was the wife of Mariano Zavala, who passed away in 2016, and with whom she shared 60 years of marriage.

Born in Las Penas, Moroleon, GTO, Mexico, she was the daughter of the late Rafael Lara and the late Eustorgia Zavala.

Maria was a homemaker and she enjoyed cooking, watching TV, gardening, talking to her parrot Kico, watching her fish in the fish tank, and being with her family and friends,

She was a member of St. Rocco’s Catholic Church

She survived by 10 sons, Ciro Zavala Lara. Miguel Zavala Lara, Efrain Zavala Lara, Jaime Zavala Lara, Santos Zavala Lara, Artemio Zavala Lara, Mariano Zavala Lara, Alfonso Zavala Lara, Nicolas Zavala Lara and Juan Carlos Zavala Lara; two daughters, Maria Socorro Zavala Lara and Patricia Zavala Lara; five brothers, two sisters, 40 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren.

You are invited to visit with her family and friends from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 17, at St. Rocco Catholic Church, 333 Sunny Dell Road, Avondale. Her funeral mass will follow at 7. Burial will be at 9:30 a.m. Friday, Jan. 18, at St. Patrick’s Cemetery, Route 82, Kennett Square.

To view her online tribute and to share a memory with her family, please visit www.griecocares.com

Arrangements by the Cleveland Funeral Home, Avondale.

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Blogging Along the Brandywine: Christy’s ‘Gran’

Along the Ford

I had two grandmothers. One quietly entertained my sister and me with tea parties, taught us German, to sew, to color inside the lines and to write in neat cursive. The other laughed out loud, feared nothing, wore slacks in the 1950s, and taught my country mouse sister and me to ride Washington, D.C.’s buses by ourselves.

Tuesday evening, I had the pleasure to see the award-winning documentary “Goodnight Ladies” at West Chester’s UpTown Knauer Performing Arts Center. The documentary is a joyous portrait of the amazing life of Cheshire Hunt’s legendary Master of Foxhounds, the late Nancy Penn Smith Hannum (1919-2010) of Unionville.

I was drawn to this event not only to learn more about this lady but because the documentary was beautifully created by her oldest granddaughter, Christianna Potter Hannum.

Nancy Penn Smith Hannum was Christy’s “Gran” and Christy’s love for her grandmother pervades every moment of this documentary.

Christy studied the history of art and Italian at The University of Pennsylvania, later studying at the Universita di Bologna in Italy. This is her first film.

The 37-minute documentary opens with Hannum reading her own obituary six years before her death at age 90. Written in error by a British publication, it was put on the web before the facts were confirmed.

Reading the copy to her granddaughter she begins, “Nancy Hannum, dead at 82.” Then pausing she considers, “He gave me two years. I thought I was 84, but that’s alright.”

Continuing she reads how she, “ruled the Unionville hunt country with what the locals referred to as a tyranny of expectations.” Turning to Christy she mused, “I’m not quite sure how to take that.”

Hannum was the granddaughter of New York railroad executive, E.H. Harriman, daughter of Richard Penn Smith and stepdaughter of W. Plunket Stewart. But it was her mother’s marriage to Stewart after Smith’s untimely death that brought the young family to the rolling fields of Unionville.

“Grandmother was famous for her passion for getting hurt,” Christy noted because, during her career as a rider and Master of the Foxhounds, she had broken every bone in her body including her pelvis and her neck.

So, when her doctor advised she couldn’t ride to the hounds anymore, she continued to lead the Cheshire Hunt, driving across fields in her navy-blue Jeep Wagoneer.

In one scene she points out her window and shouted directions, “Joe, Joe. That fox crossed up there.”

Even at age 80, a doctor inquired what medications she was on, she answered, “Two Excedrin every morning”.

Just prior to that visit, she had been struck by lightning. When asked if she had seen a doctor she replied, “There wasn’t any reason, I was still alive!”

One of the most memorable scenes in the documentary is the feeding of the foxhounds, known as the Cheshire Beauties. At one point, dozens of hounds rush into the feeding room of the large hunt kennel, literally inhaling their feed from both sides of a long narrow trough. Christy noted, “My sound person holding the boom was terrified.”

And her legacy? When the Plunket Stewarts first moved to Unionville, they owned 211 acres. But with Hannum’s fierce love of the land, and by a little cajoling of her neighbors, there are now 26,000 contiguous acres under conservation.

The next time you drive west of Unionville, down Route 82 between the miles of meticulously fenced fields of Doe Run, you’ll know who to thank.

The trailer for the documentary can be seen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SV2_6V5DEM

Authors Note: Christianna (Christy) Potter Hannum was one of my students during my 6-year tenure at the Upland School in Kennett in the 1980s. I knew Mrs. Hannum as a loving grandmother always supporting her grandchildren at games, plays and choral concerts.

About Sally Denk Hoey

Sally Denk Hoey, is a Gemini - one part music and one part history. She holds a masters degree cum laude from the School of Music at West Chester University. She taught 14 years in both public and private school. Her CD "Bard of the Brandywine" was critically received during her almost 30 years as a folk singer. She currently cantors masses at St Agnes Church in West Chester where she also performs with the select Motet Choir. A recognized historian, Sally serves as a judge-captain for the south-east Pennsylvania regionals of the National History Day Competition. She has served as president of the Brandywine Battlefield Park Associates as well as the Sanderson Museum in Chadds Ford where she now curates the violin collection. Sally re-enacted with the 43rd Regiment of Foot and the 2nd Pennsylvania Regiment for 19 years where she interpreted the role of a campfollower at encampments in Valley Forge, Williamsburg, Va., Monmouth, N.J. and Lexington and Concord, Mass. Sally is married to her college classmate, Thomas Hoey, otherwise known as "Mr. Sousa.”

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Around Town Jan. 17

Along the Ford

Design Zone Roller Coasters — Design Zone opens at the Delaware Museum of Natural History on Jan. 26.

• Longwood Gardens is offering furloughed federal workers — and up to three guests — free admission throughout the remainder of the partial federal government shutdown. Federal workers must show valid government ID to redeem the offer.

• Da Vita Kidney Care, a division of DaVita Inc., will host an open house on Monday, Jan. 21, at its location at 265 Wilmington West Chester Pike. The open house will provide an opportunity for the community to tour the center, interact with dialysis care specialists and receive educational materials about kidney disease care and prevention. The open house runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 265 Wilmington West Chester Pike (Route 202).

• A benefit, being referred to as a “benefiddle” will be held for local fiddler and violin teacher David Poland at the Kennett Flash on Friday, Jan. 25 from 7:30 to 11:15 p.m. Poland suffered a brain aneurysm in September and has been unable to support himself. Members of Buffalo Chip & the Heard, The Blue Corn Dawgs, The Brandywine Valley Green Grass Ramblers and Brad Newsome & Friends will be staging the benefit performance. Tickets are on sale now at kennettflash.org.

• A new exhibit at the Delaware Museum of Natural History opens on Jan. 26. Design Zone is an interactive, hands-on exhibit where visitors can explore a variety of creative concepts to learn the processes and tools needed to create a successful design. Design Zone is organized into three thematic zones, all highlighting the importance of science and mathematical thinking in areas critical to building creativity and innovation: art, music, and engineering. The exhibit runs through May 12. Admission is $9 for ages 3-59, $8 for seniors, $3 for children ages 1-2. It’s free for babies under 12 months and for museum members.

Plein air returns to the Chadds Ford Historical Society Feb.7-9.

• The Chadds Ford Historical Society is holding its 11^thannual plein air, Paint Out Chadds Ford, Feb.7-9. The event is popular with artists who like the challenge of winter painting and are interested in capturing the beauty of Brandywine Valley ’s historic farms and landscapes. Paint Out Chadds Ford closes with a special artists reception and exhibition held at the Society’s Barn Visitors Center on Saturday evening from 6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 9. Admission is $10 per person. Guests can meet the artists, enjoy light refreshments and view the completed paintings, which will also be available for purchase. A portion of the proceeds from each painting sold helps support the Chadds Ford Historical Society. For more information about Paint Out Chadds Ford and to purchase tickets please visit our website www.chaddsfordhistory.org. Tickets are available in advance or at the door.

• PAWS for People will be conducting training for potential pet therapy teams in Kennett Square during February. Sessions are planned for Mondays Feb. 14 and 28 from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. at The Friends Home, 147 W. State Street. Anyone with a gentle, people-friendly pet who is interested in volunteering time to work with children and adults with varying needs should attend. Pre-registration required:Go to www.pawsforpeople.orgor call 302-351-5622 for more information.

• The sixth annual Used (Gently) Sports Equipment Sale benefitting UHS Baseball will take place on Friday, Feb. 22 and Saturday, Feb. 23 in the auxiliary gym. Until then, we are NOW accepting gently used equipment donations for all sports/ recreation activities. Equipment from all sports and recreational activities accepted (Ice Hockey, Field Hockey, Baseball, Lacrosse, Basketball and so much more. There are three easy ways to donate: 1- We will accept donations during special drop events on Saturday, Jan. 19 and Saturday, Feb. 2 at the UHS gym entrance. From noon to 2 p.m. Simply drive up and we will help you unload. 2- Community pickup event Sat Jan. 26, 10 a.m. to 2 pm. To arrange a pick up please email brianmatson@comcast.net. 3- Email Brian Matson at brianmatson@comcast.netand we can arrange a pickup or drop off convenient for you.

• Legally Blonde – The Musical is coming to The Playhouse on Rodney Square in Wilmington for three performances only, Feb. 23 & 24. The ultimate Broadway tribute to girl power, Legally Blonde will take you from the UCLA sorority house to the Harvard halls of justice with the timely coming of age story of Broadway’s brightest heroine. Tickets are on sale now at BroadwayInWilmington.org, by phone at 302-888-0200, or by visiting The Playhouse Box Office at 1007 N. Market Street, Wilmington. Show times are 2 and 8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 23 and 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 24. Tickets start at $40, with discounts available for seniors and groups of 10 or more.

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