30 Years of Artistry at Chanticleer

February 13 – March 11, 2023

413 Maplewood Avenue Wayne, PA 19087

610-688-3553

wayneart.org

30 Years of Artistry at Chanticleer

February 13 – March 11, 2023

Ethel Sergeant Clark Smith Gallery

Wayne Art Center is pleased to present 30Yearsof ArtistryatChanticleer,an exhibition celebrating the three decades that Chanticleer has inspired and delighted visitors. In an exhibit featuring over 30 decorative items from the garden paired with paintings by invited Radnor Township artists, this exhibition showcases how Chanticleer and artistry go hand-in-hand.

Since Chanticleer’s public opening in 1993, the staff have been practicing the art of gardening, developing an ever-changing garden that features staff-made decorative pieces to enhance the garden experience. Objects made by Chanticleer staff during the 30 years the Radnor garden has been open to the public are on view in this exhibition.

Chanticleer is a place of pleasure and creativity, as well as a place for deep thinking and study. To keep the garden fresh, Chanticleer staff are encouraged to develop talents in addition to their gardening vocation. Skills range from woodworking, metalworking, and stone carving, to photography, painting, and videography. Imaginative benches, chairs, tables, bridge handrails and plant list boxes are crafted to grace the garden, adding aesthetic and functional value to guests. The combined effect often inspires Chanticleer guests to create their own artwork.

A Gallery Talk with Chanticleer staff will take place in the gallery on March 8 from 5 – 7 p.m. This talk to free and open to the public.

Located on Church Road in Wayne, Chanticleer is open from March 29 through November 5, 2023; Wednesday – Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and until 8 p.m. on Fridays May to Labor Day. www.chanticleergarden.org.

Participating Chanticleer Artists

Facilities Managers, Bryan Christ and Ed Hincken oversaw the construction of the Elevated Walkway at Chanticleer, an accessible walkway built in 2015.

Bryan Christ

Bryan is Chanticleer’s Facilities Manager and a jack-of-all-trades. He started as a Groundskeeper at Chanticleer in 2003 and grew his responsibilities to include facilities in 2006, when he became the Assistant Facilities Manager. Bryan has worked on many of the large projects throughout the garden, including the Asian Woods restrooms, Visitor Services Pavilion, the Greenhouses, and the Elevated Walkway. In 2018 Br yan was promoted to his current position as Facilities Manager. Bryan holds a BA in Film from Temple University, and an AAS in Architectural Engineering from Penn State. He is Chanticleer’s resident film maker, techie, web developer, rugby player, coach, and musician.

Dan Benarcik working in the woodshop at Chanticleer.

Dan Benarcik

Dan is a longtime Horticulturist, who manages the Tennis Court Garden, Teacup Garden, and Visitor Entrance. Dan oversees the woodshop at Chanticleer and much of his winter is spent repairing and making furniture for the garden. The hum of equipment signals not only the creation of new furnishings in the garden, but the maintenance and restoration of existing pieces. Each year weather, wear and tear, and wildlife take their toll on Chanticleer staff’s handiwork. Dan assesses each piece for damage, remediates and restores the object, and works with Geoff McAfee to apply new finishes. When he is not at Chanticleer, Dan lectures and teaches workshops on chair building to other interested gardener-builders.

David Mattern inspects the legs of his handmade table.

David Mattern

Growing up on a farm in central Pennsylvania, Horticulturist David Mattern was inspired by nature from a young age. Working in the woodshop meant evading chores on the farm. David manages the Cutting and Vegetable Gardens, which allows him to develop a garden experience within the larger context of Chanticleer. Throughout the gardening process, details are important to David. He thus enjoys creating pieces and elements that are noticed and appreciated best when you interact with it. He believes that public gardens are like art museums; they should inspire, intrigue, and invigorate. David holds a degree in Landscape Contracting with a Minor in Horticulture from Penn State University and is a graduate of the Longwood Gardens Professional Horticulture program.

Dennis Matthews (left) and Dan Benarcik (right) admire the finished work of two engraved chairs.

Dennis Matthews

(April13,1947– September12,2021)

Following retirement from a long career as an educator of both children and adults, Dennis Matthews joined Chanticleer as a Visitor Services staff member and woodshop volunteer from 2013 to 2020. Dennis brought a clever, patient approach to his work in the woodshop, repairing furniture, working on new designs, and refining existing designs to be better for the end user. Dennis’s creativity, spirit, and wit live on in his Chanticleer projects.

The Vegetable Bench situated under a pair of Katsura trees near the Cutting and Vegetable Gardens at Chanticleer

Doug Croft

Doug was born and raised in Virginia and studied Finance and Horticulture at Virginia Tech. He interned in Horticulture at the Morris Arboretum and worked at Haverford College Arboretum for three years before joining Chanticleer as a Horticulturist from 2000 to 2018. During his time at Chanticleer, he managed the Cutting and Vegetable Gardens, the Rock Wall, and Long Border, and he created ceramic vases that could be used to display floral arrangements in the garden. Doug was pleased to find a way to utilize his interest in clay to create functional vessels and add to the artistry found throughout the garden. Doug currently gardens in Virginia working on a private estate

Douglas Randolph seated on the Quarter Round Bench in the Kitchen Courtyard at Chanticleer.

Douglas Randolph

Douglas joined the Chanticleer team in 1991 as one of the first Horticulturists hired after founder Adolph Rosengarten, Jr. died. Douglas was hired to help build a great garden but felt underemployed in winter. He suggested purchasing woodworking equipment to create furniture for the garden during the cold season. His first project was a glider (swinging bench) for the Tennis Court Garden. In 1997 he transitioned to solely working as a craftsman and went on to construct some of Chanticleer’s finest furniture. Douglas left Chanticleer in 2012 to focus on organic and regenerative farming in Cochranville, Pennsylvania.

Chris Fehlhaber uses the dried fruiting body of Ostrich fern as a subtle detail marking where tender bulb foliage is starting to emerge.

Chris Fehlhaber

Assistant Horticulturist Chris Fehlhaber takes pleasure in documenting the ever-changing garden through the seasons through photography and assisting with stonework in the cooler months. He delights in unexpected, capturing photos and videos on his iPhone to not miss the garden’s constant growth and evolution. A gardener at heart, he grew up in his mother and grandmother’s gardens in southeastern Wisconsin. He has developed his skills through practical hands-on experience working with designers, plants people, farmers, and gardeners. Following graduation from the University of Wisconsin and work at a nursery, Chris was drawn to Chanticleer as a garden for the sake of being a garden; one that allows its staff to engage in the practice and joy of gardening.

The Elevated Walkway at Chanticleer offers an accessible way to traverse a steep hill, while preserving the historic view from the Chanticleer Terrace, and incorporating new garden areas into the main circulation path.

Ed Hincken

Ed was the Facilities Manager at Chanticleer from 1998 to 2018. In that role he contributed creatively to the planning and design of many garden features, including the Visitor Services Pavilion at the garden’s front entrance, the Asian Woods restrooms, the Greenhouses, and the Fallen Tree Bridge in Bell’s Woodland. He is skilled in decorative painting and faux finishes and during his time at Chanticleer was responsible for the finishes on all furniture, plant list boxes, and buildings. Ed retired in 2018 and now enjoys traveling and spending time with family and friends.

Painted chairs brighten up areas of the garden and often echo the plantings that they are situated in.

Geoff McAfee

Geoff hails from Belfast, Northern Ireland, moved to the US 33 years ago, and in 1998 began his own painting business specializing in restoring old homes. Geoff has been a painting contractor for Chanticleer for 16 years. As part of his work with Chanticleer, he has assisted staff in the final steps of finish work on furniture and objects made for the garden. Each winter, Geoff is part of the team that assesses each piece for sound design and aesthetic repair. After the repairs are made, Geoff stains, seals, or paints each item. Over the years he has experimented with different products to protect wood from the elements and to ensure they are functional, safe, and attractive. Geoff likes the challenge of working with decadesold pieces that are well-used outside and bringing them back to their full potential as well as working with the various creatives at Chanticleer and helping bring their new ideas to life.

Joe Henderson sketches out a concept drawing for a railing at Chanticleer.

Joe Henderson

Joe is an artist and Horticulturist at Chanticleer, interested in many aspects of craft In the 1980s, he apprenticed as a jeweler, giving him an appreciation for finer detail in fabrication and a jewel box approach to inspiration. Joe has created many unique pieces for the garden and strives to make singular work with interesting joinery, composition, and design — like the gardens these pieces inhabit. Joe feels gardening is an art form that develops with time and never quite finished. He studied Ornamental Horticulture at the University of Delaware and worked as the Greening Program Assistant at the Delaware Center for Horticulture before joining Chanticleer’s team in 1997.

Katharine Startup Barrie bends custom plant stakes that are designed to hold lily stems upright.

Katharine Startup Barrie

Katharine is an Assistant Horticulturist who delights in creating practical and pleasing structures for the garden. Nurturing her childhood passion for arts and crafts, her father taught her how to draft, weld, and finish metalwork projects after school and over the summer in his workshop in Pound Ridge, New York. Through travel and working with farmers, horticulturists, and landscape designers, she was inspired to pursue a career as a gardener and trained at the New York Botanical Garden’s School of Professional Horticulture. Seeing the opportunity to combine her love of design and plants, Katharine was drawn to Chanticleer and continues to take great pleasure in enhancing the garden’s beauty year-round.

The Gravel Garden Plant List Box with stained glass made by Laurel Voran.

Laurel Voran

Laurel began in 1999 as a Horticulturist at Chanticleer. Laurel studied Natural Sciences and Fine Art at Goshen College, with an emphasis on graphic design and printmaking. Laurel then completed the two-year Longwood Gardens Professional Horticulture Program followed by a six-month internship working in English gardens. At Chanticleer, she created and managed the Gravel and Ruin Gardens. Laurel put her drawing skills to work by painting the interior of the Apple House at Chanticleer, carving the Minder Woods Plant List Box, and helping construct the Gravel Garden Plant List Box in this show. Laurel currently works on public and private gardens in Michigan

Lisa Roper photographs the garden weekly to chronicle images throughout each season.

Lisa Roper

Horticulturist Lisa Roper has gardened for the past 33 years in various areas of Chanticleer. She now oversees the Gravel and Ruin Gardens and is grateful to have the opportunity to express herself creatively as a gardener, photographer, and occasionally woodworker at Chanticleer. Lisa has a BFA from The Cooper Union, where she studied photography. While harvesting olives in Jerusalem, Lisa’s interest in horticulture was ignited, so to enhance her knowledge of gardening she completed the two-year Professional Horticulture Program with Longwood Gardens

Przemek Walczak ensuring the custom handrails for a bridge are to his exact specifications.

Przemek Walczak

Przemek joined Chanticleer in 1996 as a Horticulturist. In addition to gardening, Przemek finds inspiration from nature for his garden art, typically expressed in metal, wood, and stone. His projects transform bridges, fences, pathways, walls, and railings from utilitarian necessities to artistic expressions complementing their setting. He teaches classes on gardening with native plants, spring wildflowers and ephemerals, moss gardening, aquatic gardening, and woodland and shade gardening. Przemek graduated from Academy of Life Sciences in Warsaw, Poland with a Master of Economics and Agriculture.

Invited Radnor Township Artists

Valerie Craig

Valerie Craig

A representational painter, Valerie believes painting is a witness of intimate moments, an opportunity to discern the beautiful in the ordinary or every day. Known for her expressive brushwork, she looks to both the figure and nature for inspiration regarding light, color, and design. Selected honors include Silver Award, 2022 Ireland's Art in the Open, Best Maritime 2022, Cape Ann Plein Air, Best of Show, 2021 American Impressionist Society's Small Works; Judge's Award, 2020 Olmsted Plein Air; Best in Show, 2021 LandArtEvents; Best of Show

2019 Olmsted Plein Air Invitational's Petit Painting; Artists' Choice Award, 2019 Gloucester

Plein Air Invitational; Marjorie Bradley Memorial Award, 2018 American Impressionist Society

2018 National Exhibition; Artists' Choice Award, 2017 Ireland's Art in the Open; Juror's Award, 2019 Wayne Plein Air Festival; Second Place, 2016 Plein Air Magazine National Annual Salon; Award of Distinction, American Impressionist's 2014 National Exhibition; Grand Prize, 2013 American Women Artists OnLine Juried Competition; Gold Award, Ireland’s 2013 International Art in the Open Festival.

“ Whetherpaintingvastopenareasorintimatespaces,Iwantmypaintingto resonatewithanideaofaplace,amemory, orasensation.Whileabstract shapesorlightpatternsinitiallydrawmetoasubject,myimaginationcreatesa storyduringthepaintingprocess,deeplyconnectingmetothesubject.

Paintingfromlife,onlocation,withartistsoralone,ismyjoy.Iamconstantly searching,learning,andrevelinginthepaintingprocess.”

Deb Craley

Deb Craley

Debbie’s love of art has always been a large part of her life as evidenced by the time she spent during her youth sketching everything from landscapes to portraits of family and friends. While raising her children in Wayne, she started classes at the Wayne Art Center and continues to explore a variety of techniques and styles of painting.

Everyday moments are her biggest inspirations. Observing animals at a local farm or pulling together fruits from the farmer’s market, all make the perfect subject to paint.

Debbie continues to focus on value, edges, color, and design of varied subjects. Her work is primarily impressionistic; however, she enjoys trying on new styles and techniques while attending her classes at WAC, currently with Anne Graham. She is active in volunteering for the Plein Air event annually and promoting the art center wherever she goes.

The added benefits for Debbie are the lifelong friendships she has made with fellow students and teachers. Her art has marked her journey through life and is a constant neverending joy.

Her work is exhibited in local juried and non-juried shows, and she paints custom pieces and pet portraits as well.

Lindsay DuBarry

Lindsay DuBarry

Lindsay DuBarry was born in Charlottesville, VA in 1948. She has lived on the Main Line of Philadelphia since she was a young child and currently resides with her husband in Villanova. She began her art career later in life after her children had married. She has studied almost exclusively at the Wayne Art Center (WAC). She has studied extensively with Karen Fogarty and Carol Kardon. She paints in oil and enjoys painting landscapes, still lifes and the occasional portrait.

She has participated in workshops with Valerie Craig, Roger Dale Brown, David Lussier, Sara Linda Poly, and John Poon among others. She was the recipient of a Juror’s Award in 2005 in the WAC student show. In 2012, she won the Quita Broadhead Memorial Award in the WAC member’s juried show and in 2013, she won the Wayne Art Center Award in the Expressions of Radnor Show. In 2019, she had a solo show at the St. David’s Episcopal Church. In February of 2020 she participated in a three woman show at the Wayne Art Center with Debbie Craley and Nancy McGivney. She is a member of and has participated in many juried shows of the Delaware Valley Art League. Her art is held in many private collections.

“ Inmypaintings,Iseektocapture asenseofplace.Ifindrealdelight ingettingthearchitecturaldetails intherightplaceandinimposing myownsenseoforder.Barnsand cowshavespecialimportandare oftenchosenassubjects.The locallandscapes,oursummer houseinthePoconos,my daughter’sNHpropertyand variousgolfadventuresplaya largepartinmyartaswell.Itry andhavetheseconnections impartdepthtomyworkand informthespacesIpaint.”

Patti Auguste Hallowell

Patti Auguste Hallowell

Patti Auguste Hallowell is originally from the D.C. metro area but has spent her adult life outside of Philadelphia. In her early years as a painter, she studied at the Corcoran Art Museum in Washington, with Ralph Deburgess in Georgetown and as a studio major at Gettysburg College. For many years, she worked out of a studio in Philadelphia and was represented by Rosenfeld Gallery on Arch St. in Old City. Currently she works on abstract paintings, still life studies and the landscapes of Provence, Philadelphia, the Chesapeake Bay, and the American Southwest. The plein air approach to capturing the landscape provides a direct and visceral experience while providing lots of time outdoors. Abstract painting is also important and very gratifying as it lends itself to direct problem solving without the need to replicate.

Nancy McGivney

Nancy McGivney

Nancy McGivney is a native of the Philadelphia suburbs and currently shows her work at Wayne Art Center and on Nantucket.

"Iamadaydreamer,constantlyobservingthevisualworld.Thereisan immediateattractiontosomething— everydayobjectsorscenes.Theactof paintingisajourney.Notasimpletaskbutanoften-puzzlingexplorationto figureoutwhatexactlyitisthatsparkedmyinterestandwhatIwanttosayabout it.Gettingitdownoncanvasisthechallenge,connectingwithaviewerisan addedrewardanddelight."

Daria Nawrocki

Daria Nawrocki

Originally from Moscow, Russia, Daria has lived in the Philadelphia area for almost 30 years. She studied art predominantly at the Wayne Art Center. Over the last decade, her art has been displayed at art centers, medical facilities, and several art galleries, including the Square Pear and the Philadelphia Sketch club. Daria’s solo show at Buunni Coffee in Riverdale, NY, received local press coverage, and she is planning a small group show at the Old City Jewish Art Center in May 2023. Daria is an active member and former board member of the Delaware Valley Art League.

“ Nature’sbeautyislimitlessandawe-inspiring.Itseverydetailisfilledwith purpose.Incredibledepthscanbegleanedfromlookingatthingsaroundus moreclosely.Myartcapturestheintricatedetailsofoureverydayenvironments andbringsthosemomentsintofocus.Iachievethatthroughrefiningeach elementuntilitsnapsintoplace,creatingadeepervisionintoitsessence.”

Heather Block Reilly

Heather Block Reilly

I live in Radnor and have been a regular visitor of Chanticleer Gardens since 1997 which inspired in me a love of gardening. The enthusiasm of gardeners at Chanticleer is unparalleled. Their love of plants, materials, beauty, and experimentation is contagious, and they always generously share their wealth of knowledge. I was completely consumed by gardening while raising my children, until I discovered oil paints. Looking back, I think the gardeners at Chanticleer are all artists and were my first art teachers.

I began to study oil painting at the Wayne Art Center under Michael Doyle almost 10 years ago. With absolutely no drawing skills, he taught me how to see and use a palette knife and I haven’t looked back. I continue to study under Michael Doyle, and under Anne Graham who are both such dedicated and talented artists and teachers. I have also studied under a long list of teachers at the Wayne Art Center — every moment well spent. I have entered a handful of paintings in the art center’s shows. Mostly, I have kept my paintings to myself to help me learn.

I will be showing a collection of my work for the first time, along with Ona Hamilton at Beaumont at Bryn Mawr from March 12 – April 26, 2023.

“ Idonotseemyselfasalandscape painterbutcouldnotresistthe opportunitytopayrespecttothe artisansatChanticleer.Iloveto observeshape,color,andform throughstilllifes.Ithinkthat Chanticleergivesusonebreathtaking stilllifeafter another— thewaythegardenersput plantsandfurnitureandarchitecture togetherlookssoeffortlessand natural.Iknow thatthisisnotthecase.Itis onlythroughcarefulobservation, study,planning,imagination,and cooperationfromMotherNaturethat theycreatetheirmagicalgardens.”

Dori Spector

Dori Spector

Dori Spector was born in Allentown, PA in 1955. She graduated from Moore College of Art in Philadelphia with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree. After working as a Fashion Illustrator and Courtroom Artist for six years, she went to study painting full time at The Art Students League of New York on a merit scholarship. She studied with Harvey Dinnerstein.

“ Iamconstantlytryingtohonemyskillsbydrawingfromlifeeveryday,whether itisfromalifeclass,onlineclassorinacoffeeshop.Iamhappiestworking directlyfromlife,gatheringideas,andthenmakingpaintingsinthestudiobased onthosesketches.Iloveallthreegenres,landscape,figureandstilllifeand usuallycombineallthreeelementsinonepiece.Iaminterestedinfleeting momentswhetheritisasunset,achildonamother’slap,orflowersblooming. Asaneventpainter,mostlyweddings,Ilovetocapturetheessenceofthe celebration,puttinglifeintothescene,andsayingsomuchmorethana photographwould.Studyinggesture,color,andgooddrawingallmyartisticlife hasbeenessentialformetomakeapaintingcomealive.”