Art Going Strong


Exhibits and concerts continue in coordinated program


Several times a year, new artwork by local artists—including some members of our congregation—is displayed in the gallery located near the Chapel in the walkway to the Commons. Exhibits are tied to events in FPCA’s ongoing concert series, a joint effort organized by elder Ann Lalik and coordinator of traditional worship Tom Dressler.


Te mission of the FPCA art gallery is to enhance the worship experience at FPCA through exhibits of original works of art throughout the year. Trough collaboration with other church ministries and community outreach, the gallery encourages diversity and fellowship within the church, the Lehigh Valley community, and beyond.


Over the holiday season, two receptions held for consecutive exhibits were associated with performances by the Philadelphia Brass and the Bach Choir of Bethlehem.


Te earlier of the two exhibits featured paintings by Jim Schmoyer from September 9 to November 25, with the reception preceding the Philadelphia Brass concert on November 4.


Schmoyer’s works were painted outdoors and focused on capturing the sensory and emotional essence of a particular moment in time. “Visually, I tried to remain open to the movement and character of light as well as the rhythms I observe in the natural world,” Schmoyer said in an artist’s statement.


Paintings were made at the darkest 10


and most emotionally challenging time of Schmoyer’s life, he said. “My thoughts were almost always in a perpetual state of confusion and despair, but the act of creating art on my hands and knees while communing with nature created a feeling of exuberance and bliss in my heart,” he wrote.


Next came an exhibit of watercolors by church member Glenn Steiner, on display through February 15. Steiner says he began painting as a hobby upon his retirement in February 2008. He’d always wanted to pursue painting lessons but had no art background. Classes at Allentown’s Baum School of Art with accomplished and preeminent watercolor artists led him to explore the medium and experiment with a variety of techniques.


“For me, the allure of watercolor is the spontaneity of the medium, the mixing and flowing of colors, which cannot be achieved by any other method,” Steiner says. Images can range from bold and vivid to light and airy. A variety of approaches can be seen in the paintings on display in the gallery, all of which are available for sale.


People attending the reception before the Bach Choir performance on December 8 marveled at how skilled the artist has become despite delving into artistic study and expression relatively late in life. “Tere’s no doubt that watercolor painting is a challenging art form,” Steiner says, “but it’s a very rewarding one.”


Above: Glenn Steiner and his work. Te exhibit of his watercolors is on view until February 15.


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