Prominent Gallerist Paul Gratz of Gratz Gallery and Conservation Studio in Doylestown has rediscovered the works of painter Peter Miller, an American Modernist. Miller was a wealthy heiress (born Henrietta Myers) and a spiritualist who painted for the love of art rather than ambition. Even so she had notable success, her colorful works having showed at the prestigious Julien Levy Gallery in New York. Her influences were Joan Miro, whom she knew and collected, and Arthur Carles, with whom she studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art. She traveled widely and knew the most prominent artists of her time, including Picasso, Matisse, Calder and Ernst. Miller divided her time between Pennsylvania and New Mexico, where she was influenced by friends on the Tewa Pueblo.

We’ll talk about Miller’s fascinating life and works with Paul Gratz. Miller’s work was mostly forgotten until Gratz had the opportunity to buy the paintings remaining in her estate. The work needed extensive conservation, some of it having been stored in a barn. Gratz is a professional conservator. He was able to do the work during the pandemic. There’s now a book and an exhibition opening at the Gratz Gallery on April 23.

Paul Gratz is the owner and head conservator of Gratz Gallery and Conservation Studio. His formal training began at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Paul continued to hone his ability through apprenticeships with a number of the nation’s most revered conservators, including Gustav Berger, a recognized art conservation pioneer. Gratz is an authority on work by the New Hope Circle of painters. Today, he leads a staff of skilled conservators at the Gratz Conservation Studio, which is housed next to the gallery and is open for private tours.

Chef’s will tell you that technique can only do so much; you need good ingredients to make good food. And materials make a difference in fine art as well. Knowing your tools can help you get the results you intend and it can certainly save you some aggravation. Nationally renowned plein air instructor Joe Gyurcsak takes us to the Utrecht Paint Factory in Brooklyn, New York to see how paint is milled.

Janine Dunn Wade is known for her beautiful still lifes of flowers. One critic described her free brushstrokes as “confident.” They look effortless. But there’s more behind the works than meets the eye. These beauties don’t just happen. Wade puts a lot of thought into the still life composition. She makes color studies and has palettes she’s developed over time. She studies other artists. And of course she’s worked for many years on her art. All of that go into the making of those seemingly improvised floral still lifes that are so joyful.

Artist Chee Bravo exactingly builds up layers of color to create energetic, motion-filled prints of musicians playing. Her carefully planned work nevertheless conveys a sense of carefree action. You can almost hear the music. Chee will show us her process for creating her many-layered screen prints.

But the layers aren’t just in Chee’s printing process. Her’s is a very personal body of work that stems from her life experiences. The people who populate her prints are friends from her favorite jazz club in Trenton. We’ll take a look at Chee’s paintings of the people she met on a trip to her husband’s native Cuba, paintings filled with all the character, color and energy of her screen-prints.

Join us as we explore the layers of Chee Bravo’s work.

We’re very proud to present the Youth Art Show. Every year at this time we present the works of students from area high schools.  This year we represent 25 schools, working with art teachers to curate the show. We never fail to be impressed with the art they share with us. They are accomplished artists, even so young. Their work also has a lot to say. At Phillips’ Mill we’ve been exhibiting local art for 93 years. We’re delighted every year when these young artists prove that our future of presenting moving works is secure.

The ArtTalk team, including producers Jen McHugh, Dennis Riley and Jean Mihich, have put together the following video for you.  Youth Art Exhibition Chairs, Susan Brussock and Kathy Schroeher, talk about putting the show together. Some of the award winners have made  videos about their inspiration. And of course we feature the artwork.

Thank you for joining us. We hope you enjoy the show.

Renowned travel photographer Bob Krist has said that a perfect picture is made up of three components: great composition, great light and a sense of moment. That’s true whether you’re a photographer or a painter. Krist’s search for the perfect picture has taken him around the world. We were able to catch him at home to be our guest on a very special ArtTalk. Join us with your questions for Bucks County’s own master photographer and juror for the 2022 Phillips' Mill Photographic Exhibition. Click Here to view the slideshow from the presentation.

Bob Krist

Renowned National Geographic and Smithsonian travel photographer Bob Krist is a freelance photographer and filmmaker whose work has taken him to all seven continents and has won awards in the Pictures of the Year, Communication Arts, and World Press Photo competitions. He was named “Travel Photographer of the Year” by the Society of American Travel Writers three times, in 1994, 2007, and 2008. A late career convert to video storytelling, his short films have been exhibited in film festivals in Italy, Iceland, and the USA and have won several gold and silver Lowell Thomas awards for broadcast travel journalism. Bob was a contributing editor/photographer at National Geographic Traveler magazine and a columnist for Outdoor Photographer magazine and was recently featured as the instructor in a comprehensive course, called Fundamentals of Travel Photography, produced by National Geographic and The Great Courses. www.bobkrist.com

Bill Jersey has been creating for over eight decades. At 11 he was drawing to escape the restrictions of a fundamentalist home. He became a documentary filmmaker to have what he considered a more financially secure and yet still creative career. Jersey’s work in film and on canvas both are his way of exploring the world. He’s a keen observer in both media, looking for the telling moment or perspective.

Jersey’s paintings explore the rural landscape and architecture of the Delaware River Valley. He’s known for a vibrant palette but as a documentarian he often worked in black and white. In film he worked in a two dimensional medium but he says in painting you’re working toward three dimensions. We’ll talk about how his creative philosophy as a documentarian applies to painting, including how photography influences his artwork — and its limitations.

Bill Jersey has won two Emmy’s, three Peabodys and was twice nominated for Oscars. In over 100 films he’s explored race relations in the U.S., religious fundamentalism, criminal justice, evolution. He’s profiled luminaries such as Maya Angelou, Justice Earl Warren, Designer Ray Eames and Mozart. Jersey owns his own production company, Quest Productions. He earned a Masters Degree in Cinema from the University of Southern California. He’s represented by Artists’ Gallery in Lambertville, NJ.

Bill Jersey is the juror of the 2022 Youth Art Exhibition, which is now live until February 27, 2022.

Click Here to view the slideshow from the presentation.

A conversation with Frank Hyder could go anywhere. He loves to talk about the cultural influences of art colonies like ours in Bucks County, or the state of art education in the academies. During this ArtTalk, we will ask him about his participation in the sprawling art fair overtaking Miami during Art Basel. His broad contemporary experience and deep knowledge of art history inflect his stories of the international art scene. Frank is always as entertaining as he is informative, and he clearly cares deeply about art and the people who make it. Whenever we chat with Frank, we know it will be fascinating, enlightening and thought-provoking — and we never know where the conversation will go!

Frank is a local artist who has transcended boundaries. We know him as a sculpture juror of the 92nd Phillips’ Mill Art Show. He has shown at the Michener Museum here in Bucks County with his Janis Project — a wandering global public art phenomenon of outsized inflatable heads that carry a humorous message of equality and goodwill. He had a gallery in Philadelphia for many years and maintains strong connections to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art. He’s had over 100 solo art exhibitions spanning most continents, although he says he’s particularly popular in Latin America.

Click Here to view the slides from the presentation.