It caught my eye as my wife and I walked through The Jenkintown Arts Festival. We were looking for new art for the house by a local artist. We actually came back to it twice before buying it. We wanted to check out as many artists as we could. There were dozens. But I was drawn to the sunset colors and mix of images. The slightly rising road disappearing into the glowing horizon. There are indistinguishable shapes at the crest of the road and a traffic sign. To the left is the darkened house with trees protecting it and a dim light in the upstairs window. You can imagine yourself looking out the window enjoying a light show that only nature can provide.
But there is second image in the foreground that towers over the warm inviting house. The utility pole rises into the blue and gold sky with the cross piece at the top. The electrical and phone lines crisscross the sky high above the darkened ground stretching across the top half of the picture and curving off into the orange horizon. It shows the mingling of the ever changing hi-tech world with the warm feeling of being safe at home. The white and gray clouds in the light blue sky contrast with the cool night that’s enveloping the land below. It’s a simple scene we have all experienced. But like all good art, it makes us stop and think about the world around us. It elicits emotions. It shows us other people’s view and allows us to form our own opinion.
The young woman sitting on the director’s chair in front of her tented booth is Christina Leone. She is from Abington. Many of her paintings are scenes she can see from her home. Painting, like writing, can be a lonely profession. You’re counting on other people’s tastes and opinions to make a living and do what you love. Christina is a talented artist and should be an inspiration to other young people trying to make art their life’s work. One of my granddaughters has shown a talent for drawing. She’s nine. We’ve bought her drawing pencils and encouraged her. I even have a framed drawing of a cat in front of a house. They have a dog. But she’s a cat person. I’m always asking her if she’s drawing something and asking if she’ll draw something for me.
Christina’s painting is hanging in a prominent place in our home. Her work, like that of all aspiring young artists, should be hanging in more homes. They have devoted their careers to making our lives better. We owe them our encouragement and support. They show us the meaning and beauty of the human spirit. They make us see the world in shades of darkness and light and bright colors that make us look at life differently even if it’s a dark house at sunset in the shadow of the world that connects us all.
Christina Leone’s website is www.christinaleoneoriginals.com. She is also on Instagram.

Leave a Reply