Picturesque Beauty

Autumn brings a full schedule of exhibits in local galleries and museums.

By: Amy Brummer

"Quiet Time" by John Ennis, on view at the Savine Rose Gallery in Doylestown

   Art, unlike bears, tends to hibernate in the unpleasant heat of summer. But as Labor Day weekend draws to a close, galleries and museums begin flinging open their doors with a renewed energy, eager to shake off a season of slumber and share a new slate of exhibits in the crisp days of Autumn.
Art in the Garden This annual juried show, celebrating its fifth anniversary, is marked by the high quality of artists who turn out for the one-day event. Located on a hill overlooking the Delaware Valley, Paxson Hill Farm itself is a testament to the beauty of the Bucks County landscape and a reminder why artists are drawn to its charms. Paxson Hill Farm, 3265 Comfort Road, Solebury, Sept. 25, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; (215) 297-1010.
Canal Frame-Crafts Gallery Newtown resident Judy LaTorre is exhibiting new watercolors of historic architecture in Newtown and Philadelphia as well as landscapes and florals. 1093 General Greene Road, Washington Crossing, through Sept. 25, reception: Sept. 10, 5-8 p.m.; hours: Tues.-Wed., Fri.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Thurs. 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; (215) 493-3660.
Health and Wellness Center This is another opportunity to catch Kevin Forest’s "Mr. Walker Said," which was on view at Buckingham Valley Vineyard’s Outdoor Sculpture Show earlier this summer. Currently included in the Bucks County Sculpture Show, the solid, handsome piece, constructed of corroded steel and painted bronze, received first place from the art committee. 847 Easton Road, Warrington, through Sept. 30, reception: Sept. 10, 5-8 p.m., collector’s roundtable, 7-8 p.m.; hours: Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-9 p.m., Sat.-Sun. 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; (215) 348-3913.
Institute of Contemporary Art The San Francisco-based collective Ant Farm is examined in this exhibit organized by the Berkeley Art Museum. Reflecting its utopian politics, the show looks at the group’s collaborative efforts in art and architecture from 1968-1978. 118 S. 36th St., Phila., through Dec. 12, reception: Sept. 10, 6-8 p.m.; hours: Wed.-Fri. noon-8 p.m., Sat.-Sun. 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; www.icaphila.org; (215) 898-7108.
James A. Michener Art Museum The fall foliage will have some stiff competition when Red Grooms 1956-2000 goes on view in October. Well-known for colorful, pulsating works that capture the rhythms of life, Mr. Grooms is an artist with an individual flair that is dizzyingly vibrant. Spanning more than four decades, this exhibit will focus on his work as a printmaker and draftsman. 138 S. Pine St., Doylestown, Oct. 2-Jan. 2; hours: Tues.-Fri. 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun. noon-5 p.m.; admission: $6, $5.50 seniors, $3 students/children, members/under age 6 free; www.michenerartmuseum.org; (215) 340-9800.
Mixed Media Gallery The fine line between artists and their muses is on view in The Artist/The Subject, an exhibit that focuses on singular portraiture. In addition to paintings both by and of artist Ben Solowey, the show includes a drawing by Al Hirschfeld of writer Fran Lebowitz, a photograph of Andrew Wyeth by Jack Rosen, as well as an oil painting of Mr. Rosen by Cort Butterfield. 323 S. Main St., Doylestown, Sept. 10-Oct. 20, reception: Sept. 10, 5-8 p.m.; hours: Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-7 p.m., Sat. 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun. 1-5 p.m.; www.art-mx.com; (215) 345-0890.
Nexus/Foundation for Today’s Art Elizabeth New’s kitschy collages depicting vintage mid-20th-century women, combined with funny, provocative bites are both refreshing and bracing, like a glass of spiked lemonade. 137 N. Second St., Phila., through Sept. 26, gallery talk: Sept. 22; hours: Wed.-Sun. noon-6 p.m.; www.nexusphiladelphia.org; (215) 629-1103.
Pennswood Village Art Gallery Washington Crossing artist Elizabeth Fram will present her finely crafted textile collages that shimmer with color and texture she achieves through the use of hand-dyed fabrics. 1328 Newtown-Langhorne Road, Newtown, Sept. 12-Oct. 31, reception: Sept. 12, 3-4:30 p.m.; hours: Daily 9 a.m.-8 p.m.; (215) 968-9110.
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Celebrating its 200th anniversary this winter, PAFA is opening the season with an exhibit by alumna Bo Bartlett, whose delicate, dreamy realism brings to mind Andrew Wyeth and Thomas Eakins. Broad and Cherry streets, Phila., Sept. 18-Nov. 14; hours: Tues.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; admission: $8, $7 seniors/students, $5 ages 5-18, free under age 5, free Sun. 3-5 p.m.; www.pafa.org; (215) 972-7600.
Philadelphia Museum of Art With more than 200 works from Sub-Saharan cultures, African Art, African Voices: Long Steps Never Broke a Back, is a broad exhibit aimed at familiarizing visitors with the diversity and traditions rooted in the continent’s tribal arts. Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Phila., Oct. 2-Jan. 2; hours: Tue.-Sun. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Wed., Fri. 10 a.m.-8:45 p.m.; admission: $10, seniors/students $7, pay-what-you-wish Sun.; www.philamuseum.org; (215) 763-8100.
Rodin Museum To mark its 75th anniversary, the museum is featuring a year-long celebration that includes public programs, family and children’s activities and concerts. The festivities will open with the exhibit Echoes: Celebrating 75 Years of Rodin in Philadelphia, including sculptures in bronze, marble and plaster that illuminate the artist’s process and inspirations. Benjamin Franklin Parkway and 22nd St., Phila., Sept. 10-May 31; hours: Tues.-Sun. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; admission: $3; www.rodinmuseum.org; (215) 763-8100.
Sabine Rose Gallery Domestic creativity does double time in Significant Others, a show featuring the work of five couples — Jo-Anne Osnoe and John Ennis, George and Emily Thompson, Tom Sperling and Alan Hines, John and Jude Kane, and Ed and Sheila Letven. 86 S. Main St., Doylestown, Sept. 10-Oct. 10, reception: Sept. 11, 5-9 p.m.; hours: Tues.-Wed. noon-5 p.m., Fri.-Sat. noon-9 p.m., Sun. noon-4 p.m.; (215) 489-5700.
The Upstairs Gallery Free flowing and richly colored, Addie Hocynec’s abstract landscapes are meditations on nature, light, color and texture. Mood Swings is a showcase of the artist’s mixed-media works. Shop 10, Jenny’s Courtyard, Peddler’s Village, Lahaska, Sept. 12-Oct. 9, reception: Sept. 12, 1-4 p.m.; hours: Mon.-Thurs. 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; (215) 794-8486.