Bottlebrush Gallery & Center for the Arts

At age 17, Angela Bianco drew portraits of several of Hollywood’s brightest stars, then mailed those portraits to them for autographs. Notables from the 1930’s including Jimmy Stewart, Bing Crosby, Carole Lombard, Tyrone Power, Shirley Temple, Irene Dunne, Mickey Rooney, James Cagney and Bette Davis returned the portraits to Angela with their autographs and appreciation.  Bing Crosby even included a thank-you letter.  Those portraits and photos survived the years and are currently on exhibit at the Bottlebrush Gallery through Sunday January 25, 2015. Angie is still drawing portraits at age 93! We are proud to host this exhibit and invite you to view it this week during our special exhibit hours. Thanks to Angie and her family for making these drawings available to us.

Make time in 2015 to enjoy a good read and embrace the emotional power a group can give to enhance your experience. Join us in the inviting atmosphere of an art gallery with group coordinator Sandy Ferrainola.

The Bottlebrush is hosting a reading group the second Thursday of every month at 7pm. The “Bottlebrush Bibliophiles” is open to adults… male or female, married, single… all are welcome! No children, please. Guidelines for discussion and monthly schedule will be distributed at each gathering. If you would like to bring a snack to share with the group, feel free. Bring a friend, too!

You can read the book at your leisure in any format– eReader, hardcover or paperback, audio CD, or on your iPad.

Our first read for February 12 is The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. Come to the first meeting even if you haven’t finished– this will be our organizational meeting, a nice meet and greet session.

Questions? Contact us via Facebook or call the Gallery 724.452.0539

Other books we will be reading:
Loving Frank by Nancy Horan
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
Sabbath’s Theatre by Philip Roth
Nora Webster by Colm Toibin
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

McPharlin Music’s student string quartet playing holiday favorites at their recital Tuesday, 12/30, Bottlebrush Gallery.

“This veteran song poet is a self-contained road warrior–a man of many tunes and tunings, and a right hand few guitarists will ever know. Sharp eyes in the head on his shoulders, a droll sense of humor and the weathered heart of a person who’s spent a lot of his life on the road alone. His voice speaks to your center with its pure clarity, but then it breaks and soars like a bird that flies into a strong wind. His music is vital, and live you see him channel all his energy into the song. The songs are smart, but they come from his heart.” — Frank Goodman, PureMusic.com

Friday, September 12, 2014 7:00pm with special guest Rick Malis. $15 Admission. BYOB. Snacks available. RSVP to the Gallery, 724.452.0539. Open seating.

Joey Granati, David Granati, and Jules Granati performing music from their new CD, “Alien History.”

Pittsburgh’s legendary musician Joey Granati (of The Granati Brothers) held his first art show at the Gallery on Friday, August 15, 2014. A standing room only, packed house was treated to a show of Joey’s artwork, a large buffet of homemade Italian food paired with individual paintings, and performances from a new CD “Alien History” by Joey, his brother David Granati and his nephew Jules Granati.

Visitors viewing Artwork by Joey Granati.

Standing-room only crowd. What a fantastic night!

It is with great sadness we announce the passing of one of our artists, Sally Jones Rodgers, age 85, on Sunday, August 3. Not only was Sally a gifted artist and a teacher, but also a good friend. She will be missed.

Friday, July 11^th, 2014, 7:00pm  BYOB  $15 Admission Limited Seating in Small Venue – RSVP Required

Be prepared to dance, move, sing and laugh. The Carpenter Ants have been around – with virtually the same lineup – for 25 years. The Ants have defied the odds and outlasted most of their peers for a number of reasons. First and foremost, after more than 2,000 performances, regardless of the occasion, the band never fails to have a good time – and that feeling is contagious.

The group’s trademark country-soul sound – rich, soulful harmonies, stinging solos and a rock-solid rhythm section – captures that rare, loose-but-tight feel, and has won the band international as well as regional fans.

WV’s premier rhythm & blues group, the Ants – guitarist Michael Lipton, drummer Jupiter Little, bassist Ted Harrison and vocalist/saxophonist Charlie Tee – have quietly amassed a resume that rivals many national groups. The group’s trademark country-soul sound – rich, soulful harmonies, stinging solos and a rock-solid rhythm section – captures that rare, loose-but-tight feel, and has won the band international as well as regional fans. The Ants have twice traveled to Moscow. The trips found the group performing at a variety of venues including the 3,500-seat Russia Concert Hall, the city’s most prestigious room, a Letterman-style TV show with a national audience of 100 million (!!), funky clubs and gaudy casinos. In the U.S., they’ve played all manners of venues – from church services and rallies for presidential candidates (Bill Clinton and John Kerry) to a biker festival and a nudist camp.

www.carpenterants.wvmusichalloffame.com

Friday June 20, 7pm,  $20  BYOB

Limited Seating ~ RSVP Required – 724.452.0539
Bottlebrush: A Gallery for the Arts
539 Main Street “On the Square”
Harmony, PA 16037

Join us for a living memoir of one of the most fascinating periods in the history of American music!

About Steve Katz

What can you expect from a musician who started his career studying guitar with Dave Van Ronk and the Reverend Gary Davis? Quite a bit! Steve Katz’s diverse career includes playing with The Even Dozen Jug Band, the Danny Kalb Quartet, The Blues Project, Blood, Sweat & Tears, and American Flyer, with Craig Fuller of Pure Prairie League and Doug Yule from The Velvet Underground. He has also produced albums for Lou Reed. Steve Katz will give you a show you will not soon forget.

In support of Eye Kandy’s Fashion Fur the Paws fundraising event, the Bottlebrush Gallery hosted pawprint painting sessions.  Numerous canine visitors braved the thunderstorm, more or less happy with the painting process, but we all had fun.  🙂 Check out the dogs and their masterpieces!  Congratulations to Kandy Barkley on a successful event, raising $4000 to help  homeless dogs and cats.

SOLD OUT

The luck of the Irish to ye! Join us for our 3rd Annual St. Patrick’s Day Party…music and entertainment by the mischievous and talented Ploughshare Poets, only $10 admission! Special Guest the lovely Laura Wagner.  Showtime is 7:00pm.

We are hosting a traditional Irish dinner again this year with our friends at The Stohr Haus Bakery starting at 5:30pm, only $35 for both dinner and show per person, reservations required.  Your choice of seating in a restored circa 1805 wine cellar downstairs, or upstairs in the renovated Stohr Haus, beautifully decorated. Either way, we have limited seating, so call soon!

Menu: Appetizer, Salad, Irish Bread, Beef Stout Pie, Champ (Potatoes), Glazed Carrots, Dessert, Coffee/Hot Tea/Water. BYOB. We provide the ice. Please be at the Bakery no later than 5:15 for seating. Last year’s show and dinner event was a sell out, so don’t wait to make your reservations.