Artists’ retreat culminates in ‘A La Carte’ exhibit

By Michelle Isham

- For the CDT

When painter Susan Nicholas Gephart decided she wanted to create an artist retreat that welcomed artists of all mediums and skill levels, people questioned whether it could be done. Nicholas Gephart proved it could.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary next week, the Hameau Farm Studio’s Artist Retreat attracts beginner and intermediate artists from central Pennsylvania as well as professional artists from outside the state.

The retreat is hosted on Hameau Farm, a 100-acre dairy farm in Belleville. In an effort to create alternate sources of income for the farm, owner Gay Rodgers converted some of the barn space into a studio and built cabins to serve as overnight accommodations for guests. In addition to the artists’ retreat, Hameau Farm is home to a summer camp for girls.

The retreat includes the demonstrations and critiques typical of a professional development workshop. Nestled in Big Valley, Hameau Farm also features sweeping views of Kish Creek, Amish farms and the mountains bordering valley. For landscape painters such as Nicholas Gephart, the setting provides inspiration in abundance.

“Life doesn’t get much better for artists when all they have to think about is ‘Which beautiful scene should I paint next?’ ” she said.

Another important aspect of the weeklong retreat is the food prepared by Rodgers, who is an accomplished cook.

According to Nicholas Gephart, the meals not only provide the fuel for hours of painting outdoors, but they also give the artists an opportunity to connect with each other on a personal level.

“My goal was to create an artist retreat … where [the artists] shared the camaraderie of other artists, such as around the dinner table,” she said.

On the Friday during the retreat, the participants will transform their studio into a gallery and invite the public in to view the results of their time spent at the farm. The event, dubbed “A La Carte and Art,” features paintings so recently completed that the paint is still wet.

“The artists are very excited to share what they’ve been doing. Especially for a beginning artist, it’s a very exhilarating event,” Nicholas Gephart said.

The event also exposes work by the professional painters at the retreat to potential collectors.

The exhibit is free and open to the public, but reservations are requested.

The combination of fine food, a pastoral setting and bon home brings artists back to Hameau Farm year after year. Some, including a Philadelphia-based painter known as “Big John,” have become beloved fixtures at the retreat.

“Big John said he was going to bring the champagne for the 10th anniversary dinner,” Nicholas Gephart said.

The "A La Carte" exhibit will be from 7 to 10 p.m. May 16 at Hameau Farm, state Route 655, Belleville. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 717-667-3731 or by e-mailing snicholasgephart@aol.com