Definitely worth it

When Nancy Garrett, Priscilla Starling and Jackie Dunklebarger get together, two topics are bound to be discussed - grandchildren and art, in that order.

These modern grandmothers took that into account when preparing for "Something Worth Painting," an exhibition of original oil and acrylic paintings at Harrison's restaurant and gallery, 2773 S. Church St., Burlington. An opening reception will take place from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday and the artwork will be on display through Sept. 3.

Art instructor Betty Tyler encouraged these ladies to paint about things they love, ranging from places they've visited during various travels to childhood pets. Dunklebarger's "Chester" is a likeness of a pet pig she had as a young girl. Her grandfather, whose name was Chester, bought pigs instead of a horse for his granddaughter and, Dunklebarger joked that this gesture inspired the name of the painting. A female black-and-white Springer Spaniel, resembling the family's late male dog, was inspiration for this painting.

Thirty-five paintings can be seen on the restaurant's walls. Starling's paintings are warm and comforting, much like her personality. Dunklebarger, who used to focus on making her artwork so precise, has dabbled in color and created some bright, beautiful paintings. Among them is a soothing scene in Key West; you can almost picture yourself on the patio with a drink with a little umbrella in it. And Garrett's work ranges from landscapes, trees and forest scenes to bold, whimsical abstracts.

In less than an hour, these women (with a little help from four friends) hung their masterpieces. The restaurant staff was busy preparing for lunch that day but didn't seem to mind the extra company.

"Good morning; it's the art ladies," an employee said as she headed to the kitchen.

After retiring from their full-time jobs, the three women started taking art classes from Jill Troutman. When Troutman decided to focus on painting full-time, Betty Tyler inherited a lot of her students, including Garrett, Starling and Dunklebarger.
Starling, a retired principal, joked that she used to dabble in art while working with elementary school students and Dunklebarger, a full-time nurse midwife in Harrisburg, Pa., would draw little pictures to explain medical procedures to patients.

Garrett never had art training until she retired and said "The joy of learning and creating something on canvas has offered me a whole new perspective on retirement. I just never thought at this stage in my life, I'd be having so much fun."

For more details on the Harrison's exhibit, call Nancy Garrett at (336) 565-4687.