And then, we all became artists: “Fresh Stuff” at Orchard Artworks gallery

Is an art show with three generations from one family what happens when nobody emphasizes a backup plan?

Full disclosure: The family is mine.

One of my strongest childhood memories is the drawer under the far left side of the breakfast bar at my grandparents’ old house. It was full of everything that comprised my notion of a blissful existence: paper of every color, pens, pencils, markers, scissors, tape and glue, little plastic palettes of watercolor paints and brushes waiting for dollops of water.

The only thing it didn’t have was coloring books, but that was O.K. because I absorbed Granny’s philosophy at an early age: Coloring books stifle creativity, and we should make our own drawings.

Granny, now 90, spent her career as a watercolor painter, art teacher, and writer. Now, two generations later, none of us escaped.

“You’re all so…artistic,” friends say politely after they’ve known me long enough to meet ten or eleven of my cousins and aunts and uncles, usually all hanging out and/or performing at the same tragically hip house concert.

My aunts’ passion for quilting, costuming, and textiles turns family dinners into an excuse to reverently pass fabrics around the room, like gifts at a baby shower, except everyone is actually interested in the items. The boys bring their guitars. And that’s not even counting the painting, the jewelry-making, the graphic design, the multifarious multimedia works in galleries and craft shows across the region. And my dad? Dad, a stand-up comic and voice-over artist, fronted a Boomer rock band for years.

The cycle continues

My generation isn’t any better off.

At least one of my cousins has a singing voice that’ll stop you dead. Her brothers are Philly-based singer-songwriters relentlessly touring the world (while I ride back and forth on SEPTA’s Lansdale line). We have a drummer, a couple photographers, and a theater maven who’s also a budding fashion designer and dancer.

Did I mention that my own brother can play three or four instruments? (I never got past squeaking out “Hot Cross Buns” on the plastic recorder in third grade, but not all of us are destined for greatness.)

In October, there’s no getting away from it. The whole pack of us has decided to embrace this legacy with Fresh Stuff: Johns Family Art, an exhibition coming to Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania’s Orchard Artworks cooperative gallery. The show will include music, paintings, photography, wearable art, and works in fiber, stitching, found objects, and more.

What did I contribute to Fresh Stuff? Nothing, it turns out, despite all those hours at Granny’s counter and my lifelong resolution to shun coloring books. Youthful sojourns in drawing and painting proved satisfying but not especially remunerative. I majored in theater and English instead (I know, brilliant move) and then, ever a practical soul, became an arts writer.

But I’ll be there to support my family in the lifestyle that ultimately ensnared us all. If you want to join us, Fresh Stuff is coming to Orchard Artworks, 520 Tomlinson Road, Bryn Athyn, PA, with an opening reception on Sunday, October 5 from 1-4pm. The exhibition runs through October 26. For more information, visit Orchard Artworks online or call 215-947-9882.

At right: a piece by Judy Merrell.