After 25 years, the third floor of Milford, Pa.'s historic Forest Hall, first home of the U.S. Forest Service, is changing wares, shifting from antique furniture to contemporary art. So on Saturday evening, big windows open wide, music festival tootling below, a reception welcomed Jane Koeck and her watercolor works, chosen by Forest Hall co-owners Reggie Cheong-Leen and Peter Spielhagen. Spielhagen pointed out Koeck's "Pink Lilies With Oil Lamp." "I liked the airiness, the lightness, the composition," he said. "Plus it coordinated with the lamp on the ceiling." If you go, Koeck's exhibit will be open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. weekends through July at 214 Broad St., Milford, Pa. Call 570-296-4299. Cheong-Leen was partial to "Fall's Fading Flowers." He met Koeck when she exhibited her work at Chant Realty. "We wanted a change, and I saw her art. I said, 'She's a wonderful artist. She'll be the first.'" A steady stream of people moseyed through the room, from people who have known Koeck for years and taken her classes at Milford Borough Hall to those who just happened by. "We heard the noise and came up," said Helena Manfredo of Milford, who was studying a painting called "Cape Fence." "I like the blues and yellows, and it feels like my backyard." Elsewhere, Stella Propenzano and Audrey Lanham, both watercolor artists, contemplated "Tillman's Ravine," and chatted with Koeck. Lanham recalled taking a five-day workshop at Peter's Valley, N.J., when it rained for four of the days. On the one clear day they went to Tillman's Ravine in Walpack, N.J. "I have a hard time with outdoor painting," she said. "I'm overwhelmed with the beauty of everything." Koeck recollected going to the ravine on one of the monthly class trips she took with her son's fifth-grade class as "class mother." She painted while the children wrote poetry. She explained to a browser her process of altering and repairing paintings. "Many think watercolors are uncorrectable," said Koeck. "But there's so much you can do. I had a painting I didn't like. I used masking tape to save the areas I liked." Elsewhere on the painting she poured water. "I let it run and create run-back lines, no control, and then I painted over it. It adds spontaneity you couldn't get with a plan. Watercolor is not as unforgiving as people think. If you know the rules, you can break them." Such was the case with "Geraniums in Bucket." Elsewhere, a painting called "Bottles and Bricks" was more "controlled," she said. It reminded her of students' difficulties. "Painting the bottle itself is the biggest mistake," she said. "You don't paint the outline. You paint everything else. You paint exactly what you see, the distortions and reflections. Out of painting those, the bottle appears. You need to paint from life. You can't make it up."
By Jessica Cohen Published: 06/15/12