VALENTINE'S DAY
Watercolour, 2002
19-1/4 x 29-1/2 inches
signed lower left
I discovered this building one day in late 2001; it is part of the Haines Brothers mill complex near Dorneyville, Pennsylvania. The building has the distinction of being the first schoolhouse in Pennsylvania outside of the city of Philadelphia. The schoolroom actually was on the second floor; the schoolteacher lived in the building and reached her quarters by climbing a ladder to the attic area beneath the gable. The first floor served as a springhouse. Upon close examination of the building, one can see slots in the walls, which served as rifle ports used to ward off attacking Indians. I was most interested in the heart-shaped metal sculpture hanging on the outside wall. This inspired the title of the painting, VALENTINE’S DAY.
