Cumberland County Edition
May 2013
Vol. 14 No. 5
The Abstract Eye Never Ages Octogenarian Painter Inspired by Nature, American Southwest By Lori Van Ingen Eighty-nine-year-old Etta M. Schreinerâs most rewarding experience is to just sit and paint. âIf thereâs a dish of pears or grapes, instead of eating them, Iâd paint them,â Schreiner said. Over the years, Schreiner has produced more than 200 paintings. In September, Schreinerâs lesser-known Back of the Canvas series will grace the walls of Mulberry Art Studiosâ Louise Gallery. Last summer, a retrospective of Schreinerâs work was exhibited. Schreiner has always painted. When she was 2 years old, she would âcrawl up to where Mom was working at the kitchen sink. To keep me out of her hair while she was cooking, she gave me a piece of paper and a pencil. Thatâs what started the whole thing. I sat on the floor since I couldnât walk yet, and Iâd be painting away.â While she enjoyed painting, Schreiner didnât go into art as a career. Instead, she earned a bachelorâs degree in economics and finance from Lebanon Valley College and masterâs degree from Penn State. âI taught farm kids in a one- or two-room school. It was a great experience to teach,â she said. After marrying her husband, Jack, in 1950, Schreiner didnât go back to please see ABSTRACT page 22 When not on display in a gallery, much of Etta Schreinerâs abstract artwork is on display in her apartment. Clockwise, from bottom left, Three Sisters, Cosmic Event, Fanned Out, and, in Schreinerâs hands, Third Quartet.
Inside:
Special Focus: Better Hearing & Speech Month page 12
Exercises That Can Help Relieve Arthritis Pain page 18