"Sarah McEneaney: Painting a Year"
by Jay Caddle

Sarah McEneaney, a local artist, had a gallery opening on Friday, September 14. Her works, collectively titled "painting a year" will be on display at The More Gallery, 1630 Walnut Street, until October 27th.

Sarah's paintings are all egg tempera on wood. There are a variety of themes - before and after paintings of the Hamilton-Ridge Community Garden, various scenes from a trip to Mojacar, Spain, and being lost and then found at Big South Fork (a national park in Tennessee), just to name a few.

Sarah has been painting scenes from our neighborhood since she moved here 22 years ago. Many of you may already be familiar with her work if you have seen the mural gracing the corner of 12th and Hamilton. Painting the before and after scenes of the corner of Hamilton and Ridge should come as no surprise; Sarah played a huge role in transforming the trash-filled overgrown lot into the tranquil Community Garden that now resides there. Her painting "Trestletown" depicts the Community Garden, two of the billboard "modifications" made by the elusive "Billboard Bandit", and other neighborhood landmarks that may otherwise seem commonplace as we go about our daily routines.

Also on display at the More Gallery is "F & D Summer Garden" which depicts another Community Garden overlooked by another one of Sarah's murals at the corner of Franklin and Diamond. The whole scene is lit up by a majestic pink twilight sky.

Because of her love of horticulture, dedication to neighborhood beautification, and proactive involvement in the Callowhill Neighborhood Association, Sarah is the Chairperson for our neighborhood "Green and Clean" committee, which just held it's first major event, a wildly successful neighborhood clean-up sponsored by Philadelphia More Beautiful.

For more information regarding Sarah's paintings, you can call The More Gallery at 215-735-1827 or visit them (and some of Sarah's works!) on the web at http://www.moregallery.com.