Art in the AM event set in Rehoboth Sept. 7

Three local artists, nine writers and a musician will present a unique collaborative performance, Art in the AM, from 10 to 11:15 a.m., Wednesday, Sept. 7, in the clubhouse of The Glade in Rehoboth Beach. Hosted by the Rehoboth Beach Writers' Guild, the event is free and open to the public, but RSVPs are required. To reserve a space, email fischer.maribeth@gmail.com.

Rehoboth Beach Writers' Guild Executive Director Maribeth Fischer says, "Think of it as a three-act play with each act featuring one artist. While a painting by artist A is being displayed, three writers will read the short (300 words or fewer) original poem, memoir-excerpt or flash fiction that the painting inspired. This will be followed by a live song performed by musician Stuart Vining who will explain what in the painting prompted his choice of song, and finally, the artist will speak about his or her own inspiration for the work."

The goal is to get people talking and thinking about the different ways people express themselves and to use one art form (writing or music) to talk about another (painting). Can writing about art inspire writers to delve deeper into their imaginations? Does hearing a song inspired by a painting change the way one views that painting? "Each month the writing, art and music intersect in surprising ways," says Cape Gazette columnist Lisa Graff, who will emcee the event and who led the guild's art-inspired Free Writes for four years.

The three artists to participate in the September event, Jane Duffy, Linda Minkowski, and Dale Sheldon, all submitted their paintings to be posted on the guild's website in August, giving the writers time to choose and then study the work they are using for inspiration.

Duffy, a retired educator who spent her career working with emotionally and behaviorally challenged adolescents, began painting as a child. However, only as she neared retirement could she devote time to her art. With camera in hand, she captures images of shorebirds or angles of buildings creating light and shadow, then uses these photographs as a basis for her painting. Duffy is a founding member and current president of Delaware Shore Artists Group, and a member of Le Petit Salon and the Rehoboth Art League.

Minkowski is a graduate of the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Art and received a bachelor's degree in art education from the Maryland Institute of Art. A Rehoboth Beach artist and art teacher, she works in oils, pastels, acrylics, watercolor and digital media. She teaches at Wilmington University and local art leagues and organizations. She is a master instructor at the Millsboro Art League, and is a certified instructor representing Grumbacher currently at Michael's in Rehoboth. Minkowski has shown in numerous fine art exhibits, both as a featured artist and in group showings. A former partner in the online gallery www.Artworx19971.com, she also shows at www.Fineartamerica.com. She is a member of the Rehoboth Art League, the Millsboro Art League, and is a founding member of the Delaware Shore Artists Group.

Sheldon, who is primarily a studio painter, comes from a family of artists - her father and grandfather designed many public monuments, memorials, and sculptures, including the New Jersey state monument at Valley Forge, Pa. Sheldon studied at Philadelphia's Moore College of Art and graduated from the University of Maryland. She experiments in numerous media including watercolor, pastel, oil, acrylic, printmaking, collage, digital art and photography. An award-winning artist, she is a founding officer and signature member of Delaware Watercolor Society; a juried member of both Potomac Valley Watercolorists and Baltimore Watercolor Society, and a member of the Rehoboth Art League. She is a partner with 14 other artists at Gallery One in Ocean View.

"We want this to be casual and fun, igniting conversations and ideas," says Fischer. "Writing and painting are often such solitary activities. Even the reading of literature in public or the viewing of art can seem such serious and solemn endeavors. That's not what this is."

Coffee and pastries will be served. For more information, go to www.rehobothbeachwritersguild.com. For specific questions about Art in the AM or to RSVP, email fischer.maribeth@gmail.com.