| Earl Blust: A Life's Work | |
 Friends,
art patrons pay tribute to Earl Blust at Whitaker Center event Words of praise, admiration and appreciation for artist Earl Blust came from art gallery executives and curators, a Patriot News editor, friends, and of course, members of the Seven Lively Artists. They joined scores of art patrons who gathered at the opening reception for the exhibit Earl Blust: A Life's Work. The exhibit will run through October 21 at Harrisburg's Whitaker Center. Earl earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in 1954 from the then Philadelphia College of the Arts, and began his career as a successful commercial graphic artist. Early in his career, he and his colleagues formed the Seven Lively Artists. As a group, they spent many weekends painting en plein air around Harrisburg and its countryside, as well as the various shore points up and down east coast. He served as a member and board member of the Harrisburg Art Association, the Art Center School and Galleries in Mechanicsburg, and the Susquehanna Art Museum. For many years, he volunteered as a judge for the Scholastic Art Awards program. Earl also shared his art knowledge as an instructor. Many galleries and exhibitions have featured his award-winning oil and watercolor paintings. He and his late wife, Joan, raised five children at their Lewisberry, PA home. |
 Participants in the Earl Blust exhibit opening reception at the Whitaker Center admire six decades of oil and watercolor paintings by this founding member of the Seven Lively Artists. |
 Members of the Seven Lively Artists gather at the podium as Jonathan Frazier prepares to address the crowd on behalf of the group. |
 Earl and Don Lenker chat during the exhibit reception. Lenker, a watercolor artist, joined the Seven Lively Artists in the late 1950s. |