Artists in residence
at the Protestant Home

By Jon Campisi
Times Staff Writer

The three oil paintings sitting on the display table could easily fetch a decent chunk of cash.
But money isn’t what Robert Roberts is after.
On the contrary, Roberts, 84, never wanted painting to be his career. It’s simply an outlet for him, a relaxing pastime that gives him a break from everyday life.
Now retired, Roberts has all the time in the world to engage his passion, although he completes only a couple of paintings a year. It’s about quality, not quantity.
Roberts was one of about 32 resident artists who had works on display at the Philadelphia Protestant Home in Lawndale April 2 for the first Resident Art Show, which was timed to correspond with the inaugural homecoming celebration of the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging.
"I paint anything. I’m a copy painter. I don’t originate paintings myself," Roberts said, explaining his process of taking a photograph and replicating it in oils.
One of Roberts’ paintings on display portrayed his grandfather’s smokehouse in Kentucky. The painting depicts the small, wooden structure — with metal washtubs hanging on the side — that Roberts would visit as a child. Another oil painting shows a snow-covered, picturesque Alaskan farm overlooking the mountains, a scene Roberts was inspired to paint after viewing the same image in a picture.
Roberts’ third wife, Geneva, whom he married two years ago, also had a painting on display.
Painting for Roberts began in 1965, when he decided to take art lessons with his then-wife during an evening adult school offered at Hatboro-Horsham High School.
He initially intended to take guitar lessons while his wife would take a sewing course, but both opted for art lessons instead. It appears that all these years later, the lessons paid off.
"I’m stunned. You guys are amazing," director of training Mary Ellen Keller said as she walked by the display table of Roberts and his fellow artists.
One of those other talented artists was Betty Coyne, a resident of PPH for 12 years. Coyne, 88, has been painting for an impressive 80 years, a pastime that began when she was a mere 8-year-old visiting with her grandmother, who herself dabbled in the arts.
Coyne, unlike Roberts, likes to try her hand in various mediums, among them oils, pastels and acrylics. On this day, she displayed a pastel of the Head of Pieta, originally done as a sculpture by Michelangelo; an oil painting replicating an outdoor scene originally done by artist Martin Johnson Heade; and an acrylic original depicting a nature scene filled with daisies, lilies and an overturned wooden flower pot.
Unlike Roberts, Coyne said she has sold some of her works; she also has taken home various awards for her creations.
Coyne said that when she was younger she was offered a scholarship to art school but turned it down. The reason — sometimes hobbies become less enjoyable if you pursue them as a career.
"You really don’t feel like doing it all the time," she said.
Now, much as it is for Roberts, painting is something Coyne does for her own peace of mind.
"I don’t think I’m going to keep it up for another eighty years, but I might keep it up for another year or two," she said with a smile.
Coyne also never stops learning. These days, she’s taking lessons on Chinese watercoloring, a technique that differs from traditional watercoloring.
John Johnston, associate director of hospitality service at PPH, said he was shocked by the turnout of participants at the art show. Johnston, who organized the event with activities coordinator Kathy Nucero, said he initially anticipated just a handful of residents would participate, not the 32 who eventually signed up.
"I was amazed," Johnston said of the works on display, including a few that were done by residents in PPH’s nursing-home wing. "This stuff is beautiful. We were pleasantly surprised."
Johnston was so inspired by the interest in the first-ever art show that he hopes to make the event a yearly occurrence.
"We hope this is the first annual," he said. "We couldn’t be happier." ••
Reporter Jon Campisi can be reached at 215-354-3038 or jcampisi@phillynews.com