On Wednesday, June 24^th, Summer Arts went on an exciting trip to Donald Baechler’s Chelsea studio for an exclusive tour and visit with the artist. Baechler is a painter and sculptor whose work has been shown in galleries and museums all over the world. His unique style incorporates a lot of childhood images, inspired by children’s books and toys. Rachel Webber, the Director of Summer Arts, explained that, “the imagery Baechler uses makes his art very accessible to a young audience. For example, flowers, ice cream cones and toys are iconic images for young people to understand.”

 Baecheler was especially excited to meet the students because he attended the Westtown School, a Quaker school outside Philadelphia. He showed the students some of his older pieces that they learned about prior to our visit, as well as some newer, unfinished works. He explained how he makes his art, from what inspires him to when he knows a piece is finished.

 The students asked him a lot of interesting questions, ranging from what his favorite color is to whether his family supported his desire to become an artist as a young child. To show our appreciation for the visit, the students presented Baechler with a box of linocut prints they made that were inspired by his work. After talking to the students, Baechler allowed them to walk around his studio and make sketches of his art.