I live in beautiful Bucks County, Pennsylvania, situated nicely between Philadelphia and New York City. I reside in a 200-year-old converted barn; a great open space with cathedral ceilings and original wooden beams everywhere. I share the space with my husband, two dogs and four cats.
I work near Princeton, New Jersey, at a Montessori school as a visual and performing arts teacher with pre-kindergarten- through 5th-grade-aged students. I am a sometimes upright bass player, and I have two grown daughters who make me proud.
Here’s a video of me playing the upright bass with my husband, Patsy, on the ukulele. This was recorded during the Frank Schaefer Memorial Concert in Provincetown, MA.
A person who was an early influence on my life was my first-grade classroom and art teacher, Mrs Leutweiler. She always made a big fuss over my art, taking drawings home to her husband to brag about me. I remember seeing the contents of her desk drawers—pencils, erasers, rubber bands, supplies all organized in neat compartments, and this made me realize that I wanted to be a teacher just like her.
Some thirty years after my first-grade experiences, I happened to bump into Mrs Leutweiler in a store. I proudly told her that she had influenced me to become a teacher, but she looked slightly disappointed at that, saying that she thought I should be doing my own art work. I wanted to be the same sort of positive role-model for young artists that she was to me, so I became a teacher, but her continuing example has led me to revisit my own artistic interests, as shown in this blog.
Patsy Monteleone
March 8, 2010 at 5:13 pm
I love the classroom picture with you highlighted in full color!
;°)
Indigene
March 9, 2010 at 5:47 am
It sounds like you live in a wonderful place and you in the red is soooo cool!
josh pincus is crying
August 3, 2010 at 2:29 pm
I wanted to tell you how much I am enjoying your blog. Your style and narration are engaging and terrific! I’ll be a regular visitor.
(By the way, we’re neighbors. I’m just outside of Philadelphia, in Montgomery County.)
Kathy Dando
June 6, 2011 at 8:32 pm
Wow! I am pictured with a famous person:) LOL I called Mrs. Leutweiler one day after I saw her name in the paper. I use to get on her nerves and many other teachers, so bad. ADHD as they have diagnosed it these days. LOL
patrick tafara
September 9, 2012 at 4:38 pm
hie ,thanks so much for your uploads ,i loved your fearless . Appreciate your work ,though we see no email address.
Pat Martin
September 14, 2014 at 6:18 pm
It was so much fun to run into you today. I’ll be exploring your pages. I”m so happy you followed your creative path. I’m also very impressed with your drawings & blog tho I’ve only begun to look. Thanks for saying hello. Pat Martin