(Continued from Pago B 2) Elva quit school to work on her parents’ dairy farm. In her spare time, she and an older sister con tinue to draw pictures. They saved their pennies to purchase a book on landscape drawing. Then they met an artist, Arlene Stauffer, who lived nearby and who painted scenes on milk cans. “I adored her work and spent hours watching her paint,” Elva said. Elva was told, “There are three things an artist needs to do. Num ber one practice. Number two practice. And, number three practice.” Elva took the advice seriously. “I made myself practice every day,” she said. She practiced on glass milk jugs, stones, and wherever she could find materials. Neighbors who saw her work asked her for gift items. Before crowds of people, Elva uses chalk to draw a large picture illustrating a story that is presented with prere corded music and narration. She receives as many as 24 bookings a month to give chalk talks at churches, senior citizen center, campgrounds, banquets, and outdoor com munity celebrations. She has developed a selection of chalk talks related to history, patriotic, holiday, and Christ ian themes. New Style Low profile styling for increased a visibility y Introducing the new \(XX)« Mlis 9700 Senes, dlie 9700 b gi\e von a choice of (wo complete!) new models: tlir 125 PK) lip 0755 and (lie H 5 PK) hp 07+5. Come get a good l<M»k at onetoda\ SEE YOUR DEALER TODAY! MANOR MOTORS ' Onßte. 553 Penn Run, Pa. 412:254-4753 HERNLEY’S FARM NICHOLS FARM EQUIP., INC. EQUIP. Elizabethtown, Pa. Bloomsburg, Pa. 717-367-8667 717-784-7731 Rural Scenes From Elva’s Art Shanty Her parents began to see that their daughter’s artistic talents were more than mere entertain ment or a passing phase. “My father look an interest in my work and encouraged me to try drawing cows in the meadow,” Elva said. At first, Elva was hesitant. Drawing landscapes was easier for her than drawing animals. But with her father’s critiquing. Elva per fected her animal drawing skills. When people asked where Elva got her talent for drawing, her father replied, “Not from me. I still have mine.” When she was IS years old, Elva's father drove her to gift shops to offer her work for sale. “I discovered all I had to do was put a horse and buggy on a scene and tourists would buy it,” Elva said. The family had neither televison nor radio to entertain Elva, who Great New Ideas. New Engine New AGCO Allis Transmission 600 Senes Standard turbocharged 4 speed liquid cooled transmission Powershil SANDY LAKE IMPLEMENT Sandy Lake, Pa. 412-376-2489 New wet multi-disc clutch increases durability by cushioning torque loading surface while dissipating neat C.J. WONSIDLER BROS. Quakertown, Pa. 215-536-7523 rmiMFi 11 New Tripoli, Pa. CAoSVillhnUrr 215-767-7611 FARM SERVICE Olev Pa Quarryvllle, Pa. 215-987-6257 717-786-7318 B.H.M. FARM EQUIP. INC. Annville, Pa. 717-867-2211 spend long hours painting. Instead her mother read books aloud to Elva as she painted. “I really missed that after I mar ried,” Elva said. She and Ray married 10 years ago and have a 3-year-old son Josiah and a 3-month-old daughter Bethany. Elva has long since stopped sell ing her work at gift shops and tour ists shops. She has more work than she can handle painting special orders. In fact, she has trained a niece to help with the special orders. Elva said, “A lot of farm owners bring me pictures of their farms and ask me to paint them.” She mostly paints farm scenes on saw blades, slate, and on milk cans. Her father goes to a lot of public sales to find milk cans and saw blades. In recent years, another form of painting has become her primary focus; chalk talks. Before crowds of people, Elva uses chalk to draw a large picture illustrating a story that is presented with prerecorded music and narration. “I like the chalk talks, because they allow my husband and I to work together. He does the narra tion while I draw,” Elva said. Tm amazed at the amount of invitations,” Elva said of bookings she receives from churches, senior citizen center, campgrounds, ban quets, and outdoor community celebrations. During the recent Memorial Day month, she had more than two dozen invitations. She has developed programs on history, patriotic, holiday, and New ultra comfortable cab i| V \ '%k Christian themes. Elva said that her interest in chalk drawings developed when she and her husband Ray moved to Tulsa, Okla. to attend Bible School for two years. During that time, she was mentored by a chalk artist from Pittsburgh and began using that technique in Sunday school teaching. Word of her work spread and she was soon asked to perform chalk talks for other gatherings. When people express amaze ment that an untrained artist has had full-time work for more than IS years, Elva responds, “I give all the credit to God. He opens doors and things keep expanding. I am really blessed.” In fulfillment of their dreams, the Hursts bought a 20-acre farm about two years ago. “It was really a rundown farm that my husband and I are having fun in the process of getting it in working order,” Elva said. Ray farms the land in addition to working as a flight instructor at Lancaster Airport. ! “Ray loves coming home and climbing on a tractor,” Elva said of his diverse careers. The Hursts have some goats and chickens. In the bam, they house ostriches for Hammercreek Exotic, which is located nearby. A little shed connected to the house is the ideal spot to hang the shingle for Elva’s Art Shanty. Inside the building she stores milk cans, saw blades, and slates. While the secluded fields and woodland surrounding the farm provides inspiration, Elva mostly paints at her kitchen table where she can care for the children and 3 point Ml AGCO ALUS AOCO HOLTRY’S EQUIPMENT Roxbury, Pa. 717-532-7261 B. EQUIP., INC. Waynesboro, Pa. 717-762-3193 Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 13, 1998-B3 fulfill household duties. Elva has painted Eifo’s Bridge at Mill Way on a milk can. This will be auctioned off at 12:30 p.m. at the Lititz Area Mennonite School benefit auction on June 27. Lititz Area Mennonite School’s 21st annual benefit auction and chicken barbecue will be held Fri day, June 26, and Saturday, June 27. Friday’s activities begin with a chicken barbecue dinner, with drive-thru and eat-in services, available from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Winross bucks and collectibles will be sold at the Friday evening auction between 6 p.m.-8 p.m. A special program for children will be held from 7:15 p.m. with Ryan Bombgardner, a ventriloquist. Quilts, artwork, and many other items will be display Friday evening. Saturday begins with an “all you can eat” country buffet breakfast, served from 6:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m. Enjoy eggs, pancakes, sausage, tater tots, fresh fruit, muffins, and juice for $4. Children 6-10 years are $2, and 5 and under are free. The auction begins at 9 a.m. with a wide variety of items, including crafts, baskets, pottery, American Doll clothes, Lissi Doll, Beanie Babies, Wooden items, sports cards, lawn and garden items, plants, and flowers. ' At noon a large and diverse grouping of artwork will be sold. Special features such as a 3-D handcrafted painting by Lorraine Reiff, a Sam Martin wooden cattle truck, and a handpainted milk can by Elva Hurst will be sold at 12:30 p.m. Quilts and wall hangings will be auctioned at 1 p.m. Children’s activities begin a 10 a.m. with pony rides, train rides, crafts, fish toss, moonwalk, face painting, and other games. A large selection of food will be available throughout the day. The school is located at 1050 East Newport Rd., Lititz. For more information about the benefit sale, call the school at (717) 626-9551. For more information about chalk talks or Elva’s paintingi, call the Hursts at (717) 626-65»2. : With the Hydro Cow Flotation System you can float a down cow back onto its legs harmlessly without using clamps, belts or chains. The Hydro Cow is a natural way to get a cow back on its legs using only warm water. Hydro Cow Flotation Service is available in Lancaster, York and Chester Counties, and northeastern Maryland From: 1 Solaoco Veterinary Service 496 Solanco Rd., Quarryville, PA 717-7M-1303,1-SOO-252-7331 717-786-8550 Evcoloft
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