When Susan DiFluri retired from her job as an occupational therapist, she started on her second career - as a nature artist.

She started taking lessons in August 2019 in preparation for retirement. Just a few years later her work is being included in Art With a View, the Carbon County Creative Arts Fund’s third charity art exhibit, sale and auction at Blue Mountain from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on May 19. This organization is a fund of the Carbon County Community Foundation.

DiFluri, a musical artist for years with the MudFlaps band, wanted to channel her doodles and drawings into something more serious. Working in charcoal and pastels, she started studying with Jay Davenport and displayed in a show.

The pieces were inspired by animals on her friend’s farm in Lancaster. A horse was looking out of a barn window, with a companion piece of a pregnant ewe looking to come in the barn for food. She sold both pieces.

“I love doing farm animals,” she said. She also does birds and flowers and has been doing commission work.

Her pieces in the Art With a View include “Snow Lambs” from her friend’s farm; “Bass Man,” a guitar player from another band, and a pink hibiscus she titled “Wedding.” That was inspired by a flower she was holding on her wedding day from the yard at her house in Palmerton.

“What I am doing now is photo realism, but I am not limiting myself,” DiFluri said.

She entered the show for the experience and to find potential outlets for her work. “I only have so much wall space,” DiFluri said.

When DiFluri wanted to develop her art passion, she reached out to artist Mary Anne Shafer of Lehighton for advice about classes. Shafer has participated in all three Art with a View benefits.

“I promised myself when I retired I would follow my passion,” Shafer said.

Shafer said she became involved when Kathy Fallow was planning the event. “I was really impressed with her vision about how the community would benefit.”

A retired Northern Lehigh teacher, she remains focused on developing children’s interest in the arts.

The first show at Blue Mountain in 2018 drew her in with the gorgeous view and the organization. “People who attend the shows are very much interested in art. You can tell by the questions they ask.”

She enjoys the interaction with other artists, discussing techniques and supplies.

Shafer, of Towamensing Township, works in oils and pastels. This year she has several pieces in the show. “The Smithy” is patterned after her grandfather who was a blacksmith in Lehighton. A bulldog called “Shake it Off” was a piece to encourage people during the pandemic. “We have to learn to live with it and shake it off and don’t let it get you down. I like to have humor in my work.”

An oil painting, “Beaded Blossom” depicts a tulip with dew on it.

The benefit

“Art With a View” is returning after a two-year hiatus because of COVID-19. The proceeds from the show are used through the Carbon County Creative Arts Fund to fund artists.

Participating artists are asked to donate 20% of their sale price and to contribute a piece for the live art auction.

“We’re building a perpetual fund to support the arts in our community,” said Sharon Alexander, executive director of the Carbon County Community Foundation. “The efforts of the CCCAF, the volunteers and the donors today are going to grow and provide additional grants in the future.”

The foundation has been able to give $2,000 grants every year, helping the Zion Opera Workshop in Lehighton, Concerts in the Park in Palmerton, the Bach and Handel Choir, the Carbon County IU talent show and Sheltered Stories project, organized by local libraries, to provide opportunities for Carbon County residents to share their thoughts during the pandemic. Submissions will be included in the State Library of Pennsylvania COVID-19 Digital Archive.

Art presented will be of a variety of mediums, including photography, paintings, jewelry, woodcraft, and various art items made from gourds.

Music will be provided courtesy of Vic’s Jazz Loft at the Stabin Museum, with jazz musicians Miho Nobuzane on piano, Bakithi Kumalo on bass, and Daniel Gonzalez on drums.

The event will also pay tribute to Mary Kocher, soon to celebrate her 101st birthday, for her lifetime achievement in the arts.

Kocher’s paintings grace the halls of many buildings and offices in Carbon County.

Janet Salek, the group’s art coordinator, has gathered Kocher’s paintings from private collections to show at this event.

Works by Palmerton artist Jeanne Stemler will also be featured. She is in her 90s and still painting. “It brings her as much joy as it ever did,” Salek said.

“We do these fundraisers so we can turn around and give to artists to encourage their endeavors,” Salek said.

“Arts in very divided time is what unites us,” founding donor Kathy Fallow said.

“My passion has always been in the arts. We can all be moved by a beautiful piece of music,” Fallow said, referencing the trouble in Ukraine, her grandparents’ birth country.

“So many artists remain out in the middle of the rubble. Artists bring out the best in us.”

For more information, visit cccfoundpa.org/artwithaview. Reservations can still be made online at https://cccfoundpa.org/.

A limited number of reservations will be available at the door.