Jan Crumpley

Jan owns a Delaware themed gift shop, the Delaware Store and has a studio in her part of the co-operative art gallery, Parke Green Galleries. Located on the historic site of the Golden Fleece Tavern (1742-1829) where Delaware ratified the US Constitution in 1787, making Delaware the First State. Her art is usually architectural studies, steeples, cupolas and even cemeteries in water media paintings and photography. The history and the architecture of the First State inspires her to create art because she grew up on the Great Plains where very little architecture remains that dates before 1900. In Oklahoma most buildings are new and the grasslands of the Plains, which is also known as the Great American Desert, is more arid and doesn't allow for the lush colors of spring that the Mid-Atlantic region has. Even the history of buildings long gone from the landscape shape life in Dover. Jan feels the flow of architecture through time ("the angels in the architecture" as Paul Simon says). This is the treasure of her adopted East Coast home in Delaware. Music is an important part of life with many friends who are bandmates and are like family, Irish music and folk/blues music, too! Jan plays flutes, whistles, squeezeboxes and dabbles in the ukulele. Despite being classically trained, many years of playing with different types of musicians, being able to play by ear really comes in handy!