A VARIETY OF ART — Photographer Devin Ashmore straightens one of the closeup pictures she has taken of things from nature. Appearing at Aunt Mary’s, a Wellsburg bed and breakfast, Ashmore was one of six area artists participating in the Art Hop held Saturday by the Top of West Virginia Convention and Visitors Bureau and Rivertown Inns. -- Warren Scott

WELLSBURG — Area residents and visitors had an opportunity to tour three local bed and breakfasts and view a variety of art Saturday through a collaboration of the Top of West Virginia Convention and Visitors Bureau and Rivertown Inns.

The latter is an umbrella for the three bed and breakfasts — Arabian Nights, Aunt Mary’s and the Sarah Miller House — which teamed for a revival of the CVB’s Art Hop event.

Aunt Mary’s, which is operated by Rise Katnik, who named it for her mother, who was known to many family members as such.

It seemed fitting, she said, because “This house is cozy like a grandmother’s or aunt’s.”

Located at 420 Commerce St. (state Route 2), the three-bedroom house sat vacant near her own home, said Katnik, and learning it had been built in 1867, “I just didn’t have the heart to tear it down.”

ART SHOWCASED — Nancy Wright, left, and Joyce Beatty adjust some of the many pieces of art they brought to the Sarah Miller House, one of three Wellsburg bed and breakfasts that participated in the Art Hop held Saturday by the Top of West Virginia Convention and Visitors Bureau and Rivertown Inns. -- Warren Scott

Katnik said she started renovating it with much help in 2020, adding a patio to the rear as well as a deck and set of steps to a room created on the top floor of a former carriage house behind it.

“This was truly a labor of love,” she said.

The bed and breakfast’s artistic guests were James Sulkowski, a professional artist from Canonsburg, Pa., and Devin Ashmore, a professional photographer from Weirton.

Sulkowski said his career has taken him to Philadelphia and New York City, and he has done paintings for the George W. Bush Library and the president of Saudi Arabia.

An oil painter inspired by artists of the Renaissance, he said art may deliver a message, but it also may convey simply beauty.

The author of four books on art, Sulkowski said he has presented art workshops throughout the U.S. and his students have ranged in age from 18 to 80.

He said he’s reached an online audience through videos posted on YouTube.

Ashmore said she has worked as a photographer since 2009, shooting many individual and family portraits. But she also enjoys shooting subjects from nature.

“I love being outdoors and started taking my camera with me,” she said.

Ashmore said she’s found closeup shots of moss and other small aspects of nature to be very interesting, sometimes creating an abstract image and sometimes resembling a mountainous forest and other larger landscapes.

Of the Art Hop, she said, “I just loved it — the feeling of community and getting to know people.”

A display of paintings by Ashley Otto at Arabian Nights was natural for the bed and breakfast at 542 Main St., where art and antiques grace several rooms and corridors.

Among Otto’s pieces was a painting of a section of downtown Wellsburg, including the new Brooke County Judicial Annex, as seen from the Ohio River that she based on a photo she took of the area in July.

Originally from Nebraska, she became interested in art at a young age but started oil painting four years ago while taking classes through the Oglebay Institute’s Stifel Fine Arts Center.

Otto said she enjoys painting images that involve contrasting levels of light and one of her favorite artists is Caravaggio, an Italian painter who enjoyed playing with light and shadows.

Of the Art Hop, she said, “It’s really fun to show my art in a really nice, historic home.”

Built around 1906, the three-story house had been vacant for many years before owner Danielle Thomas undertook its renovation, including adding a ramp at its north side and elevator to its second floor.

Thomas said of the art hop, “I think it’s fantastic. I love the collaboration with the other bed and breakfasts. We all refer people to each other.”

An avid baker, she suggested a cookie crawl, in which visitors would be treated to cookies and other snacks made by local bakers, could be the next event for them.

Also on hand at Arabian Nights was Cara Monigold, a herbalist who shared information about various plants that may be used for medicinal purposes or smoked for relaxation.

Monigold said she has researched herbs and mushrooms that may be consumed safely, and has found a herb to be helpful in quitting tobacco use.

At the Sarah Miller House a few blocks north at 900 Main St., Nancy Wright and Joyce Beatty displayed an assortment of paintings and decorative pieces.

An art teacher at St. Joseph the Worker School for 35 years, Wright said she enjoys painting “old-fashioned things like barns and rustic settings” but she also has created foreign street scenes inspired by Italy, a place she’d like to visit.

Of painting, she said, “It’s a stress reliever for me.”

Beatty has similar interests, having painted a 150-year-old barn in New Cumberland that had been in her family for many years and similar subjects, “but the Santas are my passion.”

She pointed to a stand filled with Santa Claus figurines dressed in various costumes, explaining in addition to clothing them, she sculpted their faces from oil-based clay.

Beatty, who also enjoys cooking, said, “I have to create something every day. It’s in my jeans, I guess.”

The two were among founders of the Top of West Virginia Arts Council, which maintains an art gallery at the Top of West Virginia CVB’s new headquarters at 243 Three Springs Drive.

The gallery normally is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. It’s currently showcasing the work of members of the Upper Ohio Valley Camera Club through Oct. 30.

Beatty added the group also offers art classes for adults and youth there.

The art hop concluded with a reception and lunch at the Sarah Miller House.

Artists participating in the art hop noted they were invited to a progressive dinner and desert served at each of the three bed and breakfasts the night before.

Harry Sanford, who owns the bed and breakfast with Chatman Neely, said the presence of artists is nothing new for them.

He said the Barn with Inn, their country bed and breakfast off state Route 27, has become a get-away for artists, writers and other creative types.

“We’ve had a couple of books written there and several songs,” said Sanford.

He noted the Sarah Miller House continues to host chef’s table dinners, with specific menus served up by chef Brian Magliochette. A couple of holiday-themed meals, including a Feast of the Seven Fishes — an Italian Christmas custom — are planned for later this year.

Details about the meals, which require reservations, are posted on the Barn with Inn’s website.

Sanford said the bed and breakfasts have drawn guests to town for various occasions, including weddings, funerals and simply casual visits.

“We had a full house in July (when a weeklong Independence Day celebration is held) and at we have guests at the farm now for Bethany’s homecoming.”

Among many on hand at Arabian Nights was Cassidy Mailloux of Windsor, Ontario, who was visiting a friend at the college.

Of the Art Hop, she said, “It’s very cool.”