I was lucky enough to run into Marta Whistler walking around town the other day with her beautiful dog:

Me: "You are a contemporary painter/sculptor…"
Her: "Yes, and I am a noted painter/sculptor. People know me around here in Easton; I've worked in Philadelphia and all over the country."
Me: "So, let me ask you: You've been all over the country, and yet Easton…"
Her: "…Easton is my home. I lived here with my late husband. We bought a beautiful Victorian home, which we renovated completely. When he unfortunately passed away two years ago-- he was performing King Lear in California--and he died of a massive heart attack. So, I didn't feel the same about Easton anymore. Too many memories. I went to Dallas where I had family and clients, but the urge to return to Easton was too strong; I'm also a mentor to many young people here, so they said, 'Marta, you'll have to come back--it's just not the same without you here.' I have clients in New York and Philadelphia and so on, so it's easier for them to come to Easton than to Dallas. So I came back, bought a house and I'm very happy. This is home to me."
Me: "One art question: What do artists do for humanity?"
Her: "I think to convey a certain message in their work. That's the most important thing. See, I don't title my work because I like to prod your mind and see what you are going to see into it."

You can see Marta's work locally at the Sigal Museum and the Nurture Nature Center.

Kyle told me how he got started taking pictures:

"After my grandfather passed away, I started doing just small stuff with his point-and-click, but after my uncle passed away, they had given me his camera at the time, which I used for a long while. Then I just got hooked on it and I've been doing it since then, since I've gotten my own camera and different equipment."
"Social critic Susan Sontag said that photography isn't really an art form like painting or poetry is. What would you say to that?"
"It's tough to say. The photography a lot of people take, like modeling and the still stuff, I see as an art, but there is a lot of it where I could see where people say it isn't. Nowadays you see people walk around with a cell phone or an iPad and they think they're the greatest photographer in the world. Sometimes they get a great shot with that, but really it's kind of down to what's really there is art within itself. I've been told numerous times that my stuff is really good: My friend a painter and she's asked me if she can use my photos for painting and I'll give her one for it. But it depends on how you see it. I always say that the world looks a lot different through a lens."