The Head of the Schuylkill Regatta is pleased to announce that Robert Cody’s watercolor ‘Morning Row’ has been selected as the original art for the cover of the 2019 keepsake program book. The review committee chose this work out of fifteen entries from Philadelphia area artists. Cody’s ‘Morning Row’ is a painting that beautifully captures the early morning light as it rises over Boathouse Row and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, iconic landmarks in Philadelphia, identifying the rower’s location as the Schuylkill River. Cody describes his work, “There is a visual flow between the building and the rower, whose outline is intentionally diffuse, in order to suggest light shimmer. This early light is also shown in the bounce and reflections of the light on the surface of the river. The morning light casts an overall glow to the image.”
This community art initiative began The use of the work of local artists began in 2017 when the program book cover featured the work of the award-winning artist, Elaine Lisle, through the generosity of Radclyff ‘Mike’ Thompson. The cover was a success and thus the beginning of the Regatta’s efforts to reach out to the art community and provide an opportunity for a local artist to show their work related to rowing, the Schuylkill River, and/or Boathouse Row. In June 2018, the HOSR’s Call for Artists resulted in work received by fourteen outstanding local artists. The selection of ‘STROKE,’ the work by Cheryl Schlenker was well received by fellow artists and regatta attendees. Check out the 2018 Program Book in its entirety .
This June, the HOSR’s call for 2019 Program Book cover art brought entries from across the community, students, rowers and professional artists. The work included photography, watercolor, acrylics and mixed media. We congratulate Robert Cody and all the talented artists who have participated in this new and exciting initiative.
A sneak peek of ‘Morning Row’ is shown here. Be sure to pick-up a copy of the 2019 Program Book on regatta weekend to see the complete artwork. And, this year the program cover will also be available as a poster. The poster will be available for sale at the HOSR information booths at the Festival Tent and finish line during the regatta.