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Artists of W 18th Street: Margo Mavrantonis Johnson

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  Artists of W 18th Street Margo Mavrantonis Johnson Margo Mavrantonis Johnson is a W 18th St artist who is still active, although no longer living on our block.  Margo is retired from her art teaching career but continues to paint professionally.  She paints a variety of subjects, but my favorites are the structures and streetscapes from her frequent European trips, especially to her second home, Greece.  We treasure her Christmas cards which depict a peripatetic snowman who has visited New Castle, Tuscany and Greece, but has yet to experience a meltdown.       Margo has a studio and gallery representation in the Opera House, 304 Delaware  Street in old New Castle, Delaware, and a web site at https://margojohnson.artspan.com/exhibits.html.  There is an extensive gallery of her work there.      
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Artists of W 18th St: Ralph Scharff

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 Artists of W 18th Street Ralph Scharff   When Mary and I were newly married, living in a trailer while I was in graduate school, she told me about an inspiring art teacher she had at Ursuline Academy in Wilmington, Ralph Scharff.  Scharff was a rara avis at Ursuline at that time, not a nun, not female, and very outspoken.  Mary described him as an active instructor who fully expressed his opinions. [Ralph had served in World War II in Burma and had suffered from leg injuries later exasperated by diabetes.  He later lost his leg.]    Mary has more stories to share over a drink. A few years later after we had moved back to Wilmington our next door 18th St neighbor died and his wife moved out, renting out the house.  The new residents were Ralph, his wife, Carole, son Sean, and daughter Kevin.  They soon became good friends.  Kevin was near our daughters in age and became second generation friends in our family.  The Scharffs had fam...
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Artists of W 18th Street: John Matassa

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 Artists of W 18th Street John Matassa  Several years after Ralph Scharff moved from 2625 W 18th St another artist and family moved in.  John Matassa wasn't a native of the area, but paintings of the landscape and architecture of the Brandywine Valley were part of his eclectic output.  I remember John more for his drawings than his paintings. He was born and received his art education in New England, but had a career as an art teacher at Wilmington Friends School in parallel to his professional art career. We do not own any of John's art, but a portfolio of detailed Delaware steamboat paintings are posted at https://steamboats.com/museum/matassa1.html.  I have not been able to find the back story for this collection or its present location.  Several are clearly marked "Wilson Line," the Wilmington based steamship line founded in the 1880s and lasting until the 1960s.  Here is the "City of Wilmington."    Hagley Museum owns a John Matassa Draw...
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