Oz and Virginia Nicholson Freedgood ("Ginny") of Holland are the kind of couple that you could talk to all afternoon listening to stories of their worldwide travels and illustrious careers.

Oz Freedgood has enjoyed his long career in the arts. He graduated from Parsons School of Design in New York City and studied Industrial Design at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. He founded several businesses including the Oz Greeting Card Co. and Whitehall Games.

Ginny Freedgood spent her career in the arts as a curator for the Lexington Historical Society, as an antique dealer in pre-1830 furniture and the decorative arts as well as an independent appraiser, and for Skinner Auction Galleries in Boston.

While Oz has been painting all of his life, Ginny just picked up the brush again after an extremely long absence, now that she is retired from the antiques business.

At age 88 Oz Freedgood shows no signs of slowing down. He and his wife enjoy painting and history. They enjoy visiting the David Library of the American Revolutionin Washington Crossing. Freedgood paints in both watercolors and oils and exhibits his artwork in various shows and galleries around the area.

His oil painting, "Stamp Collection," is currently on exhibit at the Artists of Yardley Sixth Annual Members' Show. "I have lots of stamps, including foreign stamps, left over from my youth as a stamp collector. This collection of stamps is a 'pattern picture.' I enjoy exploring patterns in collections of various objects." Freedgood has also created pattern pictures of chocolates, marbles and gourds. You can view his work online.

Freedgood also enjoys sculpture. Several of his animal pieces were in the AOY Photography & 3D Art Show last month including a paper mache zebra, hippopotamus, and elephant. He also enjoys driftwood sculpture.

For those aspiring towards artistic endeavors, Freedgood recommends carrying a sketch pad everywhere. "I always carried a sketch pad and doodled sketches whenever I could to develop my skills," said Freedgood. "When I attended Parsons in New York, I'd go to the Museum of Modern Art or the Metropolitan and spend the afternoon there drawing.

"I used to have fun walking along Third Avenue in New York," Freedgood reminisces. "I'd get props for painting class at antique shops. For five dollars I could get a variety of frames and props for us to draw in [college] classes. The teacher was amazed at what I could get for five dollars!"

Freedgood paints in both watercolor and oil. He is working on some historic subjects currently. He and his wife spend time doing research at the David Library. "I hope to do a series from the revolutionary period. We enjoy going to the David Library and pouring through all of the materials there. I'd like to do some studies portraying the people of colonial times." Freedgood has already painted a colonial woman and hopes to continue with soldiers and various period scenes.

Freedgood enjoyed plein air ("in the open air") painting, and coordinated a group of plein air painters for the Artists of Yardley. However, back problems have curtailed some of these endeavors. He painted the Janney House, the historic 1837 farmhouse that now houses the AOY Art Center. He and his wife would like to paint more of the buildings and farms scenes on the historic Patterson farm.

"I love Bucks County. There are so many places to paint here whether by the river, in New Hope, historic buildings—wherever you turn there is some place to paint." Freedgood's work, including local scenes, is for sale in the Canal Frame Gallery in Yardley.

This summer, Freedgood will be teaching a drawing class for eight to fourteen year-olds at the AOY Art Center. The students will be improving their drawing skills. "By the end of the week, the children will be creating imaginative drawings. Kids can do wonderful things when they let loose. I want to encourage that."

Ginny Freedgood painted as a girl while in school, but she took piano lessons instead of art lessons. Now that she's retired, she finally has time to pick up a paint brush again. While her husband has encouraged her, she was careful not to take lessons from him. "I decided not to take lessons from Oz. He offered, but I felt it would be better to find a teacher. I do listen to his advice. But I want to learn and make mistakes on my own."

This winter, she took watercolor lessons with Jo-Ann Osnoe at the AOY Art Center. "Jo-Ann is a patient instructor and my classmates were a very supportive group." She is delighted to be exhibiting at the AOY Art Center in her first show. Her watercolor painting features bluish-purple irises.

The Freegoods are celebrating 23 years of marriage. Both will keep researching, exploring and painting. Look for their work at the current Artists of Yardley Members Show and upcoming shows.

The art exhibition is free and runs until June 11th. All artwork is for sale. The exhibit will be open for viewing Wednesday through Friday from 1:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. and on weekends from noon until 5:00 p.m. For more information about the show, summer camps and classes visit www.artistsofyardley.org.  The AOY Art Center is located at 949 Mirror Lake Road in Yardley.