By Shannon Hicks

Holiday shopping done during the 2nd Annual Wonderland of Trees at The Homesteads of Newtown cannot only help shoppers find presents for others and decorative items for their own homes, but will also benefit a humanitarian organization that helps millions of people around the world prevent, prepare for, and cope with emergencies.

A percentage of purchases during Wonderland of Trees –– a silent auction that has already opened and will culminate with a daylong event on December 18 –– will benefit the Western Connecticut chapter of the American Red Cross.

The public is welcome to visit The Homesteads at Newtown to view about three dozen three-foot-tall Christmas trees that have been decorated with lights and ornaments. Every tree is unique, and each is beautiful in its own way. There are trees decorated by color and theme; some with very basic decorations and others with ornaments, ribbon, or vines on every branch. Individuals, organizations, and members of the business community have created a beautiful display of creativity, color, and festivity to the halls of the main floor at The Homesteads.

The silent auction is open to the public, who can visit the community’s main building at 166 Mt Pleasant Road in Newtown seven days a week between 9 am and 8 pm. Bidding on the trees will continue until Thursday, December 18.

Members of Candlewood League of Artists (CLA) are also presenting an exhibition and sale of paintings and drawings at The Homesteads. Many of the artists will be at the reception on December 18.

CLA was formed just about one year ago. Founded by artists, CLA presents monthly programs by guest artists at New Fairfield Public Library, as well as classes in different artistic mediums, and programs that will benefit high school age artists.

The Brush and Pencil Club of Heritage Village will also be presenting a collection of art by members. Founded nearly 30 years ago, the Southbury-based club hosts 120 members who continue to create “museum-caliber works of art,” says current club Vice President Eugene Dunscomb.

Inspiration to create new paintings and drawings by residents of Heritage Village is the primary mission of the club. The group presents four major exhibitions each year, and during the year offers instructional demonstrations and workshops by professional artists as well as ongoing classes and seminars.

On December 18, The Homesteads will conclude its Wonderland of Trees with a daylong fine arts and crafts show, live music, wine tastings, and more.

From 10:30 am until 8 pm there will be a vendor area where visitors will be able shop for designer jewelry, artwork, hand blown glass, gift baskets, and more.

One of the vendors participating this year is de la terre. Based in New York and offering one-of-a-kind handcrafted jewelry, the business was started a little over a year ago by two sisters, Elizabeth Odeen and Jennifer Liang. The sisters have decided to donate 25 percent of their proceeds from The Homesteads event to Western Connecticut’s American Red Cross chapter

De la terre started after a chance trip to a bead store by Ms Liang, an attorney. She found jewelry designing a relaxing departure from her hectic career and decided to treat her sister to a jewelry class for her birthday. The sisters both found a love for designing necklaces from natural materials, and they were encouraged by the reaction from friends and family, who quickly began placing orders.

The sisters’ first showing of their collection was just over a year ago. Since then they have attended a number of juried shows throughout the Northeast and their work is now featured in two specialty boutiques, Minnie & Me in Ridgefield and Gayle Willson Gallery in Southampton.

Also participating in Thursday’s event will be Marion Grebow, an acclaimed designer, sculptor, and painter of bas relief ceramic tile. Ms Grebow will be selling limited edition individual animal and nature tiles and offering a violin mezuzah in a silent auction.

Since 1990 Ms Grebow has become a sought-after designer of permanent large-scale tile wall murals at leading institutions. Organizations can present profitable fundraising campaigns by soliciting sponsorship of individual tiles from supporters, and finished walls become visual representations of an organization and its mission. The Redding resident’s art has helped raise funds –– and decorate –– The Nature Center for Environmental Studies in Westport, Westport Public Library, SoundWaters Center for Environmental Education in Stamford, The Jewish Community House of Bensonhurst in Brooklyn, and the 92nd Street Y School in New York City, among others.

In February 1993 Itzhak Perlman commissioned Ms Grebow to create a violin mezuzah, a small case placed on the doorpost of a Jewish home to offer a reminder of God. The mezuzah was limited to a run of only six copies; one is in the collection of Mr Perlman, one is owned by the violinist Isaac Stern, and another one is owned by the violinist Schlomo Mintz.

Of the remaining three mezuzahs, one will be put into the Homesteads’ silent auction on December 18. Ms Grebow has promised to donate all of the proceeds from the sale of that item to the American Red Cross.

Stamford-based artist Jorge Benitez del Sur, who is currently participating in a Connecticut Commission on the Arts group exhibition at Bradley International Airport, will also be participating. Mr Benitez plans to have four or five paintings available for purchase during the all-day arts and crafts show, and will donate an equal number of paintings for silent auction.

Mr Benitez del Sur was born in New York and educated at Pratt Institute in New York, Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut Institute of Art, and Fortman Studios in Florence. He currently lives in Connecticut. This year alone the artist has been represented in a solo exhibition at the headquarters for Meta Group, Inc in Stamford, and in group shows at South Street Seaport’s General Motors/GMC, Goldman Sachs & Co., at Craftsworks Gallery on Martha’s Vineyard, and at the Heineken/USA in East Hampton, N.Y.

In a recent résumé Mr Benitez Del Sur said is influenced by the creativity of both of his parents and the culture of his grandparents.

Multi-award winning artist Janine Wesselmann, who divides her time between Redding and France, will be selling and signing her prints. Her oil paintings tend to fit into one of four categories: French impressions, carnivals and festivals, society and satire, and European scenes.

Ms Wesselmann has been included in Who’s Who of American Women since 1983. She was the first American to show at the Exposition du Printemps, France, and the Centro Culturale, Rome, for which she was awarded the official endorsement of the State of Connecticut. Her retrospective in England at the home of the Dukes of Buckingham led to her award for Leadership in the Arts, Cambridge, England.

Ms Wesselmann was the first American woman to be accepted into the Collection d’Art Modern de la ville de Paris, France. In 1997 she was named Cultural Emissary to France.

Paintings by Edgar Rodrigo Flores Pazos will also be offered. A native of Tulcan, Ecuador, Mr Pazos’s work is strongly influenced by the artist’s love for the earth, its geography, its myths, and its people and their customs. His oeuvre includes two-dimensional works on paper, canvas and murals through engraving, acrylics, oil, pen and ink, and fresco.

“Flores’s work exemplifies his profound love of his land; he nurtures his inspiration with his deep Andean roots,” wrote the Madrid art critic Loli Parra. “The rugged landscapes of the formidable mountain chains are present in his paintings, in a splendor of forms and colors that go from smooth pastel tones to the violent pure aggressive and impacting colors which fill the paintings with a heartbreaking cry that seems to reach to the sky.”

Additional artists may be added to the roster of participants.

Beginning at 5:30 wine tastings and hors d’oeuvres will complement a performance by the master pianist and composer Jerry Traunig.

Bidding on all items will close at 8 pm, and the winners will be announced shortly thereafter.

In addition to the ongoing Christmas tree silent auction and the reception on December 18, The Homesteads has a few musical events planned this month. The concert series will continue on Tuesday, December 16, with a performance of Christmas and Hanukkah music by The Community Wind Ensemble of Western Connecticut. On Friday, December 19, The Homesteads will host a Hanukkah concert by Music from The Heart.

Both concerts will begin at 8 pm, and there is no admission charge. For additional information contact the front desk of The Homesteads at Newtown at 426-8118.