Who we are
Walnut Street Studio is the brainchild of two local artists, Joseph and Chris Pagano. The studio is located in the mountains of Central Pennsylvania in the scenic Lykens Valley and offers original acrylic paintings, vintage handsaws and wooden plaques of Mid-Atlantic wildlife.
Chris—
Chris’s grandparents were instrumental in her life’s choice to be an artist. They always had art materials on hand when she came to visit. And they always encouraged her to draw something. Some of her earliest recollections are of drawing greeting cards with her crayons for her relatives and neighbors.
Chris studied fine arts – painting at Kutztown University and Texas Lutheran University. Along with her college training, she studied painting, starting at age 11, under regionally known professional artists, Myrtle Waldspurger and Ruth Emerick.
Chris illustrated for Pennsylvania Game News and designed several Pennsylvania Farmer Christmas covers. She won the first Lehigh Valley Conservancy print and stamp contest with a painting of a great blue heron. She illustrated the covers for the novels, “Dragon Alliance-Rise Against Shadow” and “Dragon Alliance- Dark Storm” by J. Michael Fluck. She has placed first in numerous decoy painting competitions and has won awards at art competitions in the eastern US. Chris has exhibited professionally in art shows and craft festivals in the Mid-Atlantic region for close to 50 years.
Her solo gallery shows include- 1998 “Appalachian Images” ,2007 “Images of Land and Sea” and 2015 “Woodland Wings”, Gallery on the Square, Millersburg, PA and 2009 featured artist, Elizabethville Library Series. She taught “Painting and Drawing From Nature” classes at various times to groups of adults and children at the Gallery.
Joe-
Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Joe Pagano’s love of nature and the outdoors brought him to rural Pennsylvania in the early 1980's where he settled in the quaint, historic town of Wiconisco. Primarily a self-taught artist and woodworker, Mr. Pagano's education credentials include the Streets of Brooklyn University and the School of Hard Knocks, as well as an associate’s degree from Bond Business College, El Paso, Texas. His 25+ years of service in the US Navy and the Pennsylvania National Guard round out his education and life experience and are the driving force behind the attention to detail and outstanding craftsmanship that are the hallmarks of his creations.
Bailey and Smokey—
No artist or business can function without the invaluable , behind the scenes work done by their support staff. Our crew is hardworking and faithful in all their endeavors. We greatly appreciate their enthusiasm, loyalty and all they do to improve the quality of our lives.