Independent Arts News Reporting Croton Fall Arts Festival 2026
Reported on Thursday, August 13, 2026
Pictured Above: Sailorsburg flea market 12×17 mixed media. Photo Credit: Contributed.
NEWRSOOM POST: FLEMINGTON, NEW JERSEY
Croton Fall Arts Festival Show dates: September 19, 20, 26, 27, 2026 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 31 Rake Road (Croton Rod and Gun Club) Flemington, NJ 08822
Flemington, NJ – The first annual Croton Fall Arts Festival will take place September 19, 20, 26, 27, 2026, in the hamlet of Croton at 31 Rake Road, Flemington, NJ 08822, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Rain/Shine/Free. Refreshments will be served. All work exhibited is for sale.
Featured works include stone benches, sculpture, mixed media art, paintings, pottery, photography, jewelry and wood creations. Also Gloria Kosco will be on hand to do a children’s activity to make “pinch pots” which they can create and take home! Artists will be available to explain their artistic process, making this a more interactive art show!
Artists include Justin Anchinsko, Diana Contine, Annie Haslam, Gloria Kosco, Reed Mitchell, Jonathan Rischawy, Zoe Rischawy, Steven Snyder (posthumously, and Deborah Tinsman.
Justin Anchinsko, founder of Innerstone.Design, believes that art and design are not just about aesthetics, but also about function and purpose. His designs for stone benches are not only beautiful, but also practical and comfortable. Justin “listens” to the stone before creating one-of-a-kind stone benches and stone sculpture, fitting beautifully into natural landscapes. People have commented while sitting on the benches, that they can feel the energy of the stone radiating through.
Working with his father, stone sculptor Steven Snyder of Cedar Maze Sculpture Garden, Justin has developed a deep understanding of how each individual stone’s shape and texture can guide his hand to create work in a style uniquely his own. Justin started creating stone benches and outdoor stone sculpture when he discovered how polishing stone brought out its inner beauty.
Diana Contine of dakota-moon.com says, “I like to think of my designs as a journey that can take the wearer from ‘gently used’ pieces of vintage beads incorporated into a jewelry piece, inspirations from organic sources, to a mystical and romantic world that captures the heart.” Diana’s training in fine art design took her from her native St. Louis, Missouri to Eastern Michigan University and the American College of London where she earned her BS in Design. She went on to study Millinery at Moore College of Design in Philadelphia, and then California and to the south of France and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to continue her studies in the field of jewelry design.
Diana is a state juried member of the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen with juried status in both jewelry and fiber. She is also a member of the Pennsylvania Society of Goldsmiths and a certified instructor in the PMC Guild. She teaches jewelry design and techniques extensively throughout New England and in her studio.
Initially successful designing original clothing and home furnishings, Diana has turned her focus to jewelry design. An adventurous sense of color and an eye for combining unexpected textures hallmarks Dakota Moon designs. Incorporating a range of materials from precious gems and metals to semi-precious beads and ethnic elements assures that there is an irresistible piece of Dakota Moon jewelry in
every price range.
Besides an unerring eye for design, Diana’s work is also imbued with a deep sense of respect and affection for the Divine feminine. This alchemy of gems, crystals, color, movement, symbol and talisman resonates with Diana’s intention to balance and wholeness. These pieces are far more that the wearable art, they are meditations on the spirit of beauty.
Pictured Above: Deb Tinsman Castle. Photo Credit: Contributed.
Annie Haslam (anniehaslam.com) first came to international prominence in 1971 as the lead singer of Renaissance, helping to define the band’s signature blend of classical, folk, and rock with her soaring, crystalline soprano voice. With Renaissance, she recorded numerous studio and live albums, touted globally, and performed at prestigious venues, such as Carnegie Hall (with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra) and London’s Royal Albert Hall (with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Royal Choral Society). Her remarkable five octave range and emotionally expressive phrasing have led many critics and fans to describe her as one of the defining voices of progressive and symphonic rock.
Before music took center stage, Annie studied fashion at the Redruth School of Art in Cornwall, and from there went to London to follow her dream to be a dress designer. She then went on numerous job interviews with London fashion houses, ending up with an apprenticeship with a Savile Row tailor. Those early years – surrounded by fabric, color and design – eventually resurfaced in her life on stage, where she began incorporating her own artwork, printed on silk, into her concert wardrobe. She even had her paintings enlarged – one for each song – and displayed behind her band and orchestra.
The fusion of couture and creativity became a visual extension of her musical identity, turning her appearances into fully realized works of art.
In 2002, Annie answered a powerful inner call to paint, developing a parallel career as a visual artist that now spans original canvases, and an ever-growing body of commissioned work. She works intuitively and often describes a synesthetic process in which she “tunes in” to songs, people, pets, and otherworldly landscapes, translating feelings and energies into vibrant color, shape and motion. Painted songs have become a particular passion, allowing her to give musical compositions a visual counterpart, that listeners can literally live with and contemplate.
Beyond traditional canvases, Annie has become widely known for transforming musical instruments into one-of-a-kind works of art, including playable acoustic and electric guitars, bespoke “art guitars,” and both electric and decorative violins. Her commissions range from individual collectors to respected manufacturers. Among the most celebrated is a CF Martin guitar she was commissioned to paint, now displayed in the Martin Museum in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. From there, her art has traveled to exhibitions such as the Florence Biennale in Italy, affirming her place as an intuitive abstract painter with a strongly recognizable visual language.
Pictured Above: Reed Mitchell – Light Returnings. Photo Credit: Contributed.
Collectors and critics often remark on the fluid, organic quality of Annie’s imagery, and the sense that her canvases are in constant motion, revealing new forms and meanings with each viewing. Observers frequently speak of “entering” her paintings, finding personal stories and symbols within their radiant layers of color, light and texture. Across both music and art, Annie Haslam’s enduring legacy is the joy, wonder, and inspiration she brings to audiences – she loves to paint as much as she loves to sing, and in each medium, she continues to create work that feels timeless, heartfelt, and uniquely her own.
Gloria Kosco (Facebook.com/GloriaKoscoPottery/), who began making pottery as a teenager, is an accomplished artist working with different materials but is continually drawn back to clay. She is renowned for her exceptional skills in wheel throwing. With an MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design, she has continued her studies at The Moravian Tileworks in Doylestown, PA, and Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina.
Gloria is captivated by the interplay of form and function in three-dimensional art. Over the years, she has honed her technique, mastering the throwing wheel to create beautifully crafted pottery that marries elegance with practicality. Her work often reflects a deep connection to nature, drawing inspiration from organic shapes, textures, and colors. Gloria believes that pottery is not just about the final piece but also about the joy of the creative process. She embraces the challenges of working with clay, finding beauty in both the successes and the occasional mishaps that come with it.
In addition to creating her art, Gloria is dedicated to sharing her knowledge and love for ceramics with others. She conducts workshops and classes at Mudtown Ceramics in Milford, NJ, encouraging students to explore their creativity and develop their unique styles. Her warm and approachable teaching style has made her a beloved figure in the local arts community.
Reed Mitchell, of reedmitchell.art, says, “Growing up in Bucks County, PA, my interest in photography began as a child in Doylestown. Capturing images of the world around me, I discovered there were ways to be creative and playful with photography, rather than to just use the medium as a method of documentation.”
His casual interest grew into a passion. Reed enjoys turning ordinary moments into art that challenges the viewer to see the familiar in unexpected ways. Guided by intuition and a playful imagination, believing that powerful interconnected beauty and meaning surrounds us all, his images range from direct interpretation to the abstract.He loves Diane Arbus’ words: “A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know.” Reed also strives to share such secrets in his work.Jonathan Rischawy (rischawy-art.weebly.com/) is an American painter working in an impressionist-representational style, saying, “My works depict everyday scenes and structures with an emphasis on light, line, repetition, and strong angles. I’m inspired by the works of Edward Hopper, Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, and Edgar Degas.”
Jonathan began his art career as a Graphic Designer, working for a variety of clients, such as FujiFilm, and Johnson & Johnson, and later started his own design company. While his design business was successful, he found the “business” part taking more and more of his time. This lack of creativity weighed on him. When his children were still in grade school, he had an opportunity to teach an after-school art program, and loved it. He immediately began the transition to becoming a certified art teacher. This was also around the time when he began painting more frequently, and studying fine art at the Academy of Art University under William Maughan. He’s been teaching now for over 15 years, and truly loves sharing and making art with his students. Jonathan’s goal as an artist is to bring the often unnoticed beauty of the everyday and common to the forefront. An unknown artist once said, “There are so many details in life that we just don’t notice.
Good artists look. Great artists look longer.” Jonathan thinks we need to slow down and look longer.
Jonathan attended New Jersey City University and received a BFA in Communication Design, as well as a MA in Educational Technology.He has also worked towards a post-graduate degree from the Academy of Art University in San Fransisco in Painting. Currently, he is a high school Art Teacher in Sussex County, NJ, and loves sharing his love of art and design with his students. His work is frequently displayed throughout Hunterdon and Bucks counties.
Pictured Above: Gloriapc. Photo Credit: Contributed.
Born in Flemington, NJ, Zoe Rischawy (zoerischawy.weebly.com) says, “I grew up with a father who is an artist. For that I’m so very grateful. As a young child, he would take me on late afternoon car rides to scout the area for places to take pictures. I learned very quickly what the ‘golden hour’ was and what shadows look best for painting. I had inherited his fascination with photography without realizing it, and when I got older I found myself bringing my camera everywhere I went in case there was something I needed to capture. I was drawn to people and what they were doing around me, which is what I value most in my photographs. I love to take pictures of strangers living their lives around me for that split second it takes to snap a photo. These people are silently living their lives and doing everyday things in these environments. I found them all interesting for different reasons and chose to capture the beauty of them in that moment. I think these people being framed as a work of art gives the images a new meaning and creates an atmosphere that wasn’t originally there,” explains Zoe.
Steven Snyder (1956-2025) stonesculpture.net. In 1986, Steven built Cedar Maze, his home and studio in Point Pleasant, PA. He created a sculpture garden and from 1997 through 2017, he featured his work there along with that of other artists at yearly Cedar Maze Art Shows. Steven’s work was heavily influenced by love of family and nature. From 2018 through 2024, Steven’s work was included in HoBART Art Show in Frenchtown, NJ.
His past works include the carving of three large sandstone murals on the exterior of the Jewish Center of Princeton in Princeton, New Jersey in 1984. In 1994 he traveled to Quitman, Mississippi, to do a reproduction of a classic Bucks County farm house which was featured in Fine Homebuilding Magazine, (“Laying up Stone Veneer,” November, 1994). Country Living Magazine did a cover story on Snyder’s Bucks County Pennsylvania sculpture garden, studio and home (Cedar Maze) featuring his sculpture and stone carvings (“A Sculptor’s Sanctuary,” August, 1996) and in 2001, HGTV’s “Our Place” showcased his work at Cedar Maze as well.
(deborahdaviestinsman.wordpress.com) Deborah Tinsman studied Ceramics at the School for American Craftsmen at Rochester institute of Technology from 1970-1972. She had a studio at Splinter Brothers Warehouse in Tucson Arizona in the mid 1970s and finally set up a pottery studio in Lumberville Pennsylvania.
She participated in the Philadelphia Museum of Arts Craft Show in 1989, and also The Washington Craft Show/Smithsonian Craft Show in the late 80s and early ‘90s. Deborah received a fellowship from the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts in 1989.
For the next 30 years Deborah participated in craft shows all over the northeast, with her favorite show being the ARTSCAPE Festival put on by the Mayors Council of the City of Baltimore. During those years she most enjoyed meeting the people during the shows who bought her pots. Her aim was to make everyday pots which were both functional and beautiful.Deborah has moved on from making pots, and has turned to making objects from wood that amuse her, as well as to painting. Deborah is not focused on selling them, but enjoys “following my nose and seeing where the play takes me,” including making ‘scapegoats’ out of old wooden boxes.
