The Mahoning Valley Nursing Home held an unveiling on May 29 for a work of art done by one of the nursing home's residents, Bill Wentz. The watercolor painting, titled "The Beer's Place," was purchased by the nursing home at an art show held by the Carbon County Community Art League.

The art piece is now displayed in the nursing home for all to see. At 89 years old, having just celebrated his birthday recently, Wentz has had an extensive and eventful career as an artist and a teacher of art.A musician earlier in his life while growing up in Palmerton, Wentz would not discover his passion for painting until he was in his early 40s. Following his retirement as a steel mill worker, he began to get serious about painting at age 55, and started teaching others how to paint shortly after. "He was mostly self-taught. He studied with some of the better teachers in the area, but for the most part he learned to paint on his own," said Beatrice Wentz, Bill's wife of over 60 years.Aside from teaching in places like Meadville and Sharon, Wentz also made his own studio on the ground floor of his home in Palmerton, where he taught his students. He would also use the studio to continue honing his own painting skills. "He would be down there until 1 or 2 o'clock in the morning sometimes. Learning to paint well takes an enormous amount of time," Beatrice said. Wentz spent much of the 2000s teaching at the Baum School of Art in Allentown.Much of Wentz's work had a focus on scenery or landscape, as seen in "The Beer's Place," along with still-life works.His love of painting, specifically watercolor painting, led him to participate in art shows all over Pennsylvania as well as holding his own. Bill won over 50 awards for his paintings.His approach to teaching was one that emphasized the emotional aspect of painting. "Each of us has our own set of emotions, which distinguish us from the crowd. My aim as a teacher is to help each student recognize his or her feelings and thereby develop a painting personality," Wentz said.