Reprinted from the Daily Local News, West Chester, PA:

By JOHN CHAMBLESS

In Tom Bostelle's 83 years of passionately pursuing his art, nothing could have prepared him for this: In
January, three major cultural institutions will be exhibiting his work at the same time. Bostelle, who died in
February 2005 at the age of 83, had a notoriously prickly relationship with gallery owners and chose to
work alone in his studio on the Brandywine Creek. He amassed decades of work that will now be
exhibited -- some of it for the first time -- at the Chester County Art Association, West Chester University,
and the Brandywine River Museum.

"Out of Nowhere" opens at the Art Association on Jan. 12 and continues through Feb. 23. There are 30 of
Bostelle's shadow paintings in the main gallery, and a selection of smaller paintings, sculptures and drawings
in the smaller gallery.

Darcie Goldberg, executive director at the Art Association, said the collaborative exhibit "has been in the
works for a long time. Tom would be smiling so much about this. The Art Association handed the inventory
of his works. I can remember, in 100 degree heat, I went to the storage facility (where Bostelle's works are
held) and taught a group of teenagers to do inventory. They were just enthralled with his work. I love that.
It made it all worthwhile. These kids got so excited about it. Tom crossed over generations, and that was
worth its weight in gold."

Goldberg selected the title of the exhibition from among Bostelle's many writings, after "surrounding myself
with Bostelle and saying, 'Speak to me,'" she recalled. "If you read the poem 'Out of Nowhere,' it's about
the passing of him and the coming back of him. And that's what this show is about."

Collectors and friends of Bostelle have been stopping by the Art Center, Goldberg said, and each one has
a story to tell. "I've been keeping track of them and making mental notes," she said. "Because there's
another show still to come with all the stuff that's been coming out of the woodwork."

The thrust of the show, Goldberg said, "is for people in this area to realize the wealth of talent that's here.
Tom was such a vital part of our history. He was his own man, as we all know. I only knew him about 10
years, but I think you meet one Bostelle in your life. I was fortunate to have met him then."

West Chester University is also presenting a major exhibition which opens Jan. 24 and continues through
Feb. 23.

"I had thought about having an exhibit of Tom's work over a year and a half ago," said John Baker,
chairperson of the Department of Art at the university "I talked to Darcie about collaborating, because he
has such a large body of work. Between our galleries, we are really able to represent a lot of the work that
is in storage."

One gallery will show landscapes, primarily Bostelle's charcoals on paper. The adjoining gallery will show
large paintings on wood panels, as well as some of the life-size bronze sculptures from Bostelle's studio.

"This show is something I don't foresee happening again on this scale," Baker said of the dual shows. "It's
great that the public will be able to go between the two institutions and see the volume of work on display."

In what amounts to an official recognition of Bostelle's place in the region's art world, the Brandywine River
Museum has acquired his "Lenape Jesus" painting and will unveil it on Jan. 20. Christa Vanderbilt, who
owned the painting from the time it was completed, gave the work to the museum.

The massive work encapsulates many of Bostelle's themes, and stands as a pinnacle of his career. The
painting, however, might never have existed without the intervention of Vanderbilt and her husband.

"(Bostelle) was still working on it," she recalled. "It would probably not exist if we hadn't bought it. It was
finished, but there were probably three paintings, at least, underneath it. It's possible that he wouldn't have
stopped (re-working the image). We have photos of at least two of the paintings that are underneath, and
they're magnificent."

The Vanderbilts were longtime friends of Bostelle, and visited his studio frequently. They re-designed the
living room of the home they built in Chadds Ford to accommodate "Lenape Jesus" as the centerpiece of
the room.

"My husband and Tom were very good friends," Vanderbilt said. "He would sit on the top of a ladder while
Tom was working and they'd discuss technique. They were very compatible."

The Vanderbilts went on to have a major collection of Bostelle's works, and even had him paint panels that
were installed on the exterior of their home. The decision to give "Lenape Jesus" to the museum would have
pleased Bostelle, Vanderbilt said.

"I wanted it to be there," she said. "I think it's time. He's a Brandywine artist, his studio was right there.
Even though he didn't paint in the tradition of the Brandywine School, he still is an inspiration to many artists
in this area."

She recalled that Bostelle delivered the painting to them "on top of a Jeep, tied with a rope. That was
typical of him. He sat and talked about it. He said it was like a string quartet, with so much rhythm in it. It's
not a literal Jesus at all. It's allegorical, about a stranger, a lonely figure trying to stand. All the people in the
picture are the people in his life.

"In the 30 years I had it, how many people saw it? That was part of my motivation. Now thousands of
people can see it. And it's in a spectacular location. I think Tom would probably be pleased to see where
his painting is going to live."

............................................................................................................................................................

Reprinted from the Daily Local News:

By JOHN CHAMBLESS

The paintings had not been hung or arranged on Monday morning, but it was still a jolt to enter a gallery
packed with 30 of Tom Bostelle's looming shadows. Life-size or larger, each painting is so forceful that it
takes a while to work your way around the Allinson Gallery at the Chester County Art Association.

The show, titled "Out of Nowhere," is drawn from Bostelle's estate and includes works both familiar and
previously unseen. All are for sale. Some are minimally painted and some are overlapped and re-painted as
Bostelle worked towards his desired image. Some of the works had titles before Bostelle died in 2005, but
others have been assigned titles in a way that's true to his spirit.

They are stark, eloquent and uncompromising, revealing a novel's worth of character with the slightest slant
of a shoulder or outstretched hand.

Bostelle didn't paint to please the public. If you didn't "get" the work, he didn't care. But for those who
took the time to plumb their limitless depths and meanings, these shadows can be as real as actual people.

The main gallery has "Horse From Hearsay," a shadowy blue horse that looks like some prehistoric cave
painting, as well as a large painting of a cat with arched back, its outline echoed in the graceful line behind
it. "Madagascar" -- with Bostelle's written eulogy for an unknown man who ultimately achieved something
magical in a far-off land -- is striking for what it leaves out, not what it includes.

There's a shadow figure on a raw wood panel that's pierced with bullet holes, several abstract nudes, and
shadows of a man in a broad-brimmed hat that are unmistakably Bostelle himself.

In the smaller Huston Gallery is a cross-section of drawings, sculptures and smaller works, including a small
painted nude sculpture from 1955 and works from the 1980s that have lost none of their power.

You'll immediately notice the copy of Rembrandt's "The Night Watch" that Bostelle painted when still a
young student. It's remarkably faithful to the original masterwork, and it hung in his studio for decades. You
can see it up close now, and you're struck by how skillful an artist Bostelle was before he taught himself to
strip away realism and expose the raw nature of his subjects.

His room-filling presence is missed, but even without Bostelle in person, the paintings remain powerful
things. He was always many steps ahead of expectations and the art world. He still is.

Call 610-696-5600 or visit www.chescoart.org.