Michael McFadden - artist, craftsman, and teacher at Hunterdon Central Regional High School - takes Valentine's Day very seriously. Each February for the past 30 years, he has reinvented the image of the heart in drawings, paintings, cut paper or relief print to give to his wife Doris Ettlinger. This February through March they are presenting their collection along with McFadden's floral and still life paintings at the Township of Lebanon Museum.

The Valentines represent not only a commitment to their relationship but also a commitment to McFadden's art. In the beginning they were just homemade valentines. "But with time," McFadden says, "I treated them as small works of art. The practice of approaching a cliche with desperate seriousness helped me realize the same concept in my paintings." Ettlinger, who is a children's book illustrator, is more than McFadden's muse. Her frames reinforce the sentiment of each unique Valentine. Prints of several Valentines will be offered for sale, as well as the larger paintings and works on paper. Also featured at the exhibit are works by Frenchtown calligrapher Catherine Lent and poet John Smith. Lent’s Valentine-inspired marbled notecards and framed quotations will be available for purchase, as well as Smith’s collection of poetry - Even That Indigo - with cover art by McFadden. The exhibit will be on view through the end of March. The Township of Lebanon Museum, a 19th century schoolhouse at 57 Musconetcong River Road, is open on Tuesdays & Thursdays from 9:30 am - 5pm, and on Saturdays from 1 - 5 pm. The opening reception is Saturday, February 9th, 1 – 5 pm. To view Michael McFadden’s work online, visit: www.mcfad.com or www.facebook.com/MichaelMcFaddenStudio/ .