He loved the land. And he loved to paint. Almost as much as he enjoyed people.
Wearing a red plaid shirt streaked with paint, the pocket bulging with pens and a barber’s comb, Arthur A. Widmer would set up his easel alongside a country road and paint the trees, barns and streams of his native Northeast Pennsylvania. His favorite scene was the Delaware Water Gap, a 200-ft. gorge that serves as the entrance to Pennsylvania from New Jersey. He used bold colors and broad strokes to capture the peace of that land over a life that spanned 94 years.
Barber, postal clerk, advertising manager and magician, he was known as Shorty to his friends, a generous spirit who would give demonstrations of his art, then give away the paintings. He’d paint the Gap from memory but head for the back roads in his VW bug to capture a still farmhouse, a silver waterfall, an ancient stone bridge. Occasionally he’d create a still life or the rare portrait, but always he’d return to the land he loved.
His wife Marion once asked why he didn’t paint something other than trees and streams. “They have character,” he told her.
So did Shorty.
Arthur A. Widmer 
The picture of him at the end presenting his painting and smiling that toothy smile says so much about doing something for the simple joy of it
I love the first paragraph in this piece about my beloved Grandfather….my Pop-Pop. He was love and boundless joy and energy wrapped up in a very special little package. To have known is to have loved him. His smile was contagious. His talent was so huge yet he remained always…humble, generous to a fault and so very accessible to all. Those he touched with his “magic”…literally and figuratively were forever changed. We love you Pop-Pop. Hollyann Snyder Fineberg, grandaughter
You have summed him up perfectly. He was absolute joy in a short little human package. He was my grandfather and I never remember him doing anything without joy.
I went to visit my grandfather very near the end of his life in the Veterans Administration hospital in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He was confined to his bed, suffering the ravages of age and prostate cancer. My mother, his daughter Barbara, warned me on the ride to the facility that he would not recognize me and in fact may not even be conscious. We arrived at his room to find him swaddled in sheets, eyes closed and groaning ever so softly. Mom spoke to him and announced, “Dad, Billy is here to see you.” After several minutes it was apparent that this would be my last visit with him. At some point he opened his eyes, looked directly at me an gave me that famous “Shorty” smile. He did not speak, but his smile was testimony to a spirit which remained undiminished by circumstance. I will always cherish my memories of him and of his indomitable spirit. I am fortunate to have some of his art in my home and those paintings are a daily reminder to me of what a truly unique and extraordinary man he was.
Hello,
I recently purchased one of your grandfather’s beautiful landscape paintings for our art website. You can view it here: http://artatitsfinest.com/products.html
Sincerely…
I found 2 of his paintings at a flea market and fell in love with them. I was shocked to see such beautiful orig. work for sale there.
I found a picture of his at a consignment shop in Houston. I collect early Texas and early Houston art and while I knew the covered bridge wasn’t a local scene I just loves the impressionistic style and bold colors. I found it several years ago, prior to the set up of the family web site so I was pleasantly surprised when I did a search again and found all of this wonderful information. He must have been a remarkable man and now I have the story to go with the picture. Thanks so much for creating this!
Thank you so much, Lisa. Would you mind taking a photo of your painting and sending it to us? You can reach us at arthurawidmer (at) gmail (dot) com.
Where can I send pics of the 2 I have?
Hello, Carl. This is Jeff, the grandson of the painter. You can email your images to arthurawidmer (at) gmail (dot) com and I will mount them on the site. And please encourage others to do the same. If you include your full name and the city in which you live, I will give you credit. Thanks.
Hello Jeff, I just posted a reply under a name Robin Snyder Orton. I hope you get to read it. Uncle Shorty and Aunt Marion (as they asked me to call them) lived in a small cute cottage on the farm grounds of Harold and Arvesta Waidelich. I lived with them due to them actually being my blood Aunt and Uncle for several years and spent alot of time with your grandpa n grandma (1962- 1965 I was 7-10 years old. Now 65). running errands watching them work and singing a song that he taught me about waking up in the morning where the morning glories grow! Have you heard it? I know I met one of his young male relatives close to my age back then that came a few times to visit them but I’m sorry dont remember name. My family has many of Uncle Shorties beautiful paintings and a few of the dried flower pics Aunt Marion made. I will get pics organized of them and post them to the email that is posted. They were a blessing in my life when I needed it the most. My Dad who knew them very well was in the army and had custody of me which is why I lived on “The Farm” and had the best time of my life, great memories.- Ann Louise Watson-Yoch. Stay safe