July - September Artists 2025

Meet Brenda Fernsler

Brenda Fernsler is a long-time resident of Lower Paxton Township. She is a graduate of Central Dauphin High School, wife, and mother of a wonderful son on the autism spectrum. Brenda is the system-wide Volunteer Coordinator for the Dauphin County Library System. She is also a member of the Lower Paxton Lions Club. Brenda has dabbled in many different arts and crafts, such as crocheting, embroidery, needlepoint, and sewing.  

Brenda became interested in making jewelry about 20 years ago when a friend brought her handmade jewelry from South Africa. One piece was so unusual that it was the catalyst for conversation. Over the years, Brenda has collected and casually created unusual jewelry pieces for gifts for friends.  

In 2025, Brenda started to take her jewelry to the next level and invested more time and money into making jewelry. Using seashells and safety pins are two creative ways she has tried to make jewelry fun and interesting. Making jewelry is a joy for Brenda.  

Perseverance is the name of Brenda’s jewelry business. She picked the name because life is hard, but if we work hard and persevere, we will receive a blessing. Brenda has worked hard over the years advocating for her son and others who are on the autism spectrum. "Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding on the 20th"- Julie Andrews. 

Meet Craig S. Bomberger

Creating art has been a lifelong passion for Craig S. Bomberger, starting from when he was a very young person and continuing tothe present! In Fall 2020, he started Craig’s Canvases to be able to focus on creating his own distinctive artworks on a more full-time basis. Craig considers himself a multimedia artist as many of his recent original artworks are acrylic on canvas; however, his portfolio is as varied as his experiences and include other water-based media like watercolor and gouache, in addition to oils, oil pastels, original prints, India Ink, and sometimes a combination of several in a mixed media or collage artwork. Craig also uses acrylics to paint directly onto silk, creating wearable or decorative original artworks.

In addition to creating his own artwork, Craig loves sharing what he does with others. He earned his Pennsylvania Teaching Certification and Bachelor of Science in Art Education from Mansfield University in 2005. For over a decade, after graduation, he was able to share his love of art with students in classrooms throughout the Harrisburg area. Craig has continued sharing the joy of creating art with others more recently by offering lessons, workshops, and classes to students of all ages.