At its annual holiday meeting, the Historic Catasauqua Preservation Association (HCPA) opened the doors to its art gallery at 8 Race St.

"We usually have this get-together before the holidays, but decided to try something in January," said Betsy Hillenbrand.

Over 50 people showed up for the event, reinforcing the organization's decision to hold the meeting outside the pre-holiday season.

The meeting Jan. 9 was special for a second reason. HCPA dedicated the art gallery in honor of artist and board member Robert LeFevre.

"We met Bob more by accident," Hillenbrand said. "He came to our meetings and then he started bringing along one of his paintings. That was the start of our collection."

According to Darlene LeFevre, Robert's wife, he decided one day to try painting.

"I got him one of those paint by numbers sets and he taught himself," she said.

Robert decided to use his artistic talents painting pictures of historical buildings in the borough.

Quite a number of people attending the dedication said they had pictures of their home painted by LeFevre.

The gallery dedication was a surprise to the 80-year-old artist.

In addition to providing his own artistic rendering so historic Catasauqua building, LeFevre has led the effort to work with local artists to enhance the art collection.

"What I try to do with my paintings is to capture the light to give a warm feeling to the work," he said. His paintings are remarkable in that they capture the details that define the borough's unique structures.

Examples of LeFevre's work can be seen at the gallery and on the HCPA website.