Exhibit showcases Mon Valley artists
Ron Pudlowski poses with his photography that will be displayed at the show.
A watercolor by Christine Gilotty titled “Sweet Summer Satisfaction” is part of “A Life in Art” show at Off the Wall Arts in Charleroi. The exhibit begins at 6 p.m. Friday.
A painting by Wilma Wellens shows her father, Earl Burton, walking into a mine.
A piano bar made by Tiffany Payne of Nevermore Vintage will be displayed at the show.
Paintings and pottery created by Casey Lynn Clark, owner of Off the Wall Arts, is part of “A Life in Art” show at the store in Charleroi. The exhibit begins at 6 p.m. Friday. Story, Page B3.
A painting by Beverly Niccolai that depicts her grandfather playing the guitar
CHARLEROI – Art across the region and throughout generations will connect Friday at “A Life in Art” show at Off the Wall Arts in Charleroi.
Chef Christine Somales, owner of Sweet & Spicy Culinary, will host the showcase at the venue at 532 McKean Ave. Somales said the show will not only provide local artists a place to showcase their talents, but will honor the life and art of the late Wilma Burton Wellens of North Charleroi, who was an avid artist and member of Valley Art Club.
Dary Williams, Wellens’ daughter, originally contacted Somales to help her sort through her mother’s items after she passed away last year. “When she spotted the paintings, she was really thrilled,” Williams said. After seeing the paintings, Williams said Somales had the idea to have an exhibit.
“I hated to get rid of them,” Williams said. Somales said she admired Wellens’ work and decided to host an art show dedicated to it.
“I saw her whole life in art.” Somales said, adding that much of Wellens’ art depicts scenes from local areas like Mingo Creek County Park and the rich industrial history of the Mon Valley.
“You can see a lot of shades in the Valley (in Wellens’ work), like the covered bridges,” Somales said. A piece that struck her in particular is a painting of Wellens’ father walking into a mine.
“When Wilma painted her father at work, our area relied heavily on the coal and steel industry. But that’s all changed, it does not exist anymore, but that moment in time was preserved by an artist so it now exists in an art form,” she said.
Williams said her mother began painting after she got married. “It was a hobby, but she loved it. She really enjoyed it,” she said. Williams said her mother mainly painted landscapes and outdoor scenery. Accompanied by Wellens’ father, Earl Burton, she would choose a place that she wanted to paint.
“He really enjoyed going with her and watching her work,” Williams said. Wellens won awards at the Valley Art Club shows and had been commissioned to paint historical events in Pittsburgh for a book called “Pittsburgh: The Story of an American City” by Stefan Lorant. Wellens’ painting, “The First Trading Post” was reproduced in book.
Williams said she is happy to see a chance for her mother’s work to be displayed. “I’m just so grateful. This whole thing is just wonderful,” she said.
Somales said that many people in the Mon Valley area make a living from their art, so it is important to showcase that.
“We will never see the level of industry along the river valley that we once had. What we are seeing, however, is a level of commerce emerging here from artists, ” Somales said.
She said her love for the community and for art motivated her to host shows like this to give artists a chance to show their work. Somales said the Mon Valley area is vibrant, with local artists that span all mediums. The show will feature a large variety of artists with talent in painting, pastry art and singing.
Several artists from Valley Art Club also will have artwork featured at the show. All of the artwork will be for sale.
Casey Clark, owner of Off the Wall Arts, said she was excited when Somales brought the idea to host an art show at her studio. Clark said the artwork will range in date from the 1940s, Wellens’ generation, to now.
“It’s interesting to see the history of the art that is displayed,” Clark said.
Clark said she is inspired by Wellens’ amazing work. “Her pieces are inspiring because they tell a story,” she said. Clark will have some of her own paintings and pottery on display for the show.
Christine Gilotty, president of the Valley Art Club, has been an artist for more than 25 years, and said many of the pieces she plans to display are still-life watercolor paintings. She said the art show seemed like it would be interesting and she liked that the members of the club, which will be celebrating its 75th anniversary next year, will have an opportunity to sell their works.
“It’s nice to get mixed in with other people and see what everyone is doing,” she said.
Custom-made, upcycled furniture will also be on display at the show. Tiffany Payne, owner of Nevermore Vintage, will have a piano bar on display, made from a piano casing and back doors from the Oliver building in Pittsburgh. “I like to make furniture that has a story behind it,” Payne said.
Local photography will be displayed at the show from photographers like Ron Pudlowski, owner of Hot Shotz Photography. He said he will have mainly nature and landscape photos on display as well some journalistic pieces, like a striking black-and-white shot he took at the Veterans Day parade in Charleroi.
The show will begin at 6 p.m. Admission is $5 at the door. Hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be served.