Exhibit celebrates anniversary of Associated Artists of Pittsburgh
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Ever since World West Galleries of Washington opened, owners Peter West and wife Robin have staged a number of important exhibits. Now marking the gallery's 10th anniversary, the Wests are staging a new show that ties in with the 100-year anniversary of the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh.
Founded in 1910, AAP is one of the nation's oldest and largest visual arts organizations with many prominent artists as members, said Mr. West, who has been a member for nearly 30 years.
"To help celebrate, AAP requested that members who have galleries mount satellite exhibitions," he said.
The exhibit includes Mr. West's work along with that of AAP members Charles Pitcher, Ray Forquer, Kit Paulsen, Gary Postrech, Frank L. Melega, Malcolm Parcell, Keith Basatoni and John Hinderliter. It continues through Sept. 13 at the gallery at 56 N. Main St. in Washington, Pa.
The exhibit honors Mr. Pitcher, who died in October.
"His work bridged the gap between tradition and contemporary painting," Mr. West said. "Toward the end of his career, even though he continued to paint sycamore and birch trees, for which he is well known, his style became more Zen-like, rhythmic, patterned and abstract in some ways."
Mr. West met Mr. Pitcher and his wife, Susan, in the late 1970s, and Mr. Pitcher began showing his work in the gallery about a year after it opened.
Over the past 10 years, World West Galleries has hosted exhibits for several prominent Pittsburgh artists, such as Brody Burroughs and the late Jess Hager.
Mr. West was instrumental in arranging for a special show of Mr. Hager's steel-making illustrations, created during his 25-year tenure as art director of U.S. Steel, that was shown at the Heinz History Center in 2006.
In March 2002, World West Galleries hosted the annual show of the Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators. Another significant exhibit was the 2006 Ray Forquer Show, held in conjunction with the Washington County Historical Society, which lent the gallery artifacts from its collection to complement Mr. Forquer's works.
"In his paintings, Ray captures the essence of the southwestern Pennsylvania landscape," Mr. West said. "It's part of our mission to feature such important local work."
Mr. West also has a painting about to go on exhibit. "One Papa 952" will be included in the annual juried AAP exhibit set for July 23 through Sept. 19 at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh. The work is the image of an American Indian appropriated from vintage American currency superimposed over an image of an Arizona mountain scape.
Another of his works, "Oh Great Father," is a smaller version of the same Indian image done with a different color scheme that is showing through July 4 at the Biennial Exhibit at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg.
"I often use imagery of vintage currency because it is pertinent to the nation's current economic difficulties," he said. "As to Native Americans, they capture for me the spirit of America of the noble savage fighting the fight."
Mr. West said the current anniversary exhibit at his gallery celebrates the exciting events and exhibits he's engendered over the past 10 years.
Details: 724-225-4663.
First Published June 24, 2010 5:32 am
