2008 Exhibitions

Ellen Daugherty

Ellen’s Art Show

October 25, 2008 - February 22, 2009

There is an expression, “It has to be seen to be believed.” The artwork of Ellen Daugherty falls into this category. The metallic paints used by the artist make her paintings impossible to accurately capture in a photograph. One of many good reasons art appreciators visited Ellen Daugherty’s one-person show at the Frank L. Melega Art Museum is to see the artwork first hand. The exhibition is titled, appropriately enough, “Ellen’s Art Show.”

Twenty-one paintings were exhibited with the majority of them done from life, using the metallic underpainting technique Ms. Daugherty has been developing over the past six years. The exhibit included figure painting, commissions, and other paintings done from life. The artist considers her paintings of flowers and objects to be more like portraits, as opposed to traditional still life painting. The artist explains, “I prefer a single object, not a group. The subject is something I am strongly drawn to, some inherit quality like its design and color.”

Ellen’s career as an artist has been a somewhat interrupted one. Ellen began her art lessons as a young girl with Lucille Banks, a well-known artist and instructor from Ligonier. Later, Ms. Daugherty earned a degree in Advertising/Illustration from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. This is where she met her future husband, Patrick Daugherty, artist and Director of the Frank L. Melega Art Museum. The Director comments, “I couldn’t be happier that Ellen has agreed to have a show at the Melega. From the first time I saw her artwork in school, I knew she was a true artist. She has a way with drawing and painting that breathes life into whatever subject matter she depicts. Her artwork has a natural beauty, unforced, and what historians would describe as ’visual delight’.”

Ellen’s artwork, however, took a back seat to her medical career, for the next twenty years. You could say she came into medicine as a family tradition. Her father, Dr. Thomas Sproch, was a noted Radiologist at Latrobe Hospital, her Mother, Joyce, brother, Tom, and sister, Mary Lou, are all in the medical field. Now, since Ellen’s retirement from medicine in 1998, she has focused once again on creating art.

Two curious paintings in the show each depicting a pair of shoes, are titled “Paris, Giverny, San Quentin, Versailles” and “Paris, Giverny, San Quentin, Versailles, Too”. The artist chose the subject and titles to commemorate a visit to France a year ago this October. “Since our trip to France was such a wonderful experience in every aspect, I wanted do a portrait of the shoes that took us to see all of the locations listed in the title. The shoes will be worn out someday but, their portraits will remain, evoking such great memories.”

Museum co-founder, art educator, and son of Frank L. Melega, Frank R. Melega is familiar with the artist’s work. “It is our goal at the museum to present artists whose art is original, unique, and authentic. Ellen’s art has all of these qualities. Her use of chiaroscuro is something very impressive.”

Many of the artworks were for sale, with some from private collections being exhibited in public for the first time. Limited Edition Giclee’s were also available. The Giclee printing process creates an incredibly accurate and affordable copy of paintings and drawings. The limited edition giclees are printed on archival paper or artist’s canvas and have a predicted lifespan of one hundred years.

The Frank L. Melega Art Museum is an equal opportunity provider.

Click here to read the Spin-It

Magazine cover story.

Exhibition Postcard

Ellen Daugherty

2008 Artist of the Pike

Ray W. Forquer

May 17 - July 27, 2008

WASHINGTON AT FORT NECESSITY

(detail) Acrylic

WASHINGTON AT FORT NECESSITY

(detail) Acrylic

Artist Ray Forquer first met Frank L. Melega in the 1970’s at the Washington Art Association where they both taught. “Mr. Melega encouraged me to get more exposure for my art, to join the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh, and to send out my work to major exhibitions.” Forquer said. Both artists shared an admiration for the work of Washington County native artist, Malcolm Parcell.

Forquer was particularly impressed with Melega’s paintings depicting the region and the history of the Coal and Coke Era. “Being a student of history and researching historical subjects is one approach, but Mr. Melega witnessed his subjects first hand” Forquer explained. Now Ray Forquer has been chosen as 2008 Artist of the Pike at the Frank L. Melega Art Museum. The selection of the Artist of the Pike is based on various criteria. "First and foremost, it is the quality of the artwork, but we also strive to have the Artist of the Pike reflect in some way the community, images and history of the National Road. With Ray Forquer, we get it all, and much, much more. Ray is an accomplished artist, a noted historian, and was a friend to Frank L. Melega" said Patrick Daugherty, Director of the Melega Art Museum.

Ray Forquer is recognized for the popular appeal and historical accuracy of his work. During the past thirty-five years, Forquer has received praise from critics for his ability to combine glimpses of history with his native Western Pennsylvania landscapes. His landscape paintings, historical works, portraits, and limited editions are included in an ever-growing number of corporate and private collections.

Several of his paintings have been chosen to illustrate historical books dealing with the Civil War the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794 and decisions in the Presidency of George Washington. His paintings have also appeared in several national magazines, newspaper articles and television documentaries.

Forquer’s original works have won many awards and have been included in numerous Washington and Jefferson College National Painting Shows; at the Chautauqua Art Association Gallery at Chautauqua New York; at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg, Pennsylvania; at Stifel Gallery of Oglebay Institute, Wheeling, West Virginia; The Three Rivers Arts Festival, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; the Butler Institute of American Art and in many private, college and university exhibits.

The artist is a member of the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Society of Artists and the South Hills Art League. He is the owner of Countryside Prints Inc., a publisher of quality limited editions. Forquer maintains a studio and sales gallery in

Washington, Pennsylvania.

Visit Mr. Forquer's webstie: http:www.countrysideprints.com

Elizabeth Castonquay

Diversity: Evolution of a Theme

April 5 - May 10, 2008

Nationally known artist Elizabeth Castonguay had big plans for her exhibition at the Frank L. Melega Art Museum, Brownsville. Featured was a new twist on the artist’s well known multi-panel painting “A Tribute to Labor” which utilized worn tools and other construction materials. Debuting was a painting from the artist’s latest body of work titled, “The Value of Color”. Also included were a sampling of paintings from the artists last four bodies of work since 2002.

"We were very excited by this new approach to exhibiting at our museum, the installation was eight feet by fourteen feet. Elizabeth is an incredible painter, and as revealed in her artwork a caring human being." said Patrick Daugherty, Director of the Frank L. Melega Art Museum. Recently Elizabeth Myers Castonguay’s paintings have won First Place Awards in both National and Regional art exhibits. They have been seen in numerous juried group exhibits at museums in Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., and New York State. Castonguay exhibits extensively and her paintings have been seen in national publications and are owned internationally. More information about the artist can be found at her website, www.creationartstudio.com.

Elizabeth speaks passionately when saying, “A celebration of the similarities and diversity of humanity by all peoples will be the only key to unlock the door to peace in a world plagued by prejudice, hatred, and war. It will be our response to diversity that either empowers or destroys us. It is my obligation as an artist to speak about this issue which is the most important of this millennium. The other issues can only be solved if and when we learn to work as one.”