Leonard Mieczkowski -
Mark W. Joyner
“A View of Their Own”
April 4 - May 10
“A View of Their Own” featured the unique vision of artists Leonard Mieczkowski and Mark W. Joyner.
Leonard. Mieczkowski is a Pittsburgh artist whose paintings are created using a reverse glass technique, and smaller than a postcard. Leonard's paintings are small in size but they pack quite a wallop, more than paintings fifty times larger. The artworks demand scrutiny, and to those willing to look, provide a glimpse into another world. Thirty-two mini-masterpieces are on display.
Mark W. Joyner, a Connellsville resident, has created his own type of iconography. A variety of subjects are explored in a stream of conscience, explosion of color and form. Joyner's paintings and drawings are inspired by distant memories, dreams, alien encounters and a vivid imagination. His oil painting "Evel Kenevel" depicts the 1970's icon flying through the air on his motorcycle, as images of death, dolphins, a pool table, a flashlight, bones, and animals swirl against against a fiery red background.
The following is a newspaper article about the exhibition written by Dave Zuchowski for the
Herald-Standard.
‘Outsider art’ featured at Melega Museum
By Dave Zuchowski
For the Herald-Standard
In a new exhibit opening Saturday at the Frank L. Melega Art Museum in Brownsville, organizers are taking an unconventional stance by showcasing works by “outsider artists”.
“The philosophy of the museum is to present all kinds of art,” said Patrick Daugherty, museum director. “Some is conventional, but, from time to time, I also like to present art that’s more challenging.”
“A View of Their Own” will present works of unorthodox artists who have a passion to create, regardless of the opinions of others, current trends, what is popular or what sells. These artists may or may not have formal training but are immediately recognizable as having their own way of doing things and often challenge the viewer’s concepts and definitions of art. They are not to be confused with amateur artists, folk artists or Sunday painters.
“The works in our current exhibit present a number of new challenges, not only in terms of their imagery and content, but also for the ‘business of art, ‘” said Daugherty. “These featured artists have a passion to create, regardless of the monetary rewards involved.”
Connellsville artist, Mark W. Joyner, 32, likes to refer to himself as an “MWH Splash Painter” with a unique methodology. A full-time artist and grad student at California University of Pennsylvania working on a master’s degree in homeland security and criminal justice, Joyner likes to smear two basic colors on a canvas, let them dry, then see what image form. He then expands on these nascent shapes to delineate them further and make them clearer.
Daugherty compares Joyner’s methods to those of early primitive artist who saw images on walls of caves, the painted on them to form more readily recognizable images.
“Mark paints a variety of subjects that are explored in a steam of consciousness and explosion of color and form, “ he said. “His painting and drawings are inspired by distant memories, dreams, extraterrestrial alien imagery and his vivid imagination. His oil painting ‘Evel Kenevel,’ for instance, depicts the 1970s icon flying through the air on his motorcycle as images of death, dolphins, a pool table, a flashlight, bones and animals swirl against a fiery red background.”
Daugherty first met Joyner when the latter was a student in one of his art lecture classes at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus. When Joyner brought in some of his work, Daugherty said he was amazed by what he saw.
Marks’ subject matter is challenging, and his imagery is very personal,” he said. “Most of his work is done on a small scale, and some might even be called miniature. It’s the kind of art that requires the viewer to take a close look at.”
Another artist in the show, Leonard Mieczkowski of Pittsburgh, also works on small-scale pieces no larger that a post card. Using a unique reverse gall technique, he applies his paint of a glass plate, and the viewer sees the work from the reverse side.
“The process allows me to do two things simultaneously – protect my painting with the glass and produce a flat effect with a smooth surface that doesn’t show ridges,“ he said.
“Leonard’s paintings may be small in size but the pack quite a wallop, more than paintings fifty times larger,” said Daugherty. ‘His work demands scrutiny and, to those willing to look, provide a glimpse into another world.”
As a young artist, Mieczkowski drew and painted in a conventional style, but soon decided he wanted to do something different. After experimenting with reverse glass painting, he found the media he was looking for.
“My subject matter is predominately landscapes which I paint from my imagination,” he said/ “I’m a hiker and hill runner, so the terrain I encounter influences my work. I’m also and Abstract Expressionist with Realist elements, and my works require viewers to use their own imaginations.”
Educated at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Mieczkowski’s career was largely invested in the field of commercial art. His resume lists him as a member of Pittsburgh Progressive Artists, and his work has been exhibited in libraries, businesses and the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts.
“While planning the exhibit, I first came up with the underlying concept of Outsider Art, the picked these two artists whose work I knew,” said Daugherty. “I’m leaving the exhibit open to other artists as well, so museum patrons shouldn’t be surprised to find a few additional surprises.”
“A View of Their Own,” an exhibit of Outsider Art, is at the Frank L. Melega Art Museum in the historic Flatiron Building, 69 Market Street, in Brownsville from April 4 to May 10. A “Meet the Artists” reception will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday. The reception is open to the public and free of charge.
The museum is open Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m.
For additional hours or group tours by appointment, phone 724-785-9331 or visit website www.melegaartmuseum.org.
Click here to visit the Herald-Standard website.
