A meet & greet exhibit of paintings will be held Friday, November 26 & Saturday, November 27, during the St. Marys Light-Up Night, between 6:00 - 9:00PM. The event will be held in the lobby of the Franklin Center, 32 S. St. Marys Street, St. Marys, PA.
Submitted by Denise Dornisch Palmer -
Many of you may not be familiar with Al Dornisch, whom I've always had the privilege of calling Uncle Al, but I truly hope that by the year's end that will no longer be the case. I hope that through this article and word of mouth, everyone will have a better understanding of this local hometown artist before the year's out. In our family, Uncle Al was the iconic figure that loomed large in the imaginations of his nieces and nephews through the years of our lives and through the stories that seemed to generate around him. His abilities and skill in the art world were matched only by the fanciful tales and fascinating lifestyle.
Born on the corner of Louis and Maurus Streets (across from Elk County Catholic High School) in October of 1931, he has lived what I would call an extraordinary life. As Al tells it, he recalls that some of his earliest memories are of him lying on the floor in his family's living room with a pencil and paper drawing something that interested him. Right there beside him, more times than not, was his big brother, Dick, and both were busy drawing images from nature, storybooks, or their own imagination. Their parents, Doc and Charlotte, saw the innate ability in their children and made sure that pencils and paper, crayons and paints, as well as other materials, were readily available for them to create masterpieces. Both Doc and Charlotte were quite artistic in their own right, and as many of you may know, Doc himself painted and sold many works of art. His were often scenes of the early days of St. Mary's with steam engines, wagons, and churches.
Doc was a self-taught naturalist and armed with his extensive knowledge and love of nature, he made it his mission to instill in his children a lifelong interest in plants, animals, and all things natural. He certainly succeeded with Al. (Al recently informed me that he has, even now, animal pictures that he tore from magazines in 1936 in his reference "scrap-file".) Al's reputation for art grew among his classmates until his talents were being put to use in multiple ways beginning early in grade school, then high school, and right into college.
He painted and developed his artistic skills for many years, mainly doing so as a hobby in his free time. His favorite subjects were, of course, found in the natural world. When he and his wife Carol left the St. Marys area and moved the family to Minneapolis, Minnesota, things took a decidedly different turn. Carol and Jude, the oldest son, wanted to see if there was a way that they could sell the paintings, since the artwork was beautiful, and the huge collection was beginning to cause a bit of a storage problem in their home. Jude decided to gather a few of the paintings and show them to the well-known wildlife artist whose name is Les Kouba.
And, as they say, the rest is history...
From here it was just a matter of time and they were on their way! Al was invited to meet with Les personally, and following that, Les advised him to seriously consider selling his art. Al and Carol took his advice and ran with it. The year was 1968. And he's been painting and selling his art ever since.
Think about that!! For over five decades, Al Dornisch has been painting gorgeous images of wildlife, birds and flowers, and he and Carol have been traveling to art shows and selling his art. Want to know another amazing fact? That was not his day job. His day job was in the field of metallurgy, (pressed metals) and that was his profession during the working years of his life. He became well versed in the science of metallurgy, wrote curricula for classes in it, and then when he eventually achieved expert status, he moved into the consulting world. But during his regular working years, he worked 8 hours a day with metallurgical formulas, products, and problems, etc., and then, after work, he would go home where he would generally paint until the wee hours of the morning.
He is currently 90 years old, but I guarantee he is unlike any other 90 year old you've ever met. He continues to paint for at least 8 hours almost every day! Yes, at 90!! And his paintings, skill, and artistic style are (if I may say so myself) better than ever before.
I think it is important that we get to know our local celebrities, artists, authors, visionaries, historians - our hometown heroes!! I consider my Uncle Al to be a hometown hero! He has lived what I would call an exceptional life. A legendary figure for many more reasons than I can adequately spell out here. This nonagenarian (90 year old) has more energy and vitality than most people I've ever met. Since I don't have the ability to sufficiently tell his story here, it is my hope that you will have the chance to speak with him soon yourself and let him do some of the storytelling.
I am thrilled to announce that an anonymous donor has come forward and offered to graciously purchase a number of Al's original paintings. It is the donor's wish that the artwork purchased should permanently grace the halls of some of the most prominent buildings in the City of St. Marys. In this way, residents here, who might not otherwise have the privilege of seeing his incredible artwork, will be able to view it on an ongoing basis.
Before the paintings are permanently installed in their locations around town, we would like to offer the public an opportunity to meet one of our own local artists and have a chance to speak with him. There will be a meet and greet, affording you the chance to get up close and personal with Al and his artwork, in a small gallery reception.
A meet & greet exhibit of paintings will be held Friday, November 26 & Saturday, November 27, during the St. Marys Light-Up Night, between 6:00 - 9:00PM. The event will be held in the lobby of the Franklin Center, 32 S. St. Marys Street, St. Marys, PA.