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.
