Public Reception at Elan Fine Art Gallery, June 17th

Élan Fine Art Gallery proudly showcases the works of two impressive Pittsburgh artists, beginning June 4 through June 30, 2011.
Public Reception - June 17, 5-8pm 
Gallery Hours: Wed/Fri. Noon-6pm, Sat. 10am to 4pm

Philip Salvato has been working professionally in the field of art for 45 years. Philip was employed by major commercial studios in Pittsburgh, Detroit and Toronto, Canada. During those years Philip continued his studies of fine art specializing in portraiture, figure, and plein air landscape painting.

Salvato has been published in local, national, international articles, and books on the subject of fine art. “Painting with Passion,” North Light Books, author Carol Katchen, “Oils Master Class,” Harper Collins, author Sally Bulgin.

 Philip has traveled throughout the world painting and teaching plein air painting and now resides in his spacious studio above 3rd Street Gallery in Carnegie, Pa. Where he is currently undertaking many portrait commissions and working on projects to develop the community of Carnegie into an art center.

Salvato was one of twelve artists chosen throughout the United States to participate in a fundraiser on the Ronald Reagan Ranch in California for teaching children learning skills for their adult life.

I feel as artists, it’s our responsibility to inspire humanity. We do this by giving homage and living in the splendor of life. If I could leave anything behind, it would be a statement about the beauty of the world.”
Philip Salvato

“Independence Marsh,” Oil, 41w x 35h will be featured in this exhibit accompanied by several Giclée prints of Salvato’s original oil paintings.

Charles Pitcher (1927-2009)

“My paintings are about expressing nature in its most pristine form. I create illusions using nature's elements and spaces to challenge the viewer by placing him face to face with the reality of a pure untouched environment. When nature is experienced as primordial, it generates a poetic feeling of loneliness evocative of the deeper instinctive aspects of the self. In the woodlands among majestic trees, I find a very spiritual place to express my art. Specific detail is used to increase the believability of one's presence in the painting. My objective is to provoke an emotional and psychological response from the viewer. Nature, particularly trees, provides the perfect vehicle to express this idea.”

“Magnificus,” Watercolor, 40w x 28h will be featured in this exhibit.

Donald Miller, retired Post-Gazette art critic, said that Mr. Pitcher "found his own path in a time of heavy concentration on abstraction." But in reality they were very abstract. They were spatial exercises. He was very conscientiously trying to build this illusion of deep space."

Mr. Pitcher was a member of the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh. His work was juried into every Annual Exhibition from 1971 through 1998, frequently capturing awards. His watercolor "Enlightenment" was selected by juror Doryun Chong, a curator at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, for inclusion in the AAP's 99th Annual Exhibition, at the Carnegie Museum of Art. Mr. Pitcher was honored as the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts Artist of the Year in 1987, and was designated a Master Visual Artist of Pittsburgh in 1998.

Pitcher’s watercolors are included in the collections of the Alcoa Corporation, Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad, Consolidated Coal Company, Marex Financial Ltd., London, Standard & Poor, U.S.X. Corporation, McGraw Hill, U.S., McGraw Hill, London, PNC Corporation and Price Waterhouse to name a few.