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March 22,
2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, please contact:
Travis Mearns, Public Relations Coordinator
(724) 238-6015
SAMA-LORETTO EXHIBITION A HOMECOMING FOR
PITTSBURGH ARTIST
Loretto – When the Southern
Alleghenies Museum of Art at Loretto opens its newest
exhibition, it will be a special homecoming for artist, Ron
Donoughe. A native of Loretto but now residing in
Pittsburgh, Donoughe is a highly-regarded painter whose
plein air paintings are known for showing the diverse
texture and character of the Western Pennsylvania landscape.
Approximately 200 of the artist’s works will be on view in
the exhibition, Ron Donoughe: Essence of Pittsburgh,
opening at the Museum on April 6 and remaining on view
through June 17.
To celebrate the exhibition, SAMA will host a
preview reception on Thursday, April 5 from 5:30 to 8 p.m.
Wine and hors d’oeuvres will be served, and the artist will
be on hand to discuss his work. Signed copies of his
exhibition book, Essence of Pittsburgh: The Paintings of
Ron Donoughe in the Plein Air Style, also will be
available for purchase. The reception is open to the public
free of charge, though reservations are requested by April 3
and can be made by calling the Museum at (814) 472-3920.
“Having an exhibition at SAMA is a dream come
true for me,” said Donoughe, who vividly recalls visiting
the college campus and SAMA’s building, then Doyle Hall, as
a child when his older brother was on the Saint Francis
wrestling team. “Art came to my hometown of Loretto when
SAMA first opened its doors. Since that day, I thought and
dreamed about the day I would exhibit my work there. This
show is really quite a thrill for me.”
Reflecting a long-standing appreciation for
plein-air painting, Donoughe creates oil paintings on small
wooden panels and larger works that are expanded from
sketches of quintessential Pittsburgh cityscapes and rural
landscapes. A graduate of Indiana University of
Pennsylvania, Donoughe has been painting for nearly 25
years. He credits growing up in Loretto for developing his
love for the Western Pennsylvania landscape, a love that has
not dissipated since moving to the city.
“Living in Pittsburgh has never stopped me from
painting the region where I grew up,” he said. “It was the
landscape that influenced my desire to be a landscape
painter. I somehow became obsessed with it.” Many of the
artist’s family and friends remain in the Loretto area, and
Donoughe even maintains a residence outside of town. Some
works in the show, such as Haid’s Bottom, were
painted just outside of Loretto.
“I find the rural landscape to be a nice
contrast from the city and industrial sites,” said Donoughe.
“I enjoy both and painting allows me to explore both worlds.
It makes my life richer through intense observation.”
In addition to painting, Donoughe teaches at the
Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, LaRoche College and at
various plein-air workshops. His interest in traditional
outdoor painting has led to the formation of a new group,
The Plein-Air Painters of Western Pennsylvania. His works
can be found in many corporate and private collections
throughout the United States, including SAMA, the
Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Allegheny General
Hospital, PNC Bank, The Pennsylvania State University and
the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. His paintings also
appeared in the Paramount Pictures film, Wonder Boys.
The exhibition opened at and was organized by
Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. The exhibition is made
possible with support from The Heinz Endowments; the A.W.
Mellon Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation; First Commonwealth
Bank; Jenmar Corporation; Don Donoughe and Beth Concoby;
Union, Switch & Signal, Inc.; and Vallozzi’s Restaurant.
The Southern
Alleghenies Museum of Art at Loretto is located on the
campus of Saint Francis University. Hours of operation are
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 1 to 5 p.m.
weekends. The Museum is open to the public free of charge.
For more information, call the Museum or visit
www.sama-art.org.
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