May 3, 2002 6 min read

FARMINGTON – A collaboration of artwork by local, national and international artists will be on display at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort and Spa near Farmington. Several Uniontown area artists have been selected to exhibit their work in this lovely setting. By submitting slides to a panel of judges for review about two months prior to the show’s opening, about 150 pieces of artwork, including drawings, paintings, sculpture and ceramics, were selected for inclusion into this art exhibition and sale which runs from Saturday through Sunday, May 12.

Five local artists, who are Uniontown Art Club Members, are exhibiting their works of art at the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort’s third annual Art Exhibition and Sale.

The local artists are Rose Blout, Madelyn L. Cindric, David DiPietro, Abraham Fotta and Harry L. Shine. Eighty-six artists, both local and international, are featured in this exhibit. They represent Pennsylvania and neighboring states as well as foreign countries.

Artists will be on hand throughout the event that will premiere at 6:30 p.m. Saturday with a “Meet the Artist” opening reception. The reception will be followed by dinner and dancing, wine tasting by Christian Clay Winery and live and silent auctions that will benefit the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Northern West Virginia.

Mary Voytek is art curator for Nemacolin Woodlands Resort and Spa and is coordinator for this exhibit. For a complete itinerary of events, call 724-329-6750. Joseph A. Hardy III is founder and owner of Nemacolin Woodlands and Spa and has graciously made the exhibition space available to the artists and the public for the past three years.

Rose Blout, a native of Pennsylvania, is married to Vince Blout and has two daughters. She received a teaching degree from Penn State, West Virginia University and California University of Pennsylvania. She has taken numerous classes and workshops with many nationally known painters. She has held memberships of offices in the Uniontown Art Club, Greensburg Art Club, Morgantown Art Association and the Pittsburgh Watercolor Society.

Blout’s paintings have been exhibited, and she has won awards in many juried shows throughout the area. Her artwork is included in many private and corporate collections. Preferred subject matter are florals, landscapes and still lives. She specializes in local scenes and “house portraits.” She has painted farms, stores, factories, historical sites and many private homes. Several limited edition prints of historical buildings have been published, and signed and numbered by the artist.

Blout said she feels her style is realistic, but not photographic. There is only the illusion of detail. She likes to capture mood and atmosphere, sunlight and shadows. She has taught art at every grade level in the public schools as well as conducted private classes for children through senior citizens. In addition to working as a full-time art teacher for the Albert Gallatin School District, she maintains a studio in Uniontown where current works can be seen and commissions are accepted.

Madelyn L. Cindric, local artist and teacher, received her art education and master’s degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She took post-graduate classes at Pittsburgh Technical Institute, the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and Penn State University and specialty classes at Touchstone Center for Crafts.

Cindric has studied with many renowned local and international watercolorists. She currently teaches advanced art classes and ceramics/sculpture at the Albert Gallatin Senior High School where she also sponsors the high school’s art club.

In the past, Cindric has taught continuing education art classes at Penn State University’s Fayette Campus and at Touchstone Center for the Crafts. Cindric is best known for her intensely colorful “abstract realism” style watercolors.

Her painting focuses on the interplay of light and shadow regardless of subject matter. Cindric does artwork for individuals and businesses, and her works are displayed locally and nationally in private and corporate collections.

Cindric resides in Uniontown with her husband Jay (John E.) where she maintains her own studio. In addition to being a member of the Uniontown Art Club where she has held an office for the past six years, she is also a member of the Pittsburgh Watercolor Society. Her artwork has been shown at The Finishing Touch Gallery in Oakland, Calif., and at the former Art Warehouse in Hopwood. Her artwork is currently shown at Watercolors Gallery in Pittsburgh and Style and Substance Gallery in Latrobe.

David DiPietro was born in Altoona and received his bachelor of fine arts and master in fine arts degrees in painting and drawing from Penn State University. He joined the faculty at Penn State Fayette Campus in 1983 and is currently associate professor of art.

In 1992 and 1999, DiPietro taught painting and drawing in Italy and since 1991 spends much of his summer traveling and studying in Europe. He has exhibited locally, regionally and nationally in both juried and invitational exhibitions. Among his recent local exhibitions are “Landscapes,” a one-man show of 18 pieces at the LaFond Gallery in Pittsburgh and “Remembrance of Things Past,” a one-man show of 20 pieces at the Frank L. Melega Gallery in Brownsville.

In addition to local exhibiting, DiPietro has exhibited nationally in Kansas, Florida and New Jersey. Most recently, he was accepted in the seventh annual National Juried Pastel Competition in Pittsburgh. He has received numerous fellowships, grants and awards for his work, including Artist in Residence Fellowship at the MacDowell Colony in Peterborough, N.H., Arts and Humanistic Studies Grant, Grumbacher Gold Medal Award for Painting and Penn State Fayette Campus Scholarly Excellence Award. DiPietro maintains his studio in Uniontown and is represented by the LaFond Gallery in Pittsburgh.

Abraham Fotta, another local artist and educator, received his master’s of fine arts degree in painting from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in 1996 and his bachelor degree in art from California University of Pennsylvania in 1989.

Fotta exhibits his work throughout Pennsylvania and surrounding states. During the past decade, his works have been exhibited at Bruce Art Gallery in Edinboro, Butler Institute and American Art in Youngstown, Ohio, Chautauqua Art Association Gallery in New York, McDonough Museum of Art in Youngstown, Ohio, Erie Art Museum and Westmoreland Museum of American Art. As an educator, Fotta has taught at Edinboro University and is currently teaching drawing and watercolor at Waynesburg College. His paintings are in many private collections and the following public collections: The McDonough Museum of Art at Youngstown State University, Bloomsburg University and Waynesburg College.

Harry L. Shine, another local artist, is currently an educator with the Albert Gallatin Area School District, and makes his home in southwestern Pennsylvania with his wife and two sons.

His current work reflects Shine’s love for the surrounding countryside of Fayette County. Shine received his formal training at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and has been painting for 35 years. During the years, he has exhibited in many regional juried art shows including Three Rivers Art Festival, The Upper Ohio Valley Art Show and the Uniontown Juried Art Show.