Near and dear to the heart
Jim Winegar is a man of many influences.
Actually, the official number on that list reaches seven after giving thought to it.
Thinking back, Winegar remembers his first influence. He remembers going out to the pond bank and digging up clay to make things out of his front yard when he was four years old.
Ever since he can remember, art has been a very important aspect in Winegar’s life and is still very near and dear to his heart.
“I had a lot of influences and exposure to art while I was growing up,” said Winegar. “My mother was always a very creative person with no formal training or college. We did a lot of projects together while I was growing up. I remember her always decorating with art around the house.”
Winegar, who now owns and operates Artbeat Gallery located at 52 E. High Street in Waynesburg with his wife Linda, spent his childhood growing up near Warrendale, Pa. with two sisters.
“Back then, there weren’t toy stores or anything like that, so we had to make up our own entertainment out of natural elements like clay,” said Jim Winegar. “It’s a very exciting process to make things out of natural and recycled materials.”
Another heavy art influence on Jim Winegar was his one of his uncles.
“He always painted things like unique characters,” said Jim Winegar. “He was always very engaging in what he did. He was very interested in creativity and coming up with ideas.”
One of the things that Jim Winegar admired about his uncle while he was growing up was that his uncle made a living off of his artistic passion.
“He was able to make money, a living out of the things he conceived of,” said Jim Winegar. “It is important to be creative with your skills. It is an interesting link to be able to make money off of your art. It’s a link that isn’t always there.”
One more childhood influence that Jim Winegar recalls is one of his aunts, who was very “creative, intelligent and literary.”
Like thinking of his major influences, deciding to pursue art as a career path was easy for Jim Winegar.
“I wanted to go into studying something that would hold my interest,” said Jim Winegar.
The rest of Jim Winegar’s influences came through his years at school, with both teachers and fellow students playing roles in his life.
“Looking back on it now, it is a pretty interesting thing that [my teacher] gave me the freedom to [create my own jewelry],” said Jim Winegar. “[My teacher] knew I was passionate about art.”
Winegar and his friends let their artistic talents flourish while decorating for high school events, like the prom and other dances. He recalled one instance when he and his friends painted a mural of Egyptian temples for a school dance.
Looking back, Jim Winegar’s artistic endeavors in high school made the usually difficult choice of a college simple.
“It was certainly a combination of influential people and the dedication of our schools t give kids a quality experience with art that helped me make that decision,” said Jim Winegar.
Jim Winegar ultimately chose to study art education at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he eventually met his future wife, Linda.
The next influence came during Jim Winegar’s college experience at IUP; what he didn’t know was that this person would play a huge role in getting his career off the ground only a few years later.
“One person that we met while we were there who was very influential in terms of my career was our clay instructor, Frank Ross,” said Jim Winegar. “He was a tremendous teacher and just a phenomenal person overall.”
Jim Winegar graduated with an undergraduate degree in art education in 1970.
The final name on the list of influences in Jim Winegar’s life also came during his time at IUP. However, instead of an instructor, it was a student – a female student named Linda – who became his wife in 1970, the same year he graduated.
“We used to work in the studio together and as we worked, we would get opinions from each other and ask questions,” said Linda Winegar. “A lot of the time we collaborate on things. I think since we have a similar background, we respect each other’s different styles and opinions. Over time working together on things, the influence works its way in even without asking.”
As far as getting started in his art career after he graduated, Jim Winegar said that it was a difficult time finding work during the Vietnam War.
“There were limited teaching positions available for art, and the Vietnam War was raging at that time. I was two numbers away from the cutoff point in the draft and there was a very likely chance that I was going to be drafted to go to war,” said Jim Winegar. “I was offered a teaching position in 1972 after I finished my master’s degree, but the offer was rescinded when they discovered I was likely to be drafted. I ended up getting to teach a class on metal, jewelry and sculpture while I was a graduate assistant.”
Jim and Linda Winegar were given the opportunity two summers in a row by Jim Winegar’s old college instructor, Frank Ross, to teach at an art program in Maine, the couple’s first teaching experience outside of IUP.
During that program, Jim and Linda Winegar met a director who hired them as interim instructors of another art program in Worcester, Mass., where they taught for several years.
It was in Worcester that Jim and Linda Winegar established their first gallery, which is still in operation today with one of their original partners.
After their careers took off, the Winegar’s were able to take time to travel and teach elsewhere, including taking a backpacking trip through Europe and teaching inmates at SCI Fayette.
Now Jim Winegar and his wife own the Artbeat Gallery in Waynesburg; after remodeling the building, the goal is now to influence others by creating an art gallery that inspires everyone, just like all the people that inspired Jim Winegar when he was younger.
“We hope the things here have intrinsic value that will remain in value,” said Jim Winegar. “We hope that the things well sell here become heirlooms of tomorrow.”