by Kate
Saturday was the seventh annual Lawrenceville Artists’ Studio Tour in my neighborhood.
The Studio Tour is a great chance to walk down familiar streets and open doors into houses full of painters, potters, metalworkers, sculptors, and weavers. Of course this is precisely the point of the tour. It is amazing to realize the vitality of the art community living and working in Lawrenceville. It is also fascinating to see what these people are doing with the spaces they inhabit. I particularly wanted Casey to see the studio of the painter Ron Donoughe. The space is worth seeing- his studio takes up the entire second floor of a huge brick building on Butler Street. A tightly winding staircase opens into a space full of scaffolding and light. The air feels alive with history.
Layers of wallpaper from the past hundred years are preserved next to exposed brick.
I think it is a beautiful studio.
I wanted Casey to see the space, but I also really wanted him to see the paintings.
I love them.
They are strong and striking and capture the past and present Pittsburgh so powerfully.
I am glad his work is out there.
Actually I am glad to know that he is working right here, around the corner from me, only a couple blocks away.
I am grateful to Ron Donoughe and the artists of Lawrenceville for welcoming the public in for an intimate glimpse of studio space and creative process.
I am also grateful to my long suffering husband for reluctantly accompanying me on my artistic adventure. He would like me to document the fact that he does, indeed “do things like this” with me. Here he is, looking artistically glum.
I am pretty sure his reluctance was due in part to the fact that after the Studio Tour, the rest of the day included hauling me and my harp to play for a wedding reception, taking care of the baby, then waiting until I applied false eyelashes and finally picking up the baby in one arm and a drum in the other and playing Drum Solo for me at a bellydance show that night. The solo actually turned into more of a duet with Olympia, but that’s another story. Casey is an amazing husband, is what I am trying to say.
If you are interested in seeing more of the work of Ron Donoughe- and you should be, because it is great stuff- check out his website here:
And don’t forget that history and mystery and beauty and great art are often just around the corner.
sweetridgesisters 
It goes without saying I LOVE this kind of stuff and would not have missed this event had I been in the area. I like his paintings too. It certainly was a busy day for you and the fam! Yes, your hubby is a good sport. So is mine. We are lucky ducks! Hugs, Margie
I am very lucky to have my husband. I am sure he would agree. I’m lucky to have you as a reader as well! -kate
What AMAZING work. Thank you for sharing it.
It is, isn’t it? You know Pittsburgh, so I’m sure you can see the depth of how well he captures it. He has a lot of the huge blizzard we had a couple years ago- looking at them makes me feel that I lived within history, and the paintings will live on when I am gone.
I really love his paintings! Wow. They capture more than just the architecture–there’s a feel to them that gets me in the gut.
What a busy day! An art show, harp playing, and belly-dancing–wow. It sounds fun and exhausting, and kudos to Casey for being a supportive spouse. =)
It was super fun until it ended with me having an artistic crisis in a sobbing heap. Sometimes big people are just like babies, I guess. Poor Casey.
I’m overwhelmed here! Wow. The paintings and that building are awesome. Your description of all you did in one day leaves me wanting caffeine and you have a pretty loving husband there! A blessed girl indeed – “artistic crisis” or not…”artistic crisis” that’s funny 🙂 You were clearly whooped.
I had to laugh when I read this because my husband is a sport, too, about touring things like art studios (here in Minnesota), attending a community theatre production, or anything else artsy. I simply tell him I am attempting to keep him culturized. I think he’s come to enjoy the arts, although he likely would not admit it to me.
On the flip side, I accompany him to car and tractor shows and I’ve honestly come to enjoy those. Just don’t tell him.
Thanks for sharing your story and this art, so different than anything that would come out of Minnesota.
What a gift it is to be artistically blessed with the ability to produce something so beautiful!
The baby looks so precious all bundled up in the sling.
And I must say, your husband’s enthusiasm is hilarious!
~Piper
Pingback: The Cookie Tour « sweetridgesisters