For Larry Brandstetter, it all began with the sketch of a house.
“When I was 6 years old, my aunt asked me to draw a house,” said Brandstetter, whose work will be shown with other members of the East Suburban Artists League at the Monroeville Public Library beginning May 29. “I kept drawing more and more houses like the ones you see on the South Side Slopes (of Pittsburgh). I drew rows and rows of houses.”
Those houses became the foundation for his artistic home.
Some people refer to his work as doodling. The Monroeville resident began with the black-and-white miniature residences — filling an entire canvas with them. He expanded his art style on canvases of bright and bold colors and patterned homes as well as added whimsical storybook-style drawings and illustrations using pen and ink and colored pencil.
He creates colorful mixed-media assemblage sculptures built with found objects. Brandstetter said he hopes the drawings take a person’s eyes on a “fun, complex journey of hidden treasures and some pretty cool creatures.”
“It’s about creativity and making something that is positive and makes people smile,” said Brandstetter, who credits his mom, aunt and grandfather with his artistic family connection and his wife, Patty, for supporting his dedication to the craft. “My family is always present in my mind when I am making art.”
Brandstetter said he also is inspired by his fellow creatives in the East Suburban Artists League. Being a member of the East Suburban Artists League is wonderful because they all share a love of art, he said.
“It’s a learning experience being around other artists,” he said. “It is a wonderful opportunity to network. You feel like you belong. It is a great group.”
The show, which runs through June 23, will encompass art from many mediums, said Brandstetter, who has a graphic arts degree and spent his career in the commercial screen-printing business.
“It is such a diverse and talented group,” Brandstetter said. “I am looking forward to this show. It’s a wonderful opportunity.”
The exhibition runs during regular library hours from May 29-June 23 in the Elaine Biondi Gallery Space. There will be a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. June 6. The event is free.
One of the benefits of attending an art show for guests is getting to meet the artists, said Jan Kingery of Monroeville, who serves as treasurer and secretary for the East Suburban Artists League. She works primarily in pastels.
The group has more than 60 members, and 30 to 40 works will be on display during the exhibition. Most of the artists will attend the opening June 6. Organizers expect 100 guests. Attendees will be able to vote for their favorite piece of art.
Some art will be for sale.
“The library has a great space to show our work,” said Dan Yaklich of Delmont, president of the East Suburban Artists League who creates watercolor and pencil art. Yaklich’s wife, Sue, works in many mediums — from embroidery to photography to dyes on silk.
The couple had an exhibition at the library earlier this year. He said it ran smoothly.
“It is a very professional looking gallery,” Dan Yaklich said. “There are a lot of talented artists for this show. You will see so many different art forms.”
Those art forms include oil paintings, wood cut, pastel, pencil, acrylic, origami, abstract and more.
Formed in 1965 to serve artists in the suburban areas east of Pittsburgh, the East Suburban Artists League, known as ESAL, is a nonprofit association of artists from Allegheny and Westmoreland counties.
The group is composed of photographers and artists working in all types of media. They meet monthly from September through November and February through May to foster arts and crafts and to educate, inspire and encourage artists and patrons throughout the area. The meetings are held at 6:30 p.m. in the lower level of Christ’s Lutheran Church, 5330 Old Logan Ferry Road, in Murrysville.
Most of the time, the meetings are highlighted by a speaker or artist and/or an arts and crafts demonstration. Members are encouraged to bring and show their artwork to the group. Meetings are open to the public.
Members enjoy showing their art and interacting with guests at the reception, Dan Yaklich said.
Brandstetter recalled an interaction with a mom and a young girl viewing his art.
“The little girl asked her mother to stay longer in the gallery,” Brandstetter said. “ ‘I want to look at the art,’ the little girl said. I believe the pleasure of my art is in the details. It’s an adventure for your eyes.”
If you go
What: Exhibition of works by members of the East Suburban Artists League
When: Regular library hours May 29-June 23; an opening reception will be from 6 to 8 p.m. June 6.
Where: Elaine Biondi Gallery Space at Monroeville Public Library, 4000 Gateway Campus Blvd.
Details:monroevillelibrary.org