North Hills Arts Center plans celebration of O'Hara artist's life, work

An artist from O’Hara will be remembered and celebrated this month at the North Hills Arts Center in Ross.

The celebration of Patricia Mae Young’s life and art will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 12, at the center, 3432 Babcock Blvd.

Young, who was known as Patty, was 84 when she died unexpectedly on Jan. 5. Per her wishes, she was cremated without a funeral, said Lee Stember, 57, of Green Tree, the youngest of her four children.

“As a family, we wanted closure and we also knew that mom had a huge impact in the art community locally,” he said. “While I was aware of mom’s art and all of her outdoor activities, it was a group of people that I never met. I want to hear their stories about mom.”

Young painted, primarily in pastels, most of her adult life, Stember said. In addition to the North Hills Arts Center, she was a member of the West Hills Art League and the Cranberry Artists Network.

Kim Freithaler, executive director of the North Hills Arts Center, had known Young for close to 20 years.

“Patricia was an extremely talented and prolific artist,” Freithaler said. “She belonged to a number of art leagues in the area including the North Hills Arts Center. She had participated in and won many area art shows. She was very well liked and respected.”

The center is working with Young’s family to have hundreds of her pastel and oil paintings on display at the event, offering an opportunity to view her artwork, share memories and reminisce about how she impacted the artistic community in Pittsburgh.

They will not be for sale, Stember said.

Freithaler described Young as quiet and very knowledgeable of the art she did.

“She was an interesting person to talk to and a real asset to the art community,” she said.

Primarily a pastel painter, Young was known for landscapes, Freithaler said, adding that she was a very good plein air artist, a French term meaning “in the open air” and referring to painting outdoors. Her work has been displayed in many local galleries and was featured in regional plein air and pastel exhibitions.

In addition to the rolling hills of Southwestern Pennsylvania, Albuquerque, N.M., where one of her daughter’s lives, and Martha’s Vineyard were among her favorite painting locations.

“She’s probably one of the best colorists I’ve ever seen,” Freithaler said. “Her compositions and her use of the medium was just stellar.”

In addition to the upcoming gathering, the arts center has created a Kudoboard where people can share thoughts and memories of Young. Messages and photos will be shared at the event and with her family.

A memorial gathering is not something the arts center normally does, Freithaler said.

“She was just such an important part of the community, we felt it would work out really well to host it here,” Freithaler said. “If you knew her and you want to come appreciate her life’s work, this is a wonderful opportunity to view her paintings.”