Monroeville artist featured at Murrysville library art gallery

Cathy Kernan’s paintings, made with pastels and watercolors, showcase the beauty of landscapes, from sweeping snow-covered mountain vistas to intimate woodlands.

Kernan, 72, of Monroeville is a member of the East Suburban Artists League and joins fellow ESAL member Fred Threlfall as the featured artists in ESAL’s gallery at the Murrysville Community Library.

Their work will be on display through the end of August at the library, 4130 Sardis Road in Murrysville.

Kernan spoke with TribLive recently about her pursuit of art.

Q: What first drew you to art and what subjects captured your attention?

A: Probably the very first would be coloring books, then art classes in elementary school. I mostly liked drawing with pencils for a long time. Landscapes and architecture initially captured my imagination. It was easy to work with pencil in those two categories.

Q: Did you experiment with different artistic media before settling on your preferred medium?

A: Yes, I took art classes at Boyce Community College for two years after winning an art scholarship. Plus, pastel painting class, which was a medium I really enjoyed, wasn’t one that was offered at Boyce.

Q: What is your favorite of the pieces on exhibit at the library?

A: There is a watercolor featuring different flags flying from a tour boat in Florida. It’s my favorite because I loved working in watercolors and I loved the look of the flags all furled out over the boat.

Q: What do you find the most challenging about working with watercolors?

A: Mixing good colors. Sometimes you can overwork them and get a muddy color.

Q: Is there a theme that unites the pieces in the exhibit?

A: I would have to say the colors. There are several pieces that feature almost the same colors throughout.