"THE GOLD PAINTINGS"
Oil on Gold Leaf
Paintings on gold leaf is the focus of the September exhibit in the campus Art Gallery. “The Gold Paintings” is a new series of oil paintings by local artist Eileen Potter Kopelman.
A resident of Lower Burrell, Kopelman has been painting for more than 20 years in watercolor, and, more recently, in water-miscible oils. She is a past president of the Penn Art Association and member of the East Suburban Artists League. Kopelman holds a bachelor’s degree in French from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. After high school, she was a Rotary International exchange student to Sweden.
This is Kopleman’s second show on campus. In 2009, she unveiled “The Wyoming Massacre,” a series of oil paintings that depicted the events in the Wyoming Valley from 1777-80 and featured the Battle of Wyoming that occurred on July 3, 1778. The Wyoming Valley, which is in northeastern Pennsylvania and encompasses the city of Wilkes-Barre, was Westmoreland County, Connecticut, during the American Revolution before the boundary dispute between Connecticut and Pennsylvania was settled by the Decree of Trenton in 1782 in favor of Pennsylvania.
The artist is married to James Kopelman, attorney and solicitor for the city of New Kensington. Four years ago, they established the $50,000 Dr. N.A. Kopelman and Freda D. Kopelman Trustee Scholarship. Hannah McBean, an adult student in Organizational Leadership, is the current recipient.
A reception to meet the artist is set for 6 to 8 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 6, in the gallery. The reception and exhibit are free to the public. The gallery is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays and noon to 5 p.m. weekends. To RSVP for the reception, call 724-334-6056.