Gallery to display, sell Ray Forquer’s artwork next weekend
Courtesy of World West Galleries
A wintry Washington County scene will be among the works of Ray Forquer that will be displayed for sale next weekend.
Courtesy of World West Galleries
A wintry Washington County scene will be among the works of Ray Forquer that will be displayed for sale next weekend.
Courtesy of World West Galleries
Summer near Prosperity is a Washington County scene that will be among the works of Ray Forquer that will be displayed for sale next weekend.
Courtesy of World West Galleries
A self-portrait will be among the works of Ray Forquer that will be displayed for sale next weekend.
Courtesy of World West Galleries
The works of renowned Washington County artist Ray Forquer will be displayed for sale next weekend.
Courtesy of World West Galleries
A self-portrait by Ray Forquer will be one of many works by the late artist that will be displayed for sale next weekend.
Courtesy of World West Galleries
Here is a photo of the three-gallery interior of World West Galleries in Washington.
Courtesy of World West Galleries
The exterior of World West Galleries in downtown Washington.
For more than a half-century, Peter West’s admiration and respect for Ray Forquer III has mounted.
“I was in high school in 1968 when I met Ray at an art reception,” said the owner of World West Galleries in downtown Washington. “He was a mentor to me and other local artists, and a wonderful friend. Ray was an institution in Washington County in general, and not just with the art scene.”
That institution, West lamented, is gone.
Forquer, noted artist and Chartiers-Houston High School teacher for nearly 40 years, died July 28 at age 76. He was renowned for his historical and landscape works, many of them rooted in his native Washington County.
Memories of him endure, though, among former students, art aficionados – and certainly West. That’s why World West Galleries will be host to a display and sale of Forquer’s works from 1 to 5 p.m. Oct. 17. Included will be pieces from Forquer’s personal collection and those of other artists, including the fabled Malcolm Parcell.
West lives upstairs from the galleries at 56 N. Main St., with his wife, Robin. He said the event will adhere to coronavirus safety measures; masks will be required and hand sanitizer will be abundant. Artworks will be lined up in inside in socially distanced row, and a number of pieces will be displayed outside the facility, where a banjo player will complement the proceedings.
Forquer’s artistry also will be on display at the World West Galleries after Oct. 17. In addition, interested individuals may set up an appointment to view the paintings by calling West at 724-225-4663.
Ben Costello, of the Washington law firm Yablonski, Costello & Leckie, has been working with West on this endeavor, along with Washington County Historical Society. Costello is executor of Forquer’s estate and West is an agent of the estate.
An artist as well, West said he gathered all of the remaining works from Forquer’s personal collection following his friend’s passing – 125 to 150 pieces.
“They range from small sketches to full-sized canvases,” he said.
Robin West cleaned them and Peter photographed them for appraisal.
“We’ve sold some already,” he said during an interview Monday. “Having a lot of his work here is an emotional journey.”
West was influenced by Forquer, but said “my work is more contemporary.”
West does a lot of fine art reproduction through a process called Giclee, which entails an ink-jet printer delivering ink to the surface.
He said he loves “Ray’s old stuff” and is enamored of the multiple self-portraits the artist/classroom instructor did.
Parcell, who died in 1987 at age 91, was a mentor of Forquer and West. Peter West said he met the fabled artist “many times.”
Forquer taught history and art at Chartiers-Houston High, the latter subject for 31 years. Those were dual specialties, as the longtime pedagogue reveled in history. The Civil War was a passion, which is reflected in a number of his images.
Yet the man likewise was bullish on the county. His work on canvas included images of Washington & Jefferson College, the LeMoyne House and the Century Inn.
He had an impact on his teenage students, according to West.
“It’s amazing how many students of his have come through our gallery and said they had him for class,” he said.
Peter West hopes a number of art devotees come through World West Galleries next weekend, and afterward, to examine his works and those of Ray Forquer and Malcolm Parcell. Viewing the images, West assures, would be a worthwhile endeavor.
“Forquer and Parcell are definitely the most prominent artists we’ve had in the area,” West said.