"Paintings of Steel Mills Around the World"

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The Wean Collection of Industrial Paintings
by Howard L. Worner (1913 -2006)

"Paintings of Steel Mills Around the World"

Wean United Inc. and its predecessor companies commissioned Worrier's work,
and from an output of 250 paintings, 36 are on display at TAG. The paintings
have been described as "an important visual history of the metals industry
during the last half of the 20th century." Gallery talks scheduled for 2
p.m. Sunday, Jan. 14 and 21 will feature Warren resident William A Brown,
who had been advertising manager of Wean Engineering Co. from the mid- I
950s until his retirement. Brown studied with Worner at Carnegie Institute
of Technology (now Carnegie-Mellon), where Worner encouraged him to continue
in a graduate program.

After working summers and part time at Wean while finishing his Master's in
printmaking management, Brown joined Wean full time and brought Worner's
talent to the attention of Wean executives, recommending use of full-color
paintings to depict Wean installations in steel industry publications-where
black-and-white photographs were' in typical use.

Throughout his global travels for Wean, Worner truly was a working artist
whose ecstatic appreciation for metals-making and molding. processes never
flagged. A now-rare 1997 Butler published catalog pictures the hard-hatted
artist at his factory-floor easel, and states that he "found inspiration in
mills and manufacturing plants, despite the always challenging and
frequently hazardous working conditions." Each mill visited would become
Worrier's personal studio-classroom where he absorbed all aspects of the
surrounding activity, becoming in his words "mesmerized by the color, light,
and heat. Indeed, there is glamour in steelmaking."'

Over nearly three decades, Worner produced a broad range of work for the
Wean companies, using watercolor, acrylic, colored markers, and other media.
From near-photo realism at first, his style became freer and less engrossed
in mechanical detail.

The Worner pieces are being made available to TAG by the Butler Institute of
American Art, which has archived the entire collection since it was donated
in December 1994 by Danieli Corp. of Italy, which had purchased the assets
of Wean United. In prior years, the Butler had hosted three solo exhibitions
of Womer's work.

Trumbull Art Gallery e 196-198 East Market Street e Warren, Ohio 44482
330-395-4876 * www.trumbullartgallery.com