George R. Wazenegger
Wood Collage & Found Object Assemblage
I tell people that I started my art career when I was in grade school. I just
didn’t know it yet. I would draw cartoons, cars, houses, etc. and at that time I wanted to be
a cartoonist. I won my first award in 1960 when my watercolor won 1st place at the
Allegheny County Fair in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. Art started to become a serious direction
after I spent several years in the United States Navy. I enrolled in The Ivy School of
Professional Art with the intention of becoming a cartoonist. That changed when I had an
interview with Hallmark. I was told that everything that I would create would belong to
Hallmark even if I created it on my own time. I would not agree to that. After school I
worked for Lewis Displays which designed and built industrial displays. I was a designer,
illustrator and draftsman for Lewis but I could see that this industry was running out of
time. It was another designer by the name of Mike Stefanko that made the biggest change
in my direction. He became a very good friend who had extensive knowledge in numerous
arts and crafts. Because of Mike I took classes at Carnegie Museum of Art, Community
Collage of Allegheny County, and various art leagues. I investigated the mediums of pottery,
welding, stained glass, assemblage, watercolor, acrylics, pastels, and drawing. My new
direction was going to be pottery. I even taught community college pottery classes for
several years. Somewhere in this time period I left Lewis Displays and went to work for
Joseph Horne Company in the display department. After 10 years in display I was asked to
be a part of Store Planning because of my background with Lewis. I spent 27 years with
Horne’s and Lazarus and during this time I also did my art. Many hours and long days. At
this time I started to participate in arts and crafts festivals. I juried into The Associated
Artists of Pittsburgh and The Craftsmen’s Guild of Pittsburgh. I help was instrumental in
the opening of the Renaissance Center in Mt. Lebanon, Pa. Then in 1970 I stumbled across a
mixed medium technique that I call Wood Collage. I was also getting allot of interest in my
whimsical found art assemblage. My Wood Collage is a self taught process which I have
developed. This was going to be my main direction. I create one of a kind original mixed
media Wood Collage. They are fictitious architectural locations which are destined to be
replaced by an ever changing society. They are wood construction with acrylic color and
other selected materials. They could be anything that you can imagine such as a small
country town, a road side diner or a shore cottage. I create these because of nostalgia, love
for the architecture, their charm and character. I have been inspired by many structures
throughout the land and I have stored these images within. Since 1970 my Wood Collage
have grown to include just about every architectural structure imaginable. Have you ever
heard of a bird banding station? I feel that I am on a creative journey which will include
many wondrous places along the way.
My found object assemblages are created because of the whimsical part of my brain. I was
once asked “Where did you get the plans to create this thing? Do you have a book that you
refer to?” In a way artists do have plans and a book but they are between their ears. I can
not explain everything I do. I just do it. My assemblages are that way. I see shapes,
materials, colors, textures in other ways and I can assemble these into a whimsical image. I
sometimes think that God said “Here’s some stuff, make something that looks like a toy”.
That’s my approach to my assemblage. Patrons give me the request to what they would like
and I turn found objects that will be assembled into there request.
I have shown nationally and internationally. I have been on television. I have been in
museums, festivals, fairs, shows, exhibitions and galleries across the country. I have won
numerous awards. My work is in many corporate and private collections. I am proud to say
that I have made many people happy.
Organizations:
Past & Present
International Tour:
Museums:
Television:
Shows, fairs,
festivals and
exhibitions
Associated Artists of Pittsburgh
Craftsmen’s Guild of Pittsburgh
Ohio Designer Craftsmen
Michigan Craftsmen’s Guild
National Association of Independent Artists
Pennsylvania Designer Craftsmen
South Hills Art League, Mt Lebanon, Pa.
South Arts, Mt.Lebanon, Pa.
McKeesport Art League, McKeesport, Pa.
Renaissance Center, Mt. Lebanon, Pa.
American Waterways Floating Center for the Arts, Traveling
Exhibition United States, Canada and Mexico
Southern Alleghenies Museum, Ligonier, PA 2011 Exhibition
H. G.T.V., The Carol Duvall Show 2005
Allegheny County Fair, South Park 1960 1st Place
Three Rivers Arts Festival, Pittsburgh PA Multiple Years
A Fair in the Park, Pittsburgh PA Multiple Years
Craftsmen’s Guild of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA.
President’s Award 1976 Exhibition
Carnegie Mellon Award 1977 Exhibition
New Growth Arts Festival, Indiana, PA
Best of Show 1980 Exhibition
Mt.Lebanon Art Fair, Mt.Lebanon, PA Multiple Years
Best of Show 1982
Berkshire Craft Fair, Stockbridge, MA
Best of Show 1976.
Rocky Mountain Craft Fair, Denver, CO
Associated Artists of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA (Annual Exhibition)
Multiple Years
Anthemion, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA (Exhibition)
Jury Award 1981
Pittsburgh History & Landmark Show, Pittsburgh, PA
Purchase Award 1976
Butler Institute, Youngstown, OH
Jury Award 1985
Westmorland Art National, Greensburg, PA
Ladbrokes Award of Distinction1992
Susquehanna Northeast Regional, Susquehanna, PA
Associated Artists Finest Crafts 1991, Tri-State Traveling
Exhibition
Cooperstown National 1991, Cooperstown, NY
Southern Vermont 36th National, Manchester, VT
Craftsmen’s Guild of Pittsburgh, Crafts on Tour 1992
Westmorland Museum Invitational, Greensburg, PA
Pennsylvania Designer Craftsmen’s, Pennsylvania’s Best, Lancaster, PA
Multiple Years
Best in Humor Award 1994
Pennsylvania Designer Craftsmen’s, Pennsylvania’s Best, Lancaster, PA
William Brubaker Award 1996
Icarus International 1996, Nags Head, NC
Multiple Years
Fourth Place
Akron Arts Expo, Akron OH
Multiple Years
Honorable Mention 2001, 2002, 2003
Salt Fork Arts Festival, Cambridge, OH
Marietta Coal Purchase Award 2004
US Bank Award 2004
Birmingham Fine Arts Festival, Birmingham, MI
Multiple Years
Ohio Designer Craftsman’s Guild Hathaway Brown, Cleveland, OH
Multiple Years
Mt.Gretna, Mt.Gretna, PA
Multiple Years
Pennsylvania Designer Craftsmen’s Guild Shows
Tyler State Park, Richboro, PA
Franklin and Marshall University, Lancaster, PA
Winterthur, Greenville, DE
Rosemont Collage, Whyne, PA
Wilmington, DE
Blue Bell, PA
Multiple Years for all
Sugarloaf, Novi, MI and Gaithersburg, MD
Ohio Designer Craftsman’s Guild Winterfair, Columbus, OH
Multiple Years
Hand Workshop Fair, Richmond, VA
People’s Choice Art Festival, Boalsburg, PA
Multiple Years
Christkindl Market, Canton, OH
Fine Arts Second Place 2004
St. Lawrence Rustic Show, Alexandria Bay, NY
Gilmore, Greensboro, NC
Quail Hollow, New Paltz/Woodstock, NY
Private Collections:
Corp. Collections:
(Semi-List)
Art Education:
Gosport Arts Festival, Portsmouth, VA
Award of Distinction for Sculpture 2011
Craftproducers Hildene, Manchester, VT
Numerous
Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation (Permanent Mall Installations)
Melbourne, FL
Coral Springs, FL
Homestead, FL
Toledo, OH
All-Pak, Pittsburgh, PA
Eat & Park Restaurants, Western PA
Duquesne Club, Pittsburgh, PA
Mon Valley Travel, Pittsburgh, PA
Papercraft Corporation, Pittsburgh, PA
C & J Coal Company, Clarion, PA
Alcoa, Pittsburgh, PA
Cardio-Thoracic Surgical Association Inc. DR. George McGovern,
Pittsburgh
Holiday Inn, Pittsburgh, PA
Westinghouse, Pittsburgh, PA
Children’s Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA
Nemacolin, Woodlands Resort, Farmington, PA
Duquesne Club, Pittsburgh, PA
Western Pennsylvania School for the Blind, Pittsburgh, PA
Ivy School of Professional Art, Pittsburgh, PA
Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, PA
Allegheny Community Collage, Pittsburgh, PA
Allegheny Community Collage, West Mifflin, PA
Renaissance Center, Mt. Lebanon, Pa.
50 Plus years connected to art
George R. Wazenegger
1704 Crosby Avenue
Pittsburgh, Pa. 15216
412-341-0406
waz@wazart.net
www.yessy.com/waz