Screen painting: A Baltimore tradition still charms
Screen painting continues to bring charm to residences and commercial properties alike in neighborhoods in Baltimore as a new group of artists learns this art form.
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- Vickie Tinning of Frederick runs out of hands while working on her painting. (Erin Kirkland/Baltimore Sun)
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- Six year-old Ryleigh Saindon of Highlandtown blows on her painted screen in order to prevent clogged holes from ruining her masterpiece. Screen paintings are only visible from the front and cannot be seen from the back as pictured in the above photo. This allows those inside to look out, but prevents unwanted visitors from peering in. (Erin Kirkland/Baltimore Sun)
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- Six year-old Ryleigh Saindon of Highlandtown dips her brush into her paint palette before beginning her painting. (Erin Kirkland/Baltimore Sun)
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- A painted window above Pawnbrokers on the corner of Eastern Ave. and S. Cowling in Highlandtown displays the neighborhood’s name. (Erin Kirkland/Baltimore Sun)
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- Local artist Anna Pasqualucci demonstrates how to paint trees during a screen painting workshop put on by The Painted Screen Society of Baltimore during the Maryland Folklife Festival on June 15th . (Erin Kirkland/Baltimore Sun)
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- Local artist Anna Pasqualucci’s work station sits next to her easel as she demonstrates how to paint screen paintings. (Erin Kirkland/Baltimore Sun)
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- Local artist Anna Pasqualucci demonstrates how to paint a lighthouse and sunset scene during the screen painting workshop. Normally Pasqualucci paints with exterior house paints, but for the short workshop students used acrylic paint. (Erin Kirkland/Baltimore Sun)
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- Brittany Benner (center) of Essex, Erik Conrad (left) of Brooklyn, and Ned Berringer (right) of Baltimore work on their painted screens. (Erin Kirkland/Baltimore Sun)
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- Seven year-old Ella Valentine of Highlandtown peers up as she puts the finishing touches on her “I Heart My Dog” painted screen. (Erin Kirkland/Baltimore Sun)
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- Lewis White installs one of Anna Pasqualucci’s works on top of Cardinal Chiropractic in Highlandtown. Artists involved in Highlandtown’s screen painting project try to avoid blatant advertisements for the companies and instead look for subtle techniques to illustrate the company. (Erin Kirkland/Baltimore Sun)
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- The windows above Pawnbrokers on the corner of Eastern Ave. and S. Cowling in Highlandtown display a series of painted screens spelling out ‘Welcome’ to visitors and residents. (Erin Kirkland/Baltimore Sun)
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- Highlandtown’s painted screens aren’t just for businesses and commercial properties. This under the sea themed painting is on a residential window on Eastern Ave. (Erin Kirkland/Baltimore Sun)
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- Liberty Income Tax on Eastern Ave. in Highlandtown sports its own patriotic painted screens. (Erin Kirkland/Baltimore Sun)
“You see out. No one sees in.”
The tradition of Baltimore screen painting started 100 years ago in Charm City’s Czech community as shops and commercial spaces adorned their window screens with painted landscapes. Soon the tradition spread throughout the neighborhood, brightening up dull spaces with the added bonus of creative privacy.
However, as the city changed and air conditioning became the desired norm, Baltimore’s artistic niche dwindled. But today, the tradition is fighting with a flourish.
With help from organizations such as The Painted Screen Society of Baltimore and the Highlandtown Main Street Program, this folk art is making a comeback. Together, the organizations created the “100 Screens for 100 Years,” a commemorative collaboration that hopes to bring back the art of screen painting in its native area of Highlandtown.
The emphasis here is not just on the art, but the community. Or as screen painter Anna Pasqualucci puts it, the program “brings more interest in continuing the arts, draws interest to the city, and adds a little pleasant surprise.”
In fact, other organizations such as Highlandtown Arts are getting involved and creating their own screens.
These masterpieces may have a somewhat-sneaky past, but together they’re making an effort at creating a non-exclusive community.
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Michelle Johnson
Aug 26, 2013 @ 17:39:46
What color, creativity and community! This whole rejuvenation of the Baltimore art of painted screens is a local treasure that is being lovingly fostered by the Painted Screen Society and the many friends they are making along the way!