The Marvelous Manifestations of Molly Strong
By Darlene Mae O’Connor
She is the personification of that rare and lovely spirit possessed by true creative and joyful light illuminating artistic integrity and an unbridled vision. Her sinewy strokes are saturated in social sensitivity and earthly enlightenment and we are given a glimpse of her soul. Having asked Molly if she could share a mantra or a quote to sum up the embodiment of what calls her to her craft, she responded;
“One of the most rewarding aspects of being a creator is having the opportunity to share my Art with others”. It is fortunate for the world she is willing to share.
Graphic design is one of Molly’s special award-winning talents. Recognized by the Collective Arts Brewing Co. her work can be seen on beer cans of International Distinction and distribution.
Even canvas kicks rock her one-of-a kind designs, making for very well-dressed and happy feet.
On a mission at The Beer Snob in Jamestown, NY for The Villager, I was covering the opening of Marty’s much anticipated, never over stated, newly built to suit Live Music Venue and the sounds of the bands invited to play, I was sent to digitally capture the experience and during first intermission I was talking to Draught Master Jeff as he artfully drew a perfect pint for me. I let him know of my on-going quest to find intriguing local talent to feature on these pages and surprisingly he quickly made our introduction. I immediately sensed something special about Molly. As we carried on a short conversation, she remained flanked on each side by her two pals, Dan and Stephen, obviously her biggest fans. While Jeff was pouring our pints; Stephen was happily pouring it on thick with praise and admiration for his friend and her incredible abilities. Molly was taking it in with a stride intimating that he liked trying to make her blush by espousing, to anyone within ear shot, how uniquely gifted he believes her to be… I assure you she is.
As it turns out I didn’t have to wait long for a viewing of this new and rising talent. The walls of the Beer Snob are wildly adorned with artwork of intriguing impressions from the sublime to the strange and all authentically designed. Molly has a space accommodating her rendering of a nine-foot-high Cthulhu, a giant squid. He is on the stage side and perfectly lines up with the bandstand for optimal squid dancing pleasure. A collection of her work is for sale and on display downtown at Art Cloth and Craft on Third St. adjacent to The Reg Lenna Theatre. In Erie, PA her work can be found at Glass Growers Galleries.
Molly Strong has a great concern for the human spirit. Her work often reflects the balance between the mind and body and the symbiotic relationship we have to one another and the natural world. She supports kindness to animals and takes caring for our planet personally. Not surprising, Molly is a native to our city in the hills. She is a self-taught artist and visionary. Her range of work includes painting in the abstract with acrylics on canvas and paper, the photographic arts and graphic design, as well as, sketch work that follows the techniques of Roger Tory Peterson and his interpretations of wild life. She is an advocate of and force for Social Justice and she is very hopeful we can all experience a better tomorrow, not just here in our city of trees, but everywhere. She believes in bringing others up with her as she rises and advocates volunteerism.
Clearly a talented woman with much to offer our community, she enjoys singing and participating in local musical stage presentations from time to time and you can get an idea of her artistic range by viewing her work on Facebook at Molly Strong Art. See her work locally in person at the above mentioned venues and she is reachable via her email at mollystrongart@g-mail. I have already spoken with other area purveyors interested in her work, she’ll be giving us many years of encouraging and important pieces and she and I have plans to collaborate together on a project this Autumn. I hope you have enjoyed reading about Molly and her work, you will enjoy meeting her in person even more.