Dr. Mel Wolk is a Larner College of Medicine alumnus from the Class of 1960.
In the following blog post, Dr. Wolk describes his journey through creating art from “found treasures.”
Artist Mel Wolk M.D.’60 (Courtesy of Mel Wolk M.D.’60) 
“Canine America” (Courtesy of Mel Wolk M.D.’60) 
“Tiptoe Through The Tulips” (Courtesy of Mel Wolk M.D.’60) 
“Tract 5” (Courtesy of Mel Wolk M.D.’60) 
“Stargazer” (Courtesy of Mel Wolk M.D.’60) 
“Jumble” (Courtesy of Mel Wolk M.D.’60) 
“Circus” (Courtesy of Mel Wolk M.D.’60) 
“Double Twinkle” (Courtesy of Mel Wolk M.D.’60) 
“Piglets” (Courtesy of Mel Wolk M.D.’60)
“What is just a nail or a screw to some people becomes a flower petal to me.”
In the Eye of the Beholder
“This isn’t junk; this is real art!!!!!” so said a 5-year-old little boy when seeing my artwork for the first time. I now knew that my “found art” would be very successful.
This also illustrates that beauty really is in the eyes of the beholder. My 5-year-old little art critic was seeing just what I wanted to convey with my work. I have always gravitated to flea markets, antique shops and hardware stores and now I was finding them an excellent source for inspiration and raw materials for my pieces.
What is just a nail or a screw to some people becomes a flower petal to me; what is an abandoned brake pad becomes a piglet body; what is an old set of blocks that many generations of children have played with and now lie long forgotten have become stems of flowers; a pair of wooden shoe molds are now dancing feet in my interpretation of an Andy Warhol rendition.
Antique and old things are not the only raw materials that I use in my art, I also incorporate new objects when they suggest another life to me. I can go on and on with my use of old forgotten objects that are now newly found art pieces proving once again that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.
Getting Started
I am a UVM graduate of the class of 1956 undergraduate school and a graduate of the UVM class of 1960 medical school. I began my art career while still practicing medicine as a pediatrician and pediatric allergist.
I started with photography and learned manipulation with Adobe Photoshop. I eventually fell into the “found art” when I came upon my first piece of nirvana which was the mechanism for regulating the up and down movement of the glass window in a car door. To me it looked like the body of a dog and quickly became an art piece called Canine America, with the addition of brightly colored screws, nuts, and bolts. I became encouraged when it won entry in a juried art show at the New Britain Museum of Fine Art in Connecticut.
If junk parts are my inspiration, then I have to add that color is my world. All of my pieces feature high bright colors.
My artwork has not only been accepted at the New Britain Museum of American Art, but I have also exhibited in various galleries and juried shows in my area, including Susquehanna Art Museum in Harrisburg, PA and The Antique Automobile Museum in Hershey, PA. My most recent exhibit was held last year at the Everhart Museum in Scranton, PA where I had a one man show from April thru Labor Day. It was widely accepted, and to my delight, there were many school groups that attended.
Finding Inspiration
I should add here that I spent a good part of my adolescence cutting up cars in my dad’s junkyard with an acetylene torch. This is probably what led to my imagining that window mechanism as a dog’s body. Another example of my “found art ” is called Tiptoe Through the Tulips and utilizes old wooden sock forms used for drying women’s stockings. I framed these on a bed of buttons and used old shoe stretchers to suggest legs “tiptoeing through the tulips.” Naturally, they are again painted in high colors. Old buttons and marbles are also used to further decorate the piece.
As a retired pediatrician, I tend to gravitate toward old children’s toys in my work hence the use of marbles, baby rattles, metal soldiers, blocks, puzzle pieces, etc. In short, anything and everything can become an art piece when it inspires me.
It is a known fact that strong colors and varied forms stimulate certain areas of the brain, which in turn can produce strong emotions. viewing an art piece can bring on feelings of laughter, joy, or even sadness or just awaken a curious mind. My hope is that my artwork can produce that kind of effect.
When viewing my work, you not only enter the world of my imagination but also take a trip back in time. The objects I use from playthings past and the double entendre of my interpretations of Andy Warhol’s, Dance Steps and Van Gogh’s Starry Night may actually awaken the curiosity of the viewer to seek out the real thing.
Remember to Have Fun
In conclusion, I would like to say that I love what I do—I have a good time collecting my “found treasures.” I love incorporating them into my pieces: the painting of the bright colors, the gluing, the composition, etc. I can only hope that the viewer has as much fun looking at my work as I have in creating it. After all, beauty and “real art” really are in the eye of the beholder.
To see more of Dr. Wolk’s work and other artwork from the Larner community check out the latest edition of The Red Wheelbarrow.
