By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
Bob Mazur’s spirit has returned to Bowling Green State University’s Bryan Gallery.
A dozen of his paintings as well as prints of his work are hanging on the walls in preparation for a celebration of his life at noon on Saturday. Mazur, who taught at BGSU for 33 years before retiring in 1998, died in August, 2015.
The paintings are vibrant with splashes of color, especially blue. Mazur dove deep to find them. He snapped underwater photographs that inspired the thick lines and designs of his abstract paintings. He applied thick layers of paint that even years later still seems in motion. They possess a muscularity one would expect from a former wrestler.
“You can see his big, bold personality in his paintings,” said Charlie Kanwischer, who started teaching at the university a year before Mazur retired.
He was “a guy who liked to have a good time.”
Kanwischer said Mazur was always positive and upbeat with friends and students. The exhibit is more than a display of his talents; the show is intended as a continuing effort to continue his legacy.
Working with Laura Jajko, president of American Frame, friends, family and colleagues have been working to endow a scholarship in his honor.
All 12 paintings and the glicee prints on display, Kanwischer said, are for sale. Those visiting will also be able to order a book of Mazur’s work. Or they can write a check to the BGSU Foundation.
“This is about Bob’s legacy and passing it down for generations,” he said.
Mazur, Kanwischer said, was one of a generation of artists who took the School of Art to greater prominence. Professors such as David Cayton, Ron Jacomini, who designed the book, and Tom Hilty all “dedicated their lives to the place.”
Mazur’s widow, Lynne Mazur, told Kanwischer that over his career her husband painted more than 1,000 works. The 12 in the show are the last she has to sell.
Already the scholarship fund has generated $28,000. About $25,000 is what’s required to fund the scholarship.
The scholarship, Kanwischer said, will be for a student already enrolled in the School of Art and will be for one year.
The family, he said, has provided important support in creating the memorial for Mazur.
Kanwischer said that Jajko deserves a great deal of credit for the scholarship drive. Her father and mother started a gallery in Toledo, which sold Mazur’s work.
“She remembers Bob from when she was a child,” he said. “Without her energy and drive, we wouldn’t have reached the endowment.”
The work will remain on display through May 28. The gallery, however, is not open regular hours, so those wishing to see it should contact Kanwischer at ckanwis@bgsu.edu.
For more information on the scholarship, visit: http://mazurmemorial.wix.com/14may2016.
