I’ve decided to dedicate most of my 2026 studio time to a new series of paintings. Some will be experimental and abstract, but the majority of my ideas center around memories of my art experiences in the Pittsburgh area. My series of paintings about the history of the Black Sheep Puppet Festival was a start in this direction. Now, I’m thinking about the arts developments along the Penn Avenue Bloomfield / Garfield in the 2000’s.
Memory of The Quiet Storm is my first completed painting in the new series. The Quiet Storm was a vegan & vegetarian cafe on Penn Avenue in Garfield from 2001-2013. From its inception, it was a haven for the creative community. When I was in town, I was there at least once a week, eating a burrito, drinking endless amounts of coffee and meeting with friends to make plans for arts events. Many of the planning meetings for my puppetry projects, Art Olympics and The Tom Museum happened there.
My painting is a memory of the early days of the cafe, when live shows happened in the evenings. It was a wild, lively scene. On one occasion, I performed with puppets as part of a menagerie of activity for the Hope-Harveys release of their Fundemonium album. The characters, decor and viewpoint of the painting are from memory. The passage of time may have exaggerated the scene a bit. Some of the signage in the painting is inspired by found online images.
Memory of The Quiet Storm will be featured in the 2025-2026 Featured Artists Exhibition at Associated Artists of Pittsburgh. The show runs March 21-May 29, 2026. The AAP Gallery is located at 100 43rd Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15201.
Tom Sarver 