Friday, December 29, 2006
Editor's note: Eighth in a series about First Night Youngstown performers.
This artist has worked with First Night Youngstown since it began.
By KATIE LIBECCO
VINDY.COM CORRESPONDENT
Seven years ago, Ed O'Malley doodled sketches of friends and family for fun.
An artist in watercolor and acrylics in his free time, O'Malley said he had never considered using his hobby as a source of income.
But that changed when he performed in his first play, "The Crucible" at the Oakland Center for the Arts. As a present for members of the cast, he created a caricature -- a sketch of that over-emphasizes a person's features - for each person involved with the show.
"I met Nancy Haraburda [First Night Youngstown vice president] seven years ago doing 'The Crucible.' She was looking for entertainers and said, 'You'd be perfect for First Night,' " O'Malley said. "I've been there ever since."
Just like the last six years, O'Malley will contribute to First Night Youngstown by creating caricatures for attendees downtown on New Year's Eve from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Ford Family Recital Hall, 260 Federal Plaza West.
Before becoming involved with First Night Youngstown, O'Malley said he did caricatures to entertain friends and family.
"I did them for fun, I did them for friends, ever since I was a little kid. I just did them to amuse everybody," O'Malley said. "I never thought I'd be making any money from it."
O'Malley said he draws caricatures on-the-spot at the Youngstown State University Summer Festival of the Arts and First Night Youngstown every year.
"I do those, but I prefer to work at home with pictures," O'Malley said.
He said sometimes the live portraits can become stressful because of the long lines and number of people, in addition to continuously drawing for three hours.
In addition to the live caricatures, O'Malley also does freelance work for private clients. He draws and paints portraits for gifts for special events, such as anniversaries and birthdays. He said he also has created the caricatures for birthday and special occasion cards.
A retiree of the U.S. Postal Office, where he worked 37 years, O'Malley currently works for Forum Health. He was born and raised in Youngstown, graduated from Ursuline High School and studied English and art at YSU.
Following his first performance as Giles Corey at The Oakland, O'Malley has also become more active in theater, having performed with the Victorian Players, Youngstown Playhouse and the Murder Mystery Dinner Theater at the Holiday Inn Metroplex in Liberty.
"Youngstown is the best. If you want to be in a play, look at all of the places you can go," O'Malley said. "There's lots of things in the Youngstown area."
O'Malley can be reached for private sketches by calling (330) 272-5324.
klibecco@vindy.com
Photo by Katie Libecco