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British Consulate honors Pa. man for his painting For QUEEN and country
By GUY D’ASTOLFO
PULASKI, PA.
A 21-year-old New Wilmington Area High School graduate is one of the winners of an art contest sponsored by the British Consulate.
Mark Summerville, a Pulaski resident, traveled to New York last month to see his watercolor painting of Queen Elizabeth II on display at the consulate and to meet contest judge Albert Watson and Consul General Dan Lopez.
The contest was held in the fall to mark the queen becoming the longest-reigning monarch. Summerville’s painting depicts the queen on the balcony of Buckingham Palace waving to the people who have gathered to see her.
“I wanted to depict not the queen from the outside looking in, but instead from behind the walls of the palace and looking out,” said Summerville. “It shows how lonely sometimes a person must feel, especially one who is the head of state and who has been doing this for over 60 years.”
Summerville said the queen, who ascended to the throne in 1952, is someone whom people look to “for inspiration, guidance, a sense of security, and to know that everything will be all right when times are daring, and who represents a history and its people.”
The British Consulate in New York held the contest for residents of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and part of Connecticut. The queen will be shown the winning entries.
During his visit to New York, he also presented the consulate with his paintings of Windsor Castle, Caernarfon and Edinburgh Castle. “[Those places] also have historical and a personal history with the queen,” said Summerville.
On Sept. 9, Queen Elizabeth II became the longest-reigning monarch in British history when her reign surpassed that of her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria.
Summerville, who attended Butler County Community College, said he is proud of his British heritage.
“I have always been interested in the United Kingdom as I am proud of the heritage that my ancestors and family came from,” said Summerville by e-mail.
His appreciation for the U.K. blossomed in high school. “When people in my class were interested in spring sports or other activities, I drew special attention to the Royal Wedding (2011) and Diamond Jubilee (2012) and did as much as I could to create awareness of the significance it has to history and future events,” he said.
Summerville said he feels a need to show his heritage. “People are proud to say that they are German Americans or Italian Americans,” he said. “I would like to help others feel proud that they are British Americans, and raise a global awareness to the affairs that go on overseas.”
As another example of his efforts, Summerville spoke at Butler County Community College about the referendum for Scottish independence in 2014, which ultimately failed. He explained to classmates why it would be best that the U.K. stay intact.
Summerville took up painting while in college after watching a PBS program that showed Prince Charles and his watercolor paintings. He normally paints landscapes and still lifes. His prize-winning portrait of Queen Elizabeth II is his first and only portrait.
Summerville has written five novels, including “The Story Teller,” which will be released this spring by Dorrance Publishing.
It will be his first published novel and is about the Holocaust. Summerville said it has a message about how acceptance of people of different nationalities, races, creeds, religions, orientations and genders must be learned. “If we fail to be tolerant of others, others will do the same to us and in the end, the greatest tragedy of human existence and nature [will be realized),” he said.
Summerville is the son of Joseph and Jennifer Medved and the grandson of Lewis and Bonnie Lockard.