Local artist’s paintings exhibited in Salt Lake, New York City shows

Lifelong Utahn and local artist Scott Yelonek will have his art on display at two shows, one in Salt Lake City, the 15th Street Gallery Stroll until February 10, and one in New York City in April 3 to 22, the American Watercolor Society show.
“I was always drawing as a kid,” Yelonek said during an interview with the Sun Advocate on Monday morning, expressing his interest at an early age for drawing and painting. Using every day objects that many may not see as artistic objects, Yelonek uses watercolor and oil to paint and express the objects through photorealisitic styling.
Born in Salt Lake City and raised in Sunnyside, Yelonek uses objects such as vintage typewriters, stacks of old beer cans and rusted out old vehicles.
Yelonek resides in Price with his wife Terri and daughter Alexis. He received an Associate degree of Science from the College of Eastern Utah in 1983 (now USU Eastern). He focused his studying on design, figures and basic drawings.
Having taken a break from painting and drawing, he was hired at Peczuh Printing in 1984. There he focused on layout and design. Yelonek started to draw again in 2000 and has entered numerous contests. The 2008 Western Federation of Watercolor Societies, the Sun Valley Idaho Arts Festival 2008, and the Annual Springville Utah Museum of Art Spring Salon, 2013 are three of the seven contest he has participated in. Yelonek has won numerous awards including the Helper Arts and Music Festival Plein Air People’s Choice Awards, 2007, Utah Watercolor Society, Award of Excellence,2007 and the Springville Museum of Arts Spring Salon Award of Merit in 2008.
The Executive Director of the competition in New York, John Patt, said that the competition for accepting the works of art is rigorous. Out of 1,200 pieces submitted, only 138 are accepted. Artists from Belarus, Switzerland and Finland are just a few of the countries pieces are submitted from. “Scott’s work is most unique,” Patt said of his entry this year. A clothes iron was entered into the New York contest, and 10 to 15 pieces currently on display in Salt Lake City.
According to Patt, watercolor painting is becoming a hot medium in China. The contest is also seeing an increase in applications from Asia. “He has every right to be proud of his accomplishment,” Patt continued. The Salt Lake City show is located on 1519 South 1500 East. The American Watercolor Society show will be held at the Salmagundi Club located on 47th street and Fifth Avenue in NYC.