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Canonsburg man’s love of art a lifelong journey

By Allison Duratz 5 min read
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Andrew Shaffer with two of his pen-ink drawings

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Andrew Shaffer with one of his oil paintings

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Andrew Shaffer shows off an intricate wood carving that he created

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Andrew Shaffer included two of his favorite things in this pen-ink drawing - a dog and a log cabin

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Covered bridges are another favorite of artist Andrew Shaffer

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88-year-old Andrew Shaffer grew up in a log cabin and favors rustic themes in his artwork

Andrew Shaffer’s lifelong dream was to go to art school, but time and money prevented him from doing so. That didn’t stop him from drawing.

Over the past 60 years, Shaffer has perfected the art of pencil and pen-ink drawings, oil painting and wood carving. But at 88, poor circulation and other health concerns have taken their toll, and Shaffer is unable to stand for long periods in front of an easel. So these days, he prefers pen-ink. “I like that I can sit to do that,” he said.

Completing a pen-ink drawing, though, can take anywhere from 20 to 30 hours.

“You won’t see them in many art shows because they take so long to make,” said Shaffer, explaining the meticulous process involved. “I put each little needle on the pine trees one at a time.”

In 30 hours, Shaffer said a person can paint five or six oil paintings.

“They don’t want to waste time with pen and ink.”

The Fayette County native favors rustic themes, something he credits to his formative years, growing up in a log home during the Great Depression. His family of 10 didn’t have much and had to make do with the $2-per-week salary his father earned on a dairy farm.

“My mother would bake bread and farmers would give us lard when we helped them butcher. We lived on lard and bean sandwiches.”

As a boy, it was up to Shaffer to find ways to entertain himself.

“We used to get rags from the farmers – most were overalls or worn-out shirts – and I’d cut them into strips and sew them together like a big, long ribbon. My mother taught me how to make a hook rug. I carved out a knitting needle and knitted a rug, but I knitted it too tight and it ended up looking like a soup bowl. So I gave it to our dog, Princy, for a dog bed,” explained Shaffer, who discovered his artistic talents when he began drawing pictures of Princy in the bed.

“People used to say, ‘Where’d you get all that talent? It looks exactly like him.’

“So I kept practicing, but didn’t have any paper. Sometimes I’d get a paper bag and draw on that, or butcher paper. That’s all I had.”

At school, Shaffer continued to draw.

“The teacher liked my art, so every holiday, like Easter, she had me decorate the blackboard and I would make Easter bunnies pulling a cart filled with Easter eggs, or at Christmas I would draw Christmas trees and other stuff. I got out of a lot of work by doing that. The other kids were working and I was having fun drawing. So I continued.”

But, more pressing matters were to come, including World War II and the draft.

A U.S. Army veteran, Shaffer was at the point of embarkation ready to go overseas when the war ended. He decided to take advantage of the G.I. Bill. Instead of studying art, though, Shaffer enrolled in a correspondence course in electronics.

Shaffer then married his sweetheart, the late Gladys Howell of Muse, and began working at Federal Drug Co. in Uniontown making just 29 cents an hour. His electronics training got Shaffer an exponential increase in salary to $1.32 per hour when he took a job with the RCA in Meadowlands. When the plant moved its operation to Cambridge, Ohio, Shaffer and his wife followed with their two daughters.

Shaffer stayed busy, working and raising a family, but somehow found time to focus on his art.

He estimates that over the years he’s completed 300 to 400 oil paintings – some he’s sold, but most he’s given away. A few of his paintings can even be found hanging in businesses around town. He’s also given away most of his pen-ink drawings, of which Shaffer lost count.

Shaffer’s been fortunate to sell a few of his wood carvings at $300 per piece, something he said can take up to 72 hours to complete.

Shaffer never uses a model, preferring instead to use his imagination.

“I know what a covered bridge looks like. I know what a stone wall looks like … trees, clouds. So I didn’t need to look at anything. I’d start off with a bridge then add a tree there and a cloud, snow, a stream. I never knew what it was going to look like when it was done.”

While Shaffer has never displayed any of his art to the public, he was instrumental in encouraging his sister Dorothy to explore her talents.

“She didn’t believe she could, but I kept after her,” said Shaffer. “I finally gave her an easel, canvases, paints, brushes and said, ‘Now you don’t have any excuses.’ She used to bring me her work to grade and I would help her. She’s taken her artwork to the Fayette County Fair and has won every prize for the last six to eight years.”

Shaffer now lives in a small apartment in Canonsburg. He’s given up driving and relies on his daughter, Brenda Celento of Eighty Four, to assist with shopping and cleaning. “She helps me out a lot,” said Shaffer, who still enjoys cooking his own meals and tending to a small garden.

“I do art because I like to create. That’s why I like to cook. I like to experiment,” said Shaffer. “I create a picture … when I get done I know I created that. It makes me feel good.”

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