The Late John Molnar

[Caroline Trippe]

A couple years ago, when I first started painting in casein, and was curious to find out more about this medium, I came upon John Molnar's website---very informative and inspiring. Then, as a new member to WC, just this month, I was browsing the Casein/Egg Tempera/Gouache channel and uncovered some old posts of his. As a new member in 2009, he was offering help and advice to new casein painters. Promising!

Yesterday I was thinking maybe I would post a question for him, but before I did so, I thought I'd take another look at his website, and his beautiful, accomplished paintings, so I googled him, and got quite a shock.

John Molnar died on Oct. 13, 2010, at the age of 50, of complications during a treatment for leukemia. So I thought I would post this little memento, since I can find no mention of his death on WC. I didn't know, and this belated (to me) news truly saddens me.

His first postings on WC , as a new member, seem to have appeared in 2009----what a valuable long-term WC member he would have been. I read some of his replies to other members, and they were encouraging and generous. I wondered why there were no more recent posts. Well, now I know. I've been thinking about this since yesterday.

How when people are not "famous" in the mainstream, like Liz Taylor, their deaths can go unnoticed by all but a few. But that doesn't mean they go unnoticed. I didn't even know this artist, this person, but...I miss him!

[torbie]

My mother went to school with John Molnar back when they both were classmates at Niagara College in Ontario, early 80's - in radio broadcasting. She sent me a clipping about his passing - he was in the column in the Globe and Mail in a section called 'Lives Lived'. She was very surprised he went on to become an artist!

She was quite fond of him and went on quite a bit on the phone the other day about how he always went out of his way to help other people and was such a very caring person. My mother had left her job as a pharmacist to pursue her dream as a radio broadcaster in her forties. Eventually she went back to pharmacy.

I'm searching for some info online about him to pass on to her, as she does not have a computer.

I've found the Globe and Mail article, written by his wife.. unfortunately I can't post a url until my second post here. Lets see if I can do it in the next one!



Vicki

[torbie]

It still won't let me post it, but - if you go to Google, type in his name and Lives Lived, you'll get the Globe and Mail article, published May 10th. Not sure if I can post articles due to copyright issues etc. It's nicely written.

He sure sounded like a great guy - gone too young.

Vicki

[Yorky]

Try again Vicki, the bar is two posts.

Doug

[viking57]

Hi Caroline,
I Google'd Johns website and had a very nice time viewing his work. John's work has such a nice style to it, very scenic panoramas with great depth to them. It is a shame he has passed way to early on in his life. I had a brother who also died from Leukemia so this posting about John had special meaning and brings back a lot of memories about that time in my life.
I hope more of the artists here see Johns work and enjoy the beauty he created while he was with us.

A Video with John Speaking of his work...worth watching!
Ron

[pagnes]

sorry for him.... his paintings are very beautiful, too