New mural to hearken back to Scranton’s vaudeville era

PLYMOUTH — A capped brunette from a bygone era, her eyelids heavy with shadow, will forever walk a tightrope on Penn Avenue in Scranton.

Regardless of the breeze, gold, rust and blue feathers will always float off her dress.

She’s currently in pieces on panels in the Plymouth studio of Joel Carson Jones. Beginning Monday, the Wilkes-Barre Twp. artist, a master in his field, will start putting her together on the wall of her forever home at 328 Penn Ave. in the downtown.

Jones, who paints and teaches heightened realism from his childhood home, was inspired by an image from the 1920s that caught his eye. The painting also pays homage to Scranton’s days as a hot spot for vaudeville acts in the early 1900s.

Using a projector to draw out basic contours and shadow patterns, he created the female figure with an Art Deco radio pattern behind her.

“I just thought there was some character, quality in her, that felt like what I was trying to go for,” he said.

This is the first mural for Jones, 46, who is established internationally for his still life and trompe l’oeil paintings. His largest work is around 20 by 24 inches. The mural is 20 by 30 feet.

“It was difficult translating a small image into something large, but it’s really all relative,” he said.

He also had to adjust to a different medium. Jones traditionally paints with slow-drying oil. He created the vaudevillian lady on a tightrope with acrylic paint, which dries faster.

Jones was commissioned by Rose Randazzo Pizzuto, the murals chairwoman for Scranton Tomorrow. The nonprofit organization that leads economic development in Scranton recently began a mural arts program to bring landmark, long-lasting public works of art downtown.

Before the pandemic, Pizzuto and Jones were working together on a mural project in Pittston that dissolved. After Pizzuto was named chair of the mural project, she reached back out to Jones, who previously did a series of whimsical paintings inspired by the vaudeville era.

Scranton Tomorrow was able to raise funds for the mural in record time through donations from Fidelity Bank, Lackawanna County, the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce and private donors and businesses, Pizzuto said. Art Russo, who owns the building, also donated resources to make the project happen.

With the mural, Jones, who has a master’s degree from Marywood University, is aiming to create a convincing illusion. The tight rope will extend beyond the mural across the entire length of building, which is 80 to 90 feet. He also hopes to create a little bit of tension.

“But not too much where it’s like you’re afraid this woman is going to fall,” he said.

With the falling feathers, he’s creating movement.

Typically murals are painted directly onto the walls, but Jones’ art will be installed using Nova Gel. The adhesive will be squeegeed onto the panels and the wall, sealing the painting to make it part of the building. He’ll do touch ups on site once the panels are installed.

He started the project four months ago and anticipated it to be fully installed in two weeks.

 

Scranton Tomorrow’s mural program is designed to bring tourism to the city and each mural will feature a QR code which observers can scan for prerecorded videos about the making of the mural and the history behind the project, Pizzuto said. Eventually, there will be a public art/history tour.

From the late 1800s to the 1930s vaudeville, popular variety shows, rolled through towns to entertain with song, dance, comedy, opera and even cat and dog shows, said Nancy McDonald, author of “If you can play in Scranton, a Theatrical History: 1871-2010.”

The city was a microcosm of the American theater, according to the book. Performers, including headline vaudevillians, viewed a success in Scranton as a major accomplishment.

During the turn of the 20th century, vaudeville thrived in Scranton, which was known to have tough audiences whose reaction determined whether a show moved onto a large city.

McDonald said two of Scranton’s biggest vaudeville theaters were on Wyoming Avenue between Linden and Spruce streets. Vaudeville thrived until the 1930s when movies eventually killed the form of entertainment, she said.

 

The roaring 20s, an often romanticized era, was probably the result of the 1918 pandemic, Pizzuto said.

“We’re in the same situation, it’s almost meant to be, that’s how I looked at it and Joel agreed,” she said.

Jones loves public art.

“It’s for the betterment of the community,” he said. “It’s something that people can appreciate and enjoy. It’s not just reserved for museums or galleries, it’s everywhere you walk.”

He hopes people create their own interpretation of the Penn Avenue lady on a tightrope.

“People find whatever they want or whatever they’re looking for in the work,” he said. “I hope they enjoy it and I hope they don’t think it’s terrible.”

The mural will be officially unveiled during a ceremony at the site on Sept. 3.