Eye for Art: Ruchlewicz an avid photographer
by Lyndi McNulty in The Advocate
February 7, 2007
http://westminsteradvocate.com/
07.FEB.07 Eye for Art: Ruchlewicz an avid photographer
Stan Ruchlewicz is the administrator of Economic Development for the City of
He said his first love is teaching and judging high school marching bands and drum and bugle corps.
Through traveling as a judge, he said he visited many interesting places.
“So, I took pictures,” Ruchlewicz said. “Back in the dark ages, I was using a small Instamatic. Eventually, I grew out of the Instamatic into a 35mm camera.”
In 1989, Ruchlewicz was hired in Havre de Grace as director of Planning. He was also appointed to the governor’s Save the Lighthouse Commission.
“Then, I really needed to get a good camera to take pictures since we toured the various Chesapeake Bay lighthouses on our annual visits,” he said,
Also at that time, Ruchlewicz began to take photographs of downtown buildings, streetscapes and events for promotional and reference materials for his job, he said.
Later, his financee, Pat Miller, converted him to go digital.
“Now, I can take hundreds of photographs at a time and not worry about printing costs since I can view the shots on the computer and choose to print only the best,” he said.
Ruchlewicz and his fiancee both take photos.
“I do the large scale photos, such as buildings, landscapes and event crowds, while she enjoys doing architectural details, like gargoyles and grotesques and individual people,” he said. “Grotesques are the funny little guys that are on old buildings but don’t put out rainwater like gargoyles do.”
Today, Ruchlewicz is still shooting buildings and street scenes along Main Streets, events in downtown
“A lot of the photos I take are of streetscape features such as signage, trash cans, benches, streetlights, window displays, storefronts and building facades,” Ruchlewicz said. “I use them as examples of how to improve local buildings and to give local store owners new ideas on how to improve their businesses.”
Casey Willson, retail industry manager for the Maryland Small Business Development Center, uses some of Ruchlewicz’s pictures for his presentations to small business owners around the state.
Ruchlewicz’s work is everywhere in town.
The postcards of downtown Westminster, such as the view of Main Street from the roof of the old fire house, the downtown mural, the McDaniel College entrance, City Hall and the train passing in front of Johannson’s are all his work.
The postcards are all copyrighted by the City of
Ruchlewicz’s photographs also appear in the
Additionally, his photos from the Corbit’s Charge event can be viewed on the Pipe Creek Civil War Round Table Web site at http://www.pccwrt.addr.com.
“The most utilized image of mine is of the old clock tower in
Ruchlewicz’s newest project is converting his photographs into digital art.
“For example, I take photos of
In the future, Ruchlewicz said he would like to put his photographs in an art show and perhaps sell some commercially.
And his travels continue.
“I plan to go to
— Lyndi McNulty owns Gizmos Art in
Art – Eye for Art by Lyndi McNulty in The Advocate
