Local artist adds personal touch to Leechburg’s shopping district

Leechburg’s Market Street is a little more colorful these days.

Artist Veronica Manzanilla painted 10 parking meters along the street for a beautification project headed by the borough’s mayor, Doreen Smeal.

Smeal said she got the idea after attending a meeting for Experience PA in Kittanning where public art was discussed. She thought of the meters as a way for visitors, community members and local businesses to be connected.

“I talked to the Leechburg Rotary, and they offered to buy 10 meters,” Smeal said. “They will all have stickers on them somewhere that says they were donated by the Rotary.”

The project was advertised early last year. Manzanilla, of Rural Valley, reached out after seeing a Facebook post seeking artists. She and one other artist were interviewed for the task. Smeal let her know she got the job in March, and Manzanilla quickly got to work testing designs on meters.

Manzanilla, who creates digital art in her free time, was excited to branch out of her comfort zone.

“I usually just do digital art and just make stuff for fun,” she said.

She began competing in art shows last year and had her first brush-to-canvas experience while working on a mural with members of the New Kensington Arts Center.

It’s all a far cry from Manzanilla’s full-time job working as an armed guard for a company that provides security at federal facilities in the region. Now, she’s more worried about rough edges than security threats.

“We had to basically smooth out some of the rougher edges,” Manzanilla said. “Some of the meters were kind of chipped, so I was worried the paint would sit weird and not sit smoothly.”

Manzanilla began the project by sanding down the designated meters. She was able to test-paint her designs on a sample meter loaned to her so she could determine what kind of paint would work best.

“We gave it to her to take home to practice and for us to see what she could do,” Smeal said. “She came back with all of these designs that we immediately fell in love with.”

Manzanilla said brainstorming ways for her designs to fit on parking meters was a new challenge.

“It’s much smaller than a typical canvas,” she said. “You kind of have to figure out how you want something to look where, on a piece of paper or canvas, everything is right there in a square or rectangle for you. This is different angles and half-circles. Something that might look good on a square might be a little warped with the angle of the meter.”

She was sent a list of design ideas compiled by Smeal and Rotary Club members.

“They were really open to kind of
just letting me come up with whatever,” Manzanilla said.

Manzanilla combined her knowledge of digital art and painting to combat the nontraditional dimensions. She would take a picture of the meter, digitally draw the designs on the photo of the meter and then pencil sketch them on to paint over once they were approved by Smeal.

The 10 meters took over a year to finish — with the bed of Manzanilla’s truck doubling as her art studio. She was working two jobs at the beginning of the process and had to schedule meticulously.

Another challenge she had to adapt to was Pennsylvania’s unpredictable weather. The artist was sunburned, rained on and stopped by snow during the project.

“I was excited,” Manzanilla said. “Even though I got sunburned and stuff like that, it was worth it. I knew once I was done, it would bring joy to everybody that looks at it.”

The 10 meters sport varying themes, including an homage to Leechburg with the Leechburg Area School District’s logo and the borough’s welcome sign, one dedicated to Armstrong County and a meter for breast cancer fighters and survivors. Other meters were transformed into a gumball machine and a bookshelf.

Smeal said she is getting the word out to local businesses that owners can buy their own meter to have a themed meter in front of their shop. She said a few businesses have expressed interest in getting meters painted for their shop, and people walking past have said positive things about them.

“This is a unique little place to be,” Smeal said. “Let’s show it off.”