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JENNERSTOWN, Pa. (AP) — On Flyin Lion's walls are pastoral scenes of another generation's America, seen through the eyes of Merle Henry Dowling and depicted in his paintings. "It generates a lot of interest," said Tina Buckham. She is owner of the Flyin Lion, a Jennerstown restaurant and bar that opened in October and is currently the site of 23 Dowling originals. "I'm happy . . . I was excited to have something else in here." Though the Flyin Lion is temporarily home to these historic artworks, it is only the latest chapter in a saga that began with one man's — and continues today with his family's desire to honor his work. David Dowling of Markleton said his grandfather was a self-taught artist from Kittaning who was born in 1891 and decided early in life he was going to be his own boss. He became known across western Pennsylvania for setting up his "studio" in the back of his flatbed truck and painting whatever he saw across the rural landscape. "He always said that . . . no matter what man has made, it can never surpass what God has created," Dowling said, characterizing the pieces as "folk art." "His paintings do not have a political agenda and many are not religious." Merle Dowling, according to his grandson, drew on just everything he could find, including paper plates. He earned a reputation and earned contracts to paint murals at churches and fire halls. Dowling said his grandfather's mural inside the Furnace Run Chapel was going to be destroyed in a renovation and expansion project, but the congregation voted against it. Other pieces of his work are in the private collections of the children and grandchildren of the original owners across the state. An additional 120 paintings, Dowling said, were being kept in his uncle's home. "These paintings have stayed, basically, into the family," the retired correctional officer said. "I think the beauty speaks for itself and that they've lasted the test of time." Merle Dowling died Jan. 22 of 1970, said his grandson. His works, however, are about to receive more exposure than ever before. In addition to the exhibit at the Flyin Lion — which will last about a month before the works of a new artist are brought in — Merle Dowlings' art is scheduled for an expanded showing next year at Laurel Arts in Somerset. Laurel Arts programming assistant Christine Stotler credited David Dowling for helping this come together. "He was pretty proactive," she said. "We kind of worked together." Regarding what his grandfather might think of the exhibitions, Dowling is torn. He stressed first and foremost that this isn't being done for profit. "None of the paintings are for sale," he said. "We're not trying to make a buck." Dowling described the process of preparing for the exhibits as a "journey." "I don't know what my grandfather would think of this . . . he was not a very public man," he said, adding that he only met the man twice because he grew up in Ohio. "I guess it's my way of getting to know him." "Many people will forget what you did, and many people will forget what you said. But nobody forgets how you made them feel." ___ Online: http://bit.ly/1PrjLYH ___ Information from: Daily American, http://www.dailyamerican.com

Grandson honors grandfather's art