Ernie Witalis:              

Artist - Painter - Sculptor

Born in 1931, Erwin Witalis has been involved in art his entire life, part of a long line of family artists and craftsmen who passed their talent down through the generations.

His father and grandfather owned a South Side (of Pittsburgh) monument business where they designed headstones and added lettering to ornate decoration. Prior to the monument business his grandfather worked with his older brother on life-sized sculptures of 12 apostles and other carvings that are featured inside and outside of St. Vincent Archabbey in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.

With this heritage, a lifetime of artist endeavors seemed preordained. He attended Carnegie Tech (now CMU) in the early 1950’s, and then joined the army where he served in Korea in a MASH unit.  Upon his discharge, he joined and later co-owned a graphic design firm, Witalis Burke Associates, in Pittsburgh, while finishing his studies at Carnegie Tech in the evenings.

He retired in 1992 and has enjoyed pursuing his creative passions in painting, etching, sketching and sculpture.