Realizing a passion in Clyde

Although he has dabbled in sketching and painting for much of his life, the anchor of Mann’s “golden years” has been his artwork. And it’s attracting a following in this Wayne County village.

Eighteen canvases — large and small — adorn the walls in the community room of his apartment complex; most depict landscape scenes. Several of his works rotate seasonally at the Clyde Library. And when Mann entered his first art show this past fall at the Montezuma Audubon Center, he went home with a People’s Choice award for his painting of a bald eagle that he titled “King of the Hill.”

A small utility room in his apartment serves as a studio. On the wall are several pencil sketches; two easels hold canvases with works in progress (Mann said he usually works on two pieces at a time and goes back and forth). There are paintbrushes and art books and a model airplane hanging from the ceiling. His preferred medium is oil paints because he finds them more forgiving.