Santa Always Brings Art Books

The best thing about Christmas morning (aside from great times with the family)is looking forward to the inevitable pile of new art books under the tree. This year was no exception and I got some good ones. Some are brand new and at least one is very old, slightly used and long out of print. Here's a rundown and review of what the jolly fat man brought me. I have have only thumbed through them all, so these reviews are still cursory, but they all look great and I look forward to giving them all an in depth reading. Here they are in no particular order:

Blue Collar/White Collar by Sterling Hundley

My only complaint about this book is the size. At 6" x 9", this digest size book is a bit smaller than I would have preferred, but Hundley's work still packs power. It is sprinkled with process sketches and notes that look to be directly from the sketchbook. This collecetion showcases both Hundley's illustration and fine art career. His range and versatility are evident and I found myself inspired by the wide range of color, texture and composition in his work. This volume is a nice addition to my contemporary illustration books.

Howard Pyle- Rediscovering and American Master

This attractive volume has been compiled in conjunction with a special exhibition or Pyle's work at the Delaware Art museum. A number of authors and artists were asked to write on how Pyle's work has impacted American culture in the century since his passing. Howard Pyle was the premier illustrator and art instructor of his day with work appearing in magazines like Harper's monthly, Colliers and Scribner's Magazine. He is credited with influencing the visual depiction of knights, pirates and historical figures in every generation to the present. The reproductions in this book are top quality. I look forward to reading all the essays. Having visited both Pyle's studio and the Delaware Art Museum, this book will have a treasured place among my Golden Age illustrator volumes.

The Brandywine Tradition by Henry Pitz

This book has been out of print for decades, so I was excited to see it under the tree. Pitz was a student of Walter Everett who studied under Pyle, so I am sure there are many first hand accounts in this volume. Many years ago I confess to wanting to keep a Howard Pyle volume written by Pitz rather than returning it to the library. I think I was the only one who ever checked it out since it was eventually surplussed and I could no longer get it. I wish I had kept it and paid the lost book fine. This one I am sure will be an interesting read as well.

Robert Fawcett- The Illustrator's Illustrator by David Apatoff 

This book showcases the incredible draftsmanship and composition of one the best mid century illustrators. It contains over 250 illustrations, most in full color. Fawcett's prodigous talent as well as keen business sence led him to become one of the most sought after and well compensated illustrators of his day. I was particularly interested in the several sidebar articles that discussed Fawcett's working process as well as the numerous sketches and examples of photo reference. I look forward to reading and analyzing the volume more in depth. I am sure it will inspire for years to come.

Frank Schoonover's Studio

The Schoonover Studio - 1616 North Rodney Street, 

Wilmington, Delaware

In the summer of 2009 I had the pleasure of visiting several iconic illustrator's studios including N.C. Wyeth and Howard Pyle. The last stop on the studio tour was Frank Schoonover's studio on Rodney street in Wilmington Delaware.

Frank Schoonover at the easel

The studio was established by students of Howard Pyle when space at Pyle's Franklin street location grew inadequate. Frank Schoonover and Stanley Arthurs joined forces to secure funding on a new studio building that included four working spaces.

Schoonover and Arthurs moved in on March 8, 1906. Fellow illustrators N.C. Wyeth, Henry Peck, Clifford Ashley and Harvey Dunn would soon follow. Schoonover eventually purchased the building and worked there for the remainder of his long career.

Grandson John Schoonover poses in front of some of Frank's artifacts

Now owned and curated by grandson John Schoonover, The building still functions as a working studio as well as a gallery and museum of Frank Schoonover's work and artifacts. John was gracious enough to give us a tour on almost no notice after we left the Howard Pyle Studio earlier that morning. I got an email earlier today announcing the launch of a new Schoonover studio website. Check it out and if you are ever in the Wilmington Delaware area, call John and make a visit to The Schoonover Studio.

More info at the new Schoonover Studios Website
A great Frank Schoonover book available here
Schoonover bio by Jim Vadeboncoeur here

Howard Pyle's Studio

Howard Pyle studio- Wilmington, Delaware

In the summer of 2009 I had the privilege of visiting the studio that Howard Pyle, widely regarded as the father of American illustration, built and worked in. In 1883 Pyle bought a lot on Franklin Street in Wilmington Delaware and constructed what would become a Mecca of sorts for artists wishing to hone their skills under the tutelage of Pyle.

Pyle Studio circa 1906

Acclaimed artists that studied in the shadow of Pyle include N.C. Wyeth, Frank Schoonover, Harvey Dunn and Jessie Wilcox Smith. During my cross country trip to Hartford to attend my final summer MFA session, Ron Spears and I arrived unannounced, but were graciously given a tour by current caretaker and occupant, artist Carolyn Anderson.

Stepping into the Pyle studio , one could sense the history and imagine  the many late night lectures and critiques that took place there and in the adjoining studio space that Pyle constructed to accommodate his top students. Pyle was a consummate craftsman and teacher with a penchant for storytelling and hyperbole. On more than one occasion, Pyle stressed the importance of getting inside your work, breathing life into it. "When I was painting this picture of a battle'" he once told a class of students, referring to his painting The Battle of Nashville, " I felt the reality so vividly that I occasionally had to go to the door of the studio and breathe fresh air to clear my lungs of powder and smoke!"

Main room inside the Howard Pyle studio

Student Frank Schoonover once recalled visiting the master one evening in which he was painting "The Battle of Bunker Hill". The painting seemed nearly finished but when he and Stanley Arthurs returned the next day, they were shocked to see a new canvas with a different composition on the easel. He asked what had happened and Pyle replied that he had taken the canvas to the boiler room and burned it because he "couldn't smell the smoke". He then reinforced that "You have to smell the smoke." Good advice to this day. If you happen to be in the Wilmington area, swing by the Pyle Studio on Franklin Street between Thirteenth Street and Delaware Avenue. Then go to the Delaware Art Museum and see the largest public collection of Pyle work in existence. You won't be disappointed.

Creating a Sense of Place

Wire Sitter- by Greg Newbold, Acrylic- 9" x 18"

Illustration is about telling stories. It's about creating something that makes the  viewer ask what happened just before this, or what will happen next? What is the story behind this place? Illustration, and art in general is about crafting an image that the viewer can immerse himself in, that he can relate to. Sometimes a picture takes you back to a place in your childhood memory that you have not visited in a long time.  Howard Pyle, one of my favorite illustrators, very eloquently touched on this topic in the following quote:

The stories of childhood leave an indelible impression, and their author always has a niche in the temple of memory from which the image is never cast out to be thrown on the rubbish heap of things that are outgrown and outlived. -Howard Pyle

The emotional response  we get from viewing a painting is often less about the painting than it is about the emotional connection that we as observers bring to the viewing of the work. I try to create in my work an environment in which one can visit for a while, perhaps rest or even contemplate.   I think great art of necessity is a participatory experience. If the viewer doesn't bring their own experience into the equation, if it elicits no response,  is it really art? I am not talking about art whose sole purpose is to shock or offend- that type of response is a subject for another day. I am speaking of a real connection, where you feel the soul of the work. Many times people will comment to me that something I have done "reminds them" of a certain place or time, that it speaks to them. This is when I know I have done my job well and that satisfaction doesn't come until afterward.

This painting is from the book Spring Song written by Barbara Seuling.

My Artistic Pedigree Back To Howard Pyle

As I mentioned in a previous post, I can claim my artistic lineage all the way back to Howard Pyle. During my first summer of MFA work at the University of Hartford,  one of our instructors, Alice "Bunny" Carter informed us all that we were now all descendants of Pyle. One of my students recently asked about it, so for all of my students, here is your chain that now links you back to the "Father of American Illustration", Howard Pyle.

Howard Pyle (seen here circa 1898)

Taught Walter Everett (seen below as a young artist)

Who taught Henry Pitz

(below is a charcoal drawing of Pitz by Ben Soloway-1960)

Who taught Al Gold (no picture available)

Who taught Alice "Bunny" Carter

(Artist, Author and Professor at San Jose State University)

Who taught me.

Everyone's pedigree goes further and deeper to other sources through other teachers, but it's fun to look at my connections to this most revered of all illustration teachers.

Previous post on the work of Walter Everett

Walter Everett

Everett's brilliant shape design is evident in

this black and white scene of nuns and children.

Look at the great value control he achieves

in this street market beggar painting.

Young Walter Everett in studio

Walter Everett-Canoe Scene typical of work

 he did for magazines like  Ladies Home Journal

Everett-Pan Sketch

Final painting for Pan

My real computer is in the shop today, so as I was poking around on my laptop for things to post, I found the work of Walter Everett (1880-19460. I was reintroduced to his work by an instructor at Hartford, Alice "Bunny" Carter as she was giving us all our "geneaology" back to Howard Pyle (I'll share my direct artistic lineage back to Pyle in another post). Everett was a student of Howard Pyle as well and though relatively forgotten today, enjoyed quite a nice career as both an illustrator and instructor at the School of Industrial Arts in Philadelphia. Everett's later work is characterized by a near posterization of shapes and colors, utilizing mostly value and color to define the form. Most of his work was reproduced in black and white,  but as you can see, he was an excellent colorist as well.
Thanks Bunny for access to these images.

See more Walter Everett work in another LNA post here

51st Thumbnail

 Thumbnail sketch #51 - 2" x 3"

The revised drawing - 4.5" x 6" black prismacolor

After less sleep than I wanted and a mad scramble to get to thumbnail 50, I finally hit on a design I liked for my project. I actually redrew number 50 and made a few adjustments to get to what I thought I wanted. I knew Howard Pyle Pyle was a genius illustrator, but it became clear to me why he was also considered the the greatest illustration teacher ever (Harvey Dunn, N.C. Wyeth, Frank Schoonover, the list goes on and on). If  a single principle of design could have such an impact on me, I can understand why he was so revered and why his students made such rousing success. The next step was to do color comps for a final painting. I'll post those next time.

50 Thumbnails

Sheep Shearing thumbnails

One of six 8 1/2" x 11" pages I filled with drawings

Howard Pyle taught his students that every painting should be preceded by at least fifty thumbnail sketches. His philosophy was that though you may hit on the best design on sketch 23 or 37, or even sketch 2, the real reason to do so many studies is to exhaust all of your options and to make sure that the one you ultimately choose to base the final painting upon is indeed the strongest solution. During my MFA studies, one of our assignments was to utilize this exercise in designing one of our "dream project" paintings. Admittedly, I hardly ever do more than a dozen thumbnail drawings, so this was quite a challenge to come up with fifty distinct designs. Despite drawing and designing for several hours, I was short of fifty when class rolled around the next morning. I sketched away during the beginning of class and hit on a design I liked at number 50. Looking back, I could easily turn several of these thumbnail drawings into paintings, but at the time it was a revelation to understand why Pyle so strongly advocated fifty drawings. Next post: Drawing number 51.