Chapter 2: Vacation sketches, 1955-1985
Our next evidence of Mom’s artistic production is in March of 1965, a newspaper story announcing an exhibit of her work at the public library in Milwaukie, Oregon, north of where we lived in Oregon City (2a).
I do not recognize the work that Mom is holding. But we do still have the work that Dr. Martin, President of the Friends of the Milwaukie Library, is putting against the wall (2b).
My impression is that in 1963 that painting had been selected for the Biennial of the Portland Art Museum, a showcase for the best in local art over the previous two years. It is of East Lake, where we used to vacation every July. I would guess that the lines signify her connection to the objects in view: the boats, the lake, and the mountains beyond.
Among the sketches Mom saved over the years, several come from such vacations, of prime fishing spots in Central Oregon. This combination of ink with a sparing use of color is something she would continue all her life (2c-h).
There is even one sketch of our campsite (2i). Besides this big tent, other smaller tents held various children. That way we didn’t have to listen to Dad’s snoring!
After our trips to Central Oregon in July, we would go to the Oregon Coast in August. There we boys and Dad would go out fishing, either in the ocean or the bay, and again Mom would usually stay in camp. Their favorite campground was at Eel Creek south of Reedsport. Housekeeping was not that easy. To get water, we had to pump it by hand. Supplies were a half mile at Ten Mile Lake. The campgound was separated from the ocean by miles of pristine sand dunes, which besides being a great place to play also kept children out of danger. For Mom the dunes were a source of artistic inspiration (2j-k):
Of course not all our time was spent at the dunes. We also went to the beach, and Mom sketched there as well (2l-n).
In the fall Dad would go hunting, October for deer and November for elk. He sometimes took us boys along. He often brought back meat, and we ate it all winter. I am just as glad nobody ever shot anything when I was along! In her art Mom treated hunting as power, for good or for ill. She wrote one of her newspaper columns about “the hunter” in dramatic terms which no doubt embarrassed Dad. She also did one painting on the theme, labeled “The Hunter” on the back (2o). To me it is reminiscent of aboriginal art in New Guinea, with its larger than life representations of the warrior’s demonic power. Perhaps she was harking back to her days as an anthropology major in college.
I do not recognize the work that Mom is holding. But we do still have the work that Dr. Martin, President of the Friends of the Milwaukie Library, is putting against the wall (2b).
My impression is that in 1963 that painting had been selected for the Biennial of the Portland Art Museum, a showcase for the best in local art over the previous two years. It is of East Lake, where we used to vacation every July. I would guess that the lines signify her connection to the objects in view: the boats, the lake, and the mountains beyond.
Among the sketches Mom saved over the years, several come from such vacations, of prime fishing spots in Central Oregon. This combination of ink with a sparing use of color is something she would continue all her life (2c-h).
There is even one sketch of our campsite (2i). Besides this big tent, other smaller tents held various children. That way we didn’t have to listen to Dad’s snoring!
After our trips to Central Oregon in July, we would go to the Oregon Coast in August. There we boys and Dad would go out fishing, either in the ocean or the bay, and again Mom would usually stay in camp. Their favorite campground was at Eel Creek south of Reedsport. Housekeeping was not that easy. To get water, we had to pump it by hand. Supplies were a half mile at Ten Mile Lake. The campgound was separated from the ocean by miles of pristine sand dunes, which besides being a great place to play also kept children out of danger. For Mom the dunes were a source of artistic inspiration (2j-k):
Of course not all our time was spent at the dunes. We also went to the beach, and Mom sketched there as well (2l-n).
In the fall Dad would go hunting, October for deer and November for elk. He sometimes took us boys along. He often brought back meat, and we ate it all winter. I am just as glad nobody ever shot anything when I was along! In her art Mom treated hunting as power, for good or for ill. She wrote one of her newspaper columns about “the hunter” in dramatic terms which no doubt embarrassed Dad. She also did one painting on the theme, labeled “The Hunter” on the back (2o). To me it is reminiscent of aboriginal art in New Guinea, with its larger than life representations of the warrior’s demonic power. Perhaps she was harking back to her days as an anthropology major in college.
posted by Michael S Howard at 3:07 PM
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