Well for those readers in the United States of America Happy Thanksgiving! Lets take a look at some artwork celebrating this holiday!
First we have the classic work of art by Norman Rockwell:
And this wonderful piece by Grandma Moses:
And this work of art by Charley Harper:
And here we have a wonderful etching from Pablo Picasso.
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Meelia Kelly was born in Cape Dorset, Nunavut Territory, in the year 1940. She developed into an artist rather late in her life, similar to American folk artist Grandma Moses. Meelia Kelly was only in the print collection from 2001 to 2006 when she passed away. Her favorite subject was birds.
Kelly was first included in the annual print collection in 2001 at the age of 61!
I love the way the artist uses a variety of abstract shapes alongside very bold color statements. The color is outstanding for a print work!
Meelia Kelly passed away in 2006.
Had a sister named Sheojuk Etidlooie who was in the annual print collection beginning in the 1990s.
price range information: Most works range $500 to $1,000.
Christopher Wood was a British artist born in 1901 in the city of Knowsley, Liverpool, England. His father was a doctor of medicine. For his collegiate education he attended Marlborough College in Wiltshire. He also attended Liverpool University for a brief period.
Whilst at Liverpool he became interested in pursuing an artistic career. Wood headed off to Paris and enrolled at the Academie Julien. He met other artists such as Pablo Picasso.
A major influence was the artist Alfred Wallis. Wallis painted in a style that used basic shapes and flat color. Wallis’ style is very similar to folk artist Grandma Moses, except rather than landscapes Wallis painted nautical/ marine scenes. Below an example of Wallis’ style.
Wood lived a very active social life chasing both men and women. He became frustrated whilst at the beginning of a promising career. He invited his mom and sister for lunch and then jumped in front of train at the age and was killed at the age of 29 years old.
I enjoy the “naive” style of painting and its the first time I have seen it in conjunction with the marine landscape.
price range information: Works in pencil and chalk start around $5,000 and originals in oils have broken the $3.6 million dollar mark at auction.
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Mario Sanchez was an artist who flourished during the mid 1900s with his works that dealt with living life in the wonderful and very colorful Florida keys. Sanchez was born October the 7th in the year 1908 and spent most of his life in the Florida Keys. From the beginning inhabitants in the 1820s until the artist’s passing in 2005, his oeuvre documented his way of life in the Keys for more than one centuries time.
Sanchez passed away in 2005.
In this clip we visit the Gallery Greene in the Florida Keys to seek out some original works by Mario Sachez. His works appear about 1 minute 50 seconds into the clip.
Grandma Moses was a great artist that didn’t start painting until her old age made her give up crocheting. She was skilled as a draftsman with all of her time spent designing quilts and blankets. I enjoy her work for its simplicity and execution. Here is a great example of Grandma Moses’ artistic style.
Another artist working with a folk art style would be Queena Stovall. Stoval took up painting at the age of 62. Stovall was self taught and documented her friends and family in her artwork. Here is a great example of Stovall’s style.
Another artist that has a folk art style would be Mary Michael Shelley. Shelley was born in 1950 and often times using woodcarvings as a final statement of art. An example of Mary Michael Shelley’s artwork below.
I hope you enjoyed this quick look at some folk artists. For those of you in Colorado, its like a Guy Wiggins painting outside today!
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The artist was born on September the seventh in the year 1860 on a farm in Greenwich, New York.
In an era where Life magazine was the leader in its industry, the magazine featured her on its September 19th cover in 1960 in celebration of her one hundredth birthday!
When I think of Grandma Moses I am reminded of going to the shed and bringing in Christmas lights and decorations. Marketers used her work to advertise the major holidays. She painted wonderful winter scenes with children skating about a new coat of fresh fallen snow.
As you can guess she was highly successful as a commercial artist. Some items that bore her artwork were cigarettes, lipstick, curtains, cookie jars, and dinner ware.
Grandma Moses also won women of the year award from magazines and even manufacturers.
Grandma Moses collection of artwork below set to music.
She came from a family of ten children. She didn’t marry until the age of twenty seven, but Moses herself had ten children, but five of them died as infants. She married a hired hand of the farm. The couple moved to Virginia and started their own farm. Her husband died in the mid 1920s and one of her sons helped her to run the farm. She remained on the farm until old age forced to move in with her daughter in 1936.
When living on a farm you have much down time in which to create things like clothes and paintings. Grandma Moses as a young mother used to embroider. Her pieces were very well received and admird by friends and family. As the artist grew older and hit the age of seventy, Moses developed arthritis and gave up embroidery. A friend suggested she start painting. Thus, a new career and star in the art world was born! Moses herself said she started painting to make a gift for the postman that was easier to make than embroidery.
The artist was very prolific as a an artist producing more than 1,600 paintings in little more than three decades time.
If this artist isn’t incredible for her life story, she also has quite a story on being discovered. When she first started out she sold her paintings for $2 for a smaller work and $3 for a large painting. An art collector was driving through a city and saw somenworks for sale in a drug store. He bought them all! He then went to the house of Grandma Moses and purchased ten additional works.
The year 1939 she was included in a show about unknown American painters. She gained worldwide critical acclaim over the next couple of years and was highly collected in the art markets outside of the United States.
Moses has a book about her lifestyle titled “Grandma Moses, My Life’s History.”
Grandma Moses passed away in 1961 at the young age of 101 years old!
High price range: $1.2 million for a work in oils at auction.
low price range: Many prints such as greeting cards available for less than $50.
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