Memorial

Charles John Andres 1913 - 2008
Student of Harvey Dunn, (himself student of Howard Pyle), artist, illustrator, teacher, and not least to those who loved him most, husband and father.




The converted side barn at the Oakes House, Berwick Academy, where Charles Andres taught his classes.

I had the privilege to attend the memorial service of Charles Andres, my high school art teacher, yesterday afternoon. (See this previous.)

I don't feel that I have been sufficiently close to him to elaborate further, except to say that the impact he had on his family and friends was obvious from the service, and that their love and respect for him was even more so.

His youngest son Mark read the following poem by Rudyard Kipling, and I can do no better than to reprint it here.

When Earth's last picture is painted and the tubes are twisted and dried,
When the oldest colours have faded, and the youngest critic has died,
We shall rest, and, faith, we shall need it -- lie down for an aeon or two,
Till the Master of All Good Workmen shall put us to work anew.
And those that were good shall be happy; they shall sit in a golden chair;
They shall splash at a ten-league canvas with brushes of comets' hair.
They shall find real saints to draw from -- Magdalene, Peter, and Paul;
They shall work for an age at a sitting and never be tired at all!

And only The Master shall praise us, and only The Master shall blame;
And no one shall work for money, and no one shall work for fame,
But each for the joy of the working, and each, in his separate star,
Shall draw the Thing as he sees It for the God of Things as They are!



May those who loved and knew him find solace and encouragement in his memory. An era in the world of illustration has passed now from us.

Bombing of London, by Charles Andres

Sad News

I heard today from an old friend, who told me the the illustrator, Charles Andres, who had been my first art teacher in high school, passed away on Friday.

Some of his work can be found here. The interface is a little clunky, but it's worth a look. Choose a 'room' at the top of the image, then you can view the images in that area.

I remember the painting above, Bombing of London from his classroom/studio at Berwick Academy. He used it as an example of how to make contrast and composition work, since it had no color to distract the eye.

He was a man of humor and patience, an excellent teacher whom I did not listen to nearly enough, and from whom I learned more than from any other artist.


image copyright held by the estate of Charles Andres

Bobby Does Not Read



I had previously blogged about the work of Len Cowgill. He is a wonderful artist, and a very generous man.

I am very grateful to be able to say that his work is far more amazing in person than in photos.



Hmmmm.... I guess this makes me a collector as well as an artist.

Following up on a post at New Wineskins I took a web-based 'Spiritual Type Test'.

I came out as a Mystic.


No surprises there, I suppose.

Keeping the Past Alive

A few years ago, a my parents became neighbors to a gentleman of about their own age (actually, a little older) who became a good friend to them. He was especially supportive of them during my father's battle with terminal cancer.

Later, after my father's death, this old gentleman needed to move to a nursing home as his needs became more than he could handle. Many of his effects had to be disposed of, so my mother bought for me several boxes of slides that he had taken during his lifetime. There are several hundred of them, maybe even a thousand. I have been digitizing them with an Epson 4990 scanner in between paintng and scanning old family photos. I've become something of the family archivist.

Many of the images that this gentleman took forty years ago and more of New England and the Canadian Maritimes are incredibly beautiful.

An so, here is to keeping the past alive. Thank you, Mister Clayton Chase, a gentleman and a true neighbor.

The light at Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, July 1965



Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, July 1965



Dorys at Blue Rocks, Nova Scotia, July 1965



Setting sun on the way home from Blue Rocks, Nova Scotia, July 1965

Neglected in April

I know I have been neglecting the blog for the last month. It has probably lead to the loss of all my readership, all three of them. I will have to email everyone to let them know I'm posting again, when I actually post something.

I have been able to lurk around some of my favorite blogs though. Dr. Helen was even gracious enough to reply to one of my comments. Wow, I'm grown up enough to wear long pants! (and if you are old enough to understand that reference, you've been a grown up for quite some time)

Most of the creative juices have been poured into the current painting (I'll post an 'in progress' photo soon) and in getting ready for the upcoming show at Avant Garde in Peekskill.

Other things happening in the area, a good friend of our family, Ose Manheim has an show at the Mayor's gallery in Malden Massachusetts openning this Thurday May 4th.

Nature as Designer
An exhibit of photography
by Ose Manheim

Mayor Richard C. Howard’s Office
Government Center, 6th Floor
200 Pleasant Street
Malden, Massachusetts

And Annie Newbold has teamed up with Rick Berry for a show at her gallery,

Paintings by Rick Berry and Annie Newbold
Gallery263 -- 263 Pearl Street, Cambridge, MA 02139

Reception Sunday June 11, 2006 from 2-6pm
free and open to the public

visit www.gallery263.com for directions

If you are in the Boston area, please take the time to see these folk's work. They are wonderfully creative, and if you are into SF and fantasy fiction, you already know Mr. Berry's work. This is a rare and precious opportunity to see some amazing art. Go and enjoy the work of these three.

One more photographer!

Magdalena Taber is a photographer here in the North-of-Boston area. She just emailed me with a link to her new website In the field of possibilities. Beautiful work. She has a very different esthetic than Henk Van Rensbergen or Edward Burtynsky, and if you need a break from all the post-industrial chaos of their work Ms. Taber's art is an excellent place to go.

The New England Homeschool Resource Guide

My wife and a good friend have put together a book listing resources for homeschoolers in the New England states. If you homeschool, or just like to do quality extra-curricular things your kids, then you should check it out.

Rick Berry at Gallery 263

I just heard from a good friend, Anna Newbold, that Rick Berry has some paintings hanging in Anna's place, "Gallery 263", at 263 Pearl Street in Cambridge Massachusetts. If any of you reading this are within striking distance I would highly recomend that you go see his stuff, his work is excellent.

UPDATE:

Anna reminded me that the gallery's phone number is 781-393-0000. Since Gallery 263 is both a show gallery and a working artist studio, it's best to call her for times and availability if you want to see Rick Berry's work.