TOURIST SEASON IN FLORIDA

NOW THAT TOURIST SEASON IS ALMOST  UPON US HERE IN FLORIDA,I CANNOT HELP THINKING ABOUT ALL THE ARTIST WHO SERVED THE VISITORS OF THE CITIES IN FLORIDA.THE FIRST TO COME TO MIND WERE NONE OTHER THAN THE ARTIST WHO OCCUPIED THE SALONS OF HENRY FLAGLERS' HOTEL PONCE DE LEON IN ST. AUGUSTINE. YES THEY COULD BE CONSIDERED THE FIRST TOURIST ARTISTS HERE IN FLORIDA. THEY SUPPLIED THE GUEST AT THE HOTEL WITH MUCH NEEDED ENTERTAINMENT AS WELL AS A LITTLE REMEMBRANCE OF THEIR STAY IN THIS NEW TROPICAL PARADISE.SOME OF THESE ARTIST WERE QUITE FAMOUS ALREADY AND SOME NOT SO FAMOUS. ARTIST THE LIKES OF MARTIN JOHNSON HEADE, FRANK SHAPLEIGH,WILLIAM STAPLES DROWN,ROBERT GERMAN,ELLEN ROBBINS,FELIX DE CRANO,AND LAURA WOODWARD SOLD THEIR INTERPRETATIONS OF THE SCENES OF THE CITY AND SURROUNDING LANDSCAPES TO THE OCCUPANTS OF FLAGERS' HOTEL. THIS ALSO CARRIED ON TO PALM BEACH WHERE LAURA WOODWARD SET UP A STUDIO IN THE ROYAL POINCIANA HOTEL, ANOTHER FLAGLER HOTEL. THESE PAINTINGS PRODUCED BY THESE PIONEER ARTIST OF FLORIDA ENDED UP IN THE HOMES OF THOSE WEALTHY ENOUGH TO TRAVEL TO THESE HOTELS. LATER IN THE 30'S,40'S ,50'S ,60'S 70'S AND 80'S THE LIKES OF EMMETT FRITZ WERE PAINTING THE WONDERS OF ST. AUGUSTINE TO BE DISSEMINATED THROUGH OUT THE U.S. AND THE WORLD. IN OTHER PARTS OF THE STATE LIKE TAMPA AND ST. PETERSBURG OTHER ARTIST  WERE SERVICING THE TOURIST OF THE MIDDLE CLASS IN THE 20'S AND 30'S. WITH THE NEW FOUND TRANSPORTATION MEANS OF THE AUTOMOBILE ,MORE AND PEOPLE WANTED TO EXPLORE THE BEAUTY OF THE TROPICS. THESE ARTIST INCLUDED E.G.BARNHILL AND W.C.ADDISON. BARNHILL NOTED FOR HIS GOLDTONE PHOTOGRAPHS AND HAND COLORED PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTS OF THE BEAUTIFUL FLORIDA SUNSETS AND GULF COAST SEASCAPES WAS A VERY POPULAR ARTIST IN HIS TIME. HE ALSO PRODUCED WATERCOLORS AND THE OCCASIONAL OIL PAINTING. W.C.ADDISON WAS VERY SKILLED AT PAINTING SMALL FLORIDA SCENES OF OIL ON WOOD WITH FLAMINGOS AND CYPRESS SWAMPS. THESE SMALL PAINTING WERE FRAMED IN A GESSO APPLIED ROPE LIKE DESIGN. FARTHER SOUTH IN THE MIAMI AREA WERE TWO TRANSPLANTED ARTIST FROM DETROIT. ALBIN BARANOWSKI AND MARTHA HELEN WILLIAMS CAME TO FLORIDA SOME TIME IN THE 40'S OR 50'S AND SET UP PAINTING IN THE MIAMI AREA. BARONOWSKI WAS SAID TO HAVE WORKED ON THE DESIGN FOR THE U.S. QUARTER RELEASED IN THE 30'S.THEIR WORK INCLUDES PAINTINGS OF FLORIDA RIVERS AND OCEANSCAPES WITH BRIGHT COLORS AND VIVID SUNSETS. AFTER  ALBINS DEATH MARTHA WILLIAMS MOVED TO FLORIDA  FULL TIME AND WAS ALSO SAID TO HAVE HAD A PAINTING SHOW ON EARLY TELEVISION. WE CANNOT FINISH WITHOUT  A MENTION OF THE HIGHWAYMEN . A GROUP OF ARTIST IN THE FT. PIERCE AREA NOTED FOR THEIR RENDITIONS OF THE COASTAL AND BACKCOUNTRY LANDSCAPES. ALTHOUGH THEY MAINLY SERVICED THE LOCAL HOME AND BUSINESS OWNER MANY OF THEIR OIL PAINTINGS ENDED UP ALL OVER THE U.S. AS REMINDERS OF THE BEAUTY OF AN AREA BEING LOST TO PROGRESS.THESE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE ARTIST WHO MADE THEIR LIVING BY SHARING WITH THE WORLD THE NATURAL BEAUTY OF FLORIDA. I KNOW THERE ARE MANY MORE . COLLECTING ART OF FLORIDA HAS MANY FACETS AND THE ART OF THESE AND OTHER TOURIST ARTIST SHOULD NOT BE OVERLOOKED.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

A couple of weeks ago on May 18th one of the Highwaymen ( a women) presented one of her landscapes to Michelle Obama at the First Lady's luncheon at the Congressional Club in Washington. This is a monumental occasion for the Highwaymen movement as well as recognizing a truly great women. Mary Ann Carroll began painting after witnessing Harold Newton painting a Royal Poinciana, after which she said she was hooked and continues to paint beautiful landscapes to this day. Congratulations go out to Mary Ann Carroll for commitment to her art and her community. Read the article from the Palm Beach Post here

THIS DAY IN 1913

On this day in May 1913 the world and especially Florida lost an important capitalist, pioneer and art benefactor. Henry Morrison Flagler died after a fall on the steps of his home Whitehall in Palm Beach Florida. Known for bringing the railroad to Florida from St. Augustine to Key West , Flagler was also a well known patron of the arts. As I have mentioned in a previous post Flagler not only brought  major hotels to St Augustine and Palm Beach but he provided salon space for the artist of Boston and Philadelphia and other northern cities to paint and sell their creations to the ever growing tourist population making their way to Florida. According to sources one such artist Laura Woodward traveled from St. Augustine to then sparsely populated Palm Beach and sent images back to Henry Flagler sparking his interest to explore this new potential paradise. With the construction of the Royal Poinciana Hotel in Palm Beach Flaglers' idea of paradise became a reality. All of Florida celebrates Flaglers' life and accomplishments and Florida art  collectors should not forget the wonderful contributions this man made to the advancement of the way artist documented the wonder and beauty that was Florida.

ST. AUGUSTINE REDISCOVED

In late 2000 I was in the throes of Highwaymen collecting when a green paperback publication landed in my hands. It was a museum exhibition book put out by the Henry Morrison  Flagler Museums' curator Sandra Barghini.When I realized that in my hands I had a blue print for collecting art that was created for the most part by artists painting and residing( if only for a short period )in St. Augustine the oldest city in America I felt I had rediscovered something. The book titled "A Society Of Painters , Flagler's St. Augustine Art Colony" was certainly a pivotal point in my Florida art collecting. For in it I discovered what I feel was the true beginning of Florida art. The artist who were featured in the exhibition were northern artists brought together by the vision of Henry Flagler, who built the Hotel Ponce de Leon in the late 19th century.In the hotel Mr. Flagler built artists' studios to not only lure the tourist he knew would come but also to introduce the beauty and history of the city to a group of well known and not so well known artist. In doing so he not only put St. Augustine on the map geographically but artistically as well.The artists who were exhibited were Otto Bacher, Maria a Becket, Arthur Callender, Charlotte Buell Coman, Charles Grafton Dana, Felix deCrano, William Staples Drown, H. Anthony Dyer, Robert German, Martin Johnson Heade, Ellen Robbins, George W. Seavey, Frank Shapleigh, William Aiken Walker, and last but not least Laura Woodward. After reading and comprehending the information I was determined to not let the Highwaymen art be the beginning and end of my Florida art collection. So another sojourn began on that day in 2000 and continues even now, but that was only the start of what is out there yet to be discovered in Florida art from the 1800s to the present. More about Laura Woodward the pioneer artist of Palm Beach in future posts.

SUNFEST HIGHWAYMAN SURPRISE

Today in the midst of all the suntan, sunblock,sundresses and Beanie Backus posters I was quite surprised to find none other than Roy McLendon Jr. in the artist section. Roy Jr. is the very talented son of  Highwayman Roy McLendon. Roy Jr. paints in the tradition of his father and he is equally accomplished. Any collection of contemporary Florida art should have a Roy Sr. and Roy Jr. in it. Much to my delight Roy Jr. was actually painting a painting right on Flagler Dr.in the thick of the crowd. It's always a treat to watch a highwayman paint on location. Although Roy Jr. is a second generation Highwayman so to speak, the thrill of witnessing the creation of a magnificent Florida landscape by any one of these gentlemen is always a very pleasant and rewarding surprise.

PRETTY GOOD DAY FOR HIGHWAYMEN FANS

Today the Palm Beach Post announced that Sunfest, the art and music festival on the waterfront in West Palm Beach chose a Florida landscape painting by Ft. Pierce artist A.E.Bean Backus as the their event poster. As most highwaymen collectors know Backus was a friend to many artists and a mentor to two of the highwaymen, Alfred Hair and Harold Newton. His influence can be seen in the work of many of the artists who belong to the Indian River School of Artists. Although  Bean Backus passed away in 1990 it is obvious that his talent and his stature as the Dean of Florida Landscapes is still appreciated and prized.

ORIGINS OF COLLECTING FLORIDA

Collecting anything comes about for many reasons. Some collect because of a fad (beanie babies)while others collect because they may see value in the object of their desire. Still others can not formulate the reason they collect, they just feel that if it's worth having that it's worth holding on to. However there are those who have a passion for what they collect that defies explanation. I may be one such collector. Back in 1996 while having sunday morning breakfast with my family I read an article in the art section of the Palm Beach Post . In that article was the story of a group of african american men and one women in Ft. Pierce,Fl. who managed to overcome the forces working against them to make a living painting Florida landscapes and selling them basically door to door in the 1950's,60's,70's and 80's.. The story went on to tell a wonderful tale of how these young men and one women, some of who labored in the fields taught themselves to paint and transend their place in life to become folklore. An art collector by the name of Jim Fitch gave them the name Highwaymen because of their method of painting  and then taking those paintings on the road to sell them.  They sold their paintings for between $15 and $100 for the good ones in their heyday.The story went on to say that over the years this art was forgotten and the group of artist although some still painting faded into obscurity. This one article turned out to be the impetus that launched my art collecting journey. And what a journey it has become. When I finished the article,which mentioned that these forgotten painting could be found at antique stores, thrift stores ,flea markets and garage sales, I quickly asked my daughter Jen to accompany me to downtown Lake Worth where I knew of several antique stores at the time. The very first store we went into had three Highwaymen paintings ( two James Gibsons and one Alfread Hair )and to my surprise were selling for about $17 each .About what they were selling for 30 or so years before. Imagine original oil paintings for less than $50. I was hooked . From there I went on a  quest every weekend to find more and better quality Highwaymen paintings. A quest that has expanded with the new found knowledge of other florida art to encompass many other artist who painted in this wonderful state. There are a few good books about the Highwaymen and many articles and magazine stories that tell their tale. There is even a couple of documentary films out there. My passion for florida art sprung from a need to find an alternative to my business which seemed to consume all my energy. This diversion not only satisfied a need but gave me a new found appreciation of  the beauty and history of art in florida. In future posts I will try to relay some interesting stories of collecting florida art. Please feel free to comment and relay any stories you may have.

A VERY EXCITING VISIT

Last Tuesday I had the pleasure of a visit from Dr. Fred Frankel. Dr. Frankel is currently working on a book of Florida art into the 1960's. He is also already known for his very good book on Florida pottery. The visit was an exploratory request to see if my Florida art collection might have a few pieces which could be used in the book to fill in a few holes. I opened up almost my entire collection for him to see and photograph if he so desired. Dr. Frankel arrived at about noon and  after a brief introduction we proceeded to go through the art. What I experienced was one of the most exciting and informative four hours I have had in a long time. Not only does he have a great collection of Florida art but an appreciation and the enthusiasm to go along with it. I have never seen someone work so hard and sweat so much to see and photograph art. It was like he was searching for the holy grail of art in Florida. A small peek at the collection on his computer revealed a few pieces that I thought were the grail itself. I was truly humbled that he felt my collection was worthy of his interest. The experience was the impetus to start this blog and try to reach other collectors or anyone who appreciates art that originated in Florida. Whether any of my art gets into the book is not important, the important thing is that I feel I made a friend and connected with a fellow collector of Florida art. Thank you Dr. Frankel I hope our paths cross many times in the future.