The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1885-08-21
THE :. POT-BQ!LERR. /"
THE ARTIST WHO TURNS OUT AN
OIL PAINTING IN TEN MINUTES.
An "UnrivaIed Collection of Fad Ma
rines, Hand Me-Down Tropicais and
Imitation Turner's and E,ani-eers
A Pot-BoiIer' at WORK.
Chicago Tribune.

Chicago Tribune
"A pot boiler Certainly L know what
pot boiler Is
Thus said the stranger rig arIing ii inter
locutor with almost a resentfut air. If-an
imputation of ignorance had been east upon
him. The two were standing in the door
way of a State sfrast mock auction room,
regarding, with mingled feelings or curl sty
and amusement, IAN unrivaled collection of
oil paintings" whereof the putative authors
among the most ceIatTlted artists of
EuroIe. The stranger had been moved by
the spectacle to mention the above naIned
subject. He went on to say -
"Ail this stuff is the worI, Of 'pot-boiers;"
and. with a discursive sweep Ot his right
hand, he took in a heterogeneous group Of
bad marines, hand me down tropical5. and
unforgivable copies of Bonheur and Land
seer. There was one sacrilegious ctricature
of a Turner "All that stuff SIR the in
dignant critic repeated was done under
great stress by pot boilers. AMI now will
tell you what that term means. pot
boiler is not, You idiotically suggest, one
who bOils pots He is species of mechanic
Tor artist, he would prefer TO be
calletD who manufactures paintings
for this and similar markets by tho
yard piece or dozen, according to contract
He is of two kinds, gregari6us on solitary
The former work in groups at large facto-
ries in New York and Philadelphia. Here
they string up row of canvasses III con-
venient ght Then the pot boiler goes
over the lot with pot of blue, another
with green third with red, and on till
the canvases are all covered with land
scapes, etc. according as it happens The
result is the very lowest grade of work.
which sells at wholesale at from 90 to 50
cents copy. These lore seem to be of
rather higher grade They were done by
the other kind-the solitary pot boiler. He
you one of those fellows at work if you
to come"
The answer was prompt expression of
Willingness, ami the stranger led the way
to tall building on Randolph street, Mt the
top of which was found a little, dingy room
containing tho paraphernalia of n paint
shop, and part-colorei jacket in closing
man. The latter hard at work n
12x30-inch canvas rapidly approaching corn
petion. Around about were numerous
completed works of art, some of them not
yet dry In the corner was placard in
scribed Paintings in oil while you wait"
the uses of which were explained lator on.
The artist knew the stranger, and was will
ing to be seen and heard while he worked
and talkel.
"Yes," he tegan, Il am what they call a
poi-boiler and it don't make me feel bad to
admit it. Time was, though. when | struck
out for the name of artist and
hal yearnings-like ali the Other
beginners. But only few their
ambition realizsi and | of
the many Thank Col, / had sense enough
to see it before | starved for the want Of
glory and bread and turned my time
clusively t. the latter. L am making money
now but with involuntary sigh1 sup
pose 1 will never be an artist
During this monolocue the speakers hands
busy rs his tongue. With incredi-
BILE rapdity he had p!antai fine Forest
the ise of Il blue sheet of water, and
caused the foreground to blossom as a rose
of Sc veral hues He u,e1 his lett forearm
for n mahl->tcil and scornel the rs, of
more than two bru 'hes- the color wera
mixed as the Y were n aels |, without the nj 4 of
palette knife. A pine tres acni3vel
by single downward stroke, and two more
rapid motohs drapel it i'll tn graceful
hangingS If a woodland vine. \ primrose
the rivers brim, blOtch OF oc 'er was
to him. AMI nothing more. Tho straa gar
remark ii that he worked without the all
Of copy crayon sketch.
90 certainly" was the careless reioinder
Il don't need Thorn. | carry my designs
in my head; two or three 'forcs,' many
distances AMI skies, and miscellaneous
and there's my outfit. TIE difference is in
the comhna lions. Now, in this picture
say, haze M. sky. No. , distance, NJ
fore, ami on
The artist had already begun work M
other canvas.
That placard | see yoH Iooi,ing at Is ono
| often when make nay trips Nas, /
go to state fair ant expo itiDns tako a
booth, hang that sign ont, ami. literally
paint pictures while my cn>tomor- wait for
them How long! Well. LAY tn minutes,
ON a small canvas. That sort of work
brings 81 copy, CT - with frame.
Money in it. Well, rather! Five people
out of ten think they've got bargain at
the price I've made 80 u day with a
clean profit of So Two of my friends did
even better at the New Orleans exposition
last winter and there wasn't any crowd to
speak Of either. Where does most of my
work go toe That's one of the seeret7 of the
biz, May be you know Ito the stranger
The stranger indicated by his conduct
he led his Communion out that he did