The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1885-09-02
A ~ror porLEn~ Ar woRK.
How OIL Paintings are Turned Out I'm
Ten Minutes.

"A pot boiler?' Certainly / know
what = pot boiler is"
/ Thus said the stranger, regarding
his interlocutor with an almost re-
sentful air, as if an impu,ation of
Ignorance had been cast upon him.
The two were standing In the door
of State street mock auction room
regarding, with mingled feelings Of
curiosity and amusement, ian un-
rivaled collection Of oil paintings"
whereof the putative authors were
among the most celebrated authors
of Europe. The stranger had been
moved by the spectacle to mention
the above named subject. He went
on to say:
"All this stuff is the work of pot
boilers; y and with q discursive
sweep of his right hand, he took in
a heterogeneous group of bad ma
rines, hand-me-down tropicals, and
unforgivable copies of Bonheur and
Landseer. There was one saeri-
legious caricature of a Turner. ~All
that stuff, sir" the indignant critic
repeated, was done under great
stress by 'pot-boilers.' And now |
will tell you what that term means.
A 'pot-boiler' is not, as you idiotic-
ally suggest, one who boils pots. He
is a species of mechanic Cor artist,
as be would prefer to be called who
manufactures paintings for this and
similar markets by the yard, piece,
or dozen, according to contract
He is of two kinds, gregarious or
solitary. The former work in groups
at large factories in New York and
Philadelphia. Here they string up
row of canvasses in convenient
light Then one pot-boiler goes over
the lot with a pot of blue, another
with green and a third with red, and
so on TIL the canvasses are all cover
ed with landscapes, etc, according
as it happens. The result of this
is the very lowest grade OF work,
which sells at wholesale at from SIX
ty to eighty cents a copy. These
here seem to be of rather a higher
grade. They were done by the 9TH
er kind-the solitary pot-boiler. He
is genius in bis way. | think l
can fRd you one of these fellows at
work, If you care to come,
The answer was prompt express
sion of willingness, and the stranger
led the way to a tall building on
Randolph street, at the top of which
was found a little, dingy room, con-
tanning the paraphernalia Of a paint
shop, and a parti-colored jacket en-
closing a man. The latter was hard
at work on a twelve by twenty-four
inch canvass rapidly approaching
completion. Around about were
numerous works of art, some of them
not yet dry. In the corner was a
placard inscribed: Paintings in
oil while you wait" the uses Of
which were explained later on. The
artist knew the stranger, and was
willing to be seen and heard while
be worked.
Yes" he began, Il am what they
call a pot-boiler, and it don't make
me feel bad TO admit it. Time was,
though, when | struck out for the
name of artist and had yearnings-
ike all other beginners. But only
a few see their ambitions realized,
and | was one of the many. Thank
God, i had sense enough to see it
before l starved for the want OF glo-
~ and bread, and turned my time
exclusively TO the latter. am max
ing money now, but with an invol-
untary sigh | suppose | viii never
be an artist"
During the monologue the speak
er's hands were as busy as his
tongue. With incredible rapidity
he had planted fine forest on the
edge of blue sheet of water, and
caused the fore ground to blossom
as a rose of several hues. He used
his left forearm for a mahl-stiek
and scorned the use of more than
two brushes. The colors were mix
ed as they were needed, without the
aid of pallet knife. A pine tree
was achieved by 3 single downward
stroke and two more rapid motions
draped it in the hanging of a wood
land vine. A primrose In the rivers
brim, blotch of ochre, and it was
more. The stranger remark
ed that he worked without the aid
of copy or erayon sketch.
"Oh, certainly" was the careless
rejoinder. II don't need them. l
carry my designs in my head two
or three 'fores, as many distances,
and skies, and miscellaneous, and
there's my outfit. The difference is
in the combinations. Now, in this
picture, cay / have No. l sky, No. 2
fore, and so on
The artist had already begun work
on another cavass.
THAT placard | see you looking
at is one | often use when | make
my trips. Yes, | go to State fairs
and expositions. take a booth, hang
that sign out, and literally paint
pictures while nv customers wait
for them. How long? Well, say
ten minutes on small canvas. That
sort of work brings 81 a copy, or 81
with frame. Money in it? Well,
rather. Five people out of ten think
they've got bargain at the price.
I've made s75 in day. with clean
profit Of $50. Two of my friends
did even better at the New Orleans
last winter, and there
wasn't any crowd to speak OF either.
Where does most of my work go
to-? That's one Of the secrets of the
biz. Maybe you know" turning to
The stranger.
The stranger indicated by his con-
iuct as he led his companion out
hat he did.-Chicago Tribune.
T-nion opJ Tor foIo-o4a AL 1io~u az