The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-08-13
in BONHEUR'S CLASS.
Miss Kemp-Welch Is
Now the Great
Animal Painter.
.JHE HORSE HER ONLY LOVE.
Her Picture "To Arms
Made the Art Realm
Ring.

The mantle Of Rosa Bonheur has
more than girl.- gives promise of being
the most remarkable animal painter OF
the day, writes the London correspond
ent of the Baltimore American. The
name of this artist IS Lucy 2. Kemp
WEIGH, and her fame has been ringing
In the realms of art ever since her
painting ITO arms" representing an
early morning scene in the camp of the:
Duke of York's army before the first
battle Of the Roses, at St. Adams, wasa
seen at the Royal academy exhibition
The scene represents camp alive with
warlike preparations. with the war
horses that Miss Kemp WEIGH has
shown she can paint SO splendidly true
to life, prancing and tossing their
names as though they already scent the
battle from affair." and are eager to be.
galloptng enemyward.
Miss Kemp Welch grew to be the
great artist by no accident or fiuke Of
fortune. In her home life at the place
of her birth, the beautiful English town
of Bournemouth, she was brought up
in an artistic atmosphere, for her
mother was deeply interested in artistic
subjects, and her father botanist and
natural history collector. In her girl
iuppt ACCOkIl-
panied her father in his rambles, and
grew quite learned In the ways of bee
ties and creeping things, making won
derful progress for child In the kn@wl-
edge of creatures of the natural history
world, sketching birds, horses and bee
ties with equal patience and method
But Miss Kemp Welchs first love-
was the horse. and she never for a mo-
ment swerved from 1t. She grew quite,
desperate to study Systematically when,
at the age of 16, one of her pictures, a.
study in horses heads, which had been
on exhibition, was snapped up by a
dealer. Her young spirit was beating
Itself out against the bars, desiring tcf
enter the world of art, and take her
place with other aspifants to fame and
fortune. Soon after her mothers
death, Prof. Herkomer of Bushey art
school discovered Miss Kemp Welch.
Now, for the first time, she was really
taught how to paint. BY her own early
practice she had acquired the power OF
correct observation and a knowledge OF
drawing 1t may be said from the life
but hitherto she had not learned the
method of putting on colorS and of
manipulating them. However, that.
realized, how spontaneous has been
the genius of Miss Kemp WeIch. I
should emphasize the fact that not at
Bushey, or anywhere else, has she
studied animal painting-tha seems to-,
nave come by nature She follows mo-
| master and no special school Her
simple advice to the art students who
| flock to her studio for instruction is
Be individual, be natural, and copy
only nature"
In appearance Miss Kemp WEIGH ies
! still girl. Her face is wonderfully
| sweet and full OF Subtle power which
| grows every hour that you are in her
presence You feel 1t in the steady, quiet
| voice, and the look Of her brown eyes.
| so soft and yet so penetrating. Simple
in tastes, manner and In dress, the art9
ist has selected home which seems ex-
aetIy to fit her, 1t stands unpretentious-.
ly in line with other houses in the,
center Of the old village Of Bushey. OPP
poste to the church and is named
Kingsley" Originally the house was
an old wayside mn, and what was once
the bar has been converted into the.
oosiest and quaintest old square en-
trance hall Imaginable with a grand.
fathers clock ticking In the corner.
Looking on to the village street is Miss
kemp-Welch's study. where she sees
visitors and transacts business and COR
respondence, for she leads very busy
life, and is at work from morning till
night with her own paintings or In
structing pupils who attend at her
studio. A few steps down from the hall
is the dining room; this has been
heightened by letting into 1t a conser-
vatory, which throws a general sense
of light and brightness into the room
Miss Kemp Welch andNher sister, Edith,
who are as devoted to each other as
sisters can be. and have never BEEN
separated from each other, have trans
formed this old inn into one of the
queintest, homeliest and most artistic
homes one can imagine.
From kingsley" there makes, its APP
pearanee at intervals an animal paint
ing around which the conno1sseurs
gather In admiration, congratuSating
each other that If Rosa Bonhehr has
passed from the world of art, hersskill
with the brush lives in another.