The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-08-02
THIS BARTENDER AN ARTIST
NOT AT DaJNKS ONLY, BUT ALSO
~ PAINTING.


and GaseS avenue, Brooklyn, few nights
ago. the members adjourned to the saloon
downstairs There. after discussing var
ious topics, they began to talk about art.
when was attending the exhibition
Of the Royal Institute OF Painters in Water
Color" remarked one mani think II
was away back in May, 1s94-Is that right
Andy2 lthe speaker here addressed the
bartender, Andrew Meyersl--I remsm
Der that"
That exhibition opened on the tenth
of March that year interrupted the bar
tender.
What does the bartender know about
it?" inquired short, stout member Of the
party. Il admit that he's an artist at
mixing cocktails, but he don't know any
thing about exhibitions OF paintings
Not a great deal" replied the bartender,
because have never had any of my paint
ings on exhibition"
Here the crowd laughed outright and
proceeded to make jokes at the bartender
expense
Gould you draw for me a Faust seeing
Marguerite for the first time?" inquired one
Of the men.
"Well," said the bartender, Il could try.
My speciality is marine painting, l have
done very little outside of marine views,
although / have quite a number of land
scapes on the walls of my apartments. I"
Did you paint them YOURSELF" asked
another member of the party.
Certainly" replied Meyers THE last
big painting did was one of the ships of
all nations which I painted when the var
ious Governments gent their warships here
20 take part in the Columbus celebration
few years ago. | have ninety-sx ships
In that picture, and folks who ought 10
know tell me they are perfect,
BY this time the crowd had become great
ly interested in the bartender. They had
made his acquaintance few years before,
when he got a job there, but none of them
had ever suspected that he was an artist
Incidentally he informed them that he
had just completed a marine painting on
which he had worked for six months The
crowd expressed surprise and asked If
they might see it some time. Arrange
ments were made for a meeting at the
home of the bartender, on Gates avenue
near Evergreen avenue. the time set being
last Wednesday afternoon, when Andy
had day of.
A dozen men were on hand at the APP
pointed hour. The bartender led them
into a tenement and up to the second floor
where he handed around cigars and then
took them into a neatly-furnished kitchen,
the walls Of which were adorned with pict
ures in oil, charcoal, and water colors
-All Of the pictures i'll this room are sam
pies Of my work" said Meyers. -but I did
most Of these shortly after learning to paint.
l think that l have improved somewhat
since l completed these,
First there was a head of an old man
turned to the right. Then there was a
naked male figure seated on globe, hold
ing vine branch. Over the mantel was
study OF Madonna and child in black
chalk.
Along the opposite wall were eleven
views of English scenery, in water colors.
sepia and India ink Between two win
dows overlooking the rear yard was a scene
in oil from The Tanning of the Shrew"
On the same side of the room hung another
painting, The Cleaners" showing two
girls, one of whom carried a scythe while
the other had her arms filed with sheaves
of wheat. Each of the pictures in this
room bore the name of the bartender as
the author of the work.
To say that the visitors were surprised
WOull putting ~ HllIilN AZ l1eV IlHSSpu
around the room admiring the pictures the
bartender's wife came in and the visitors
were introduced to her.
so you like Andys work." she re-
marked. well don't see how he stands
For years he has been tending bar from
o'clock at night until In the morning
then hurrying home to breakfast and start
ing in to work in his studio. His studio
is that bedroom there. Lately he has
been working in the saloon during the
day, so he has burned the midnight oil
while working at his pictures.
He seldom sleeps more than four hours
out Of the twenty-four. Once in a while
he sleeps six hours, hut that is not often
He spends most OF his time when home
painting pictures.
Il have advised him TO put some of them
on exhibition in some Of the art galleries,
but he laughs at the idea, declaring that
he is only bart Pnder and folks might
think he was pretending to be a modern
Carracci."
For the last fifteen years / have spent
much of my time painting al home, "
chimed in Meyers, -but many folks who
come here seem astounded when they
see me working by gaslight. Over here
in the parlo have few pictures painted
at night"
| Following him into another room the
party met with more surprises The pict-
ures here We're in oil and water colors
After viewing the marine scene in which
the warships of the world were depicted
one member Of the party asked Andy
whether he had copied the picture from
that Of some other artist
why, no, he said. when those ships
were anchored here in our waters ] hired
rowboat and rowed around them. Then
l made notes for reference and finally made
rough sketch Of the boats just az they
were
! II took the sketch home and then got
to work on that canvas, which measures
/ five feet in length and four deep. Ny
) physician happened in here one day and
it. | told him that IL would not pay me to
sell it ut that price
What is it worth? Well. don't know
II | sold 1t I would never be able TO group
the ships again IA | have grouped them
there, Every rope, every gun, every color
that appeared on those boats when they
were in the bay has been reproduced
1T took me almost a year to complete
that picture, but, Of course, | was only
able TO work on it a few hours a day, as
] had to sling beer during the rest of the
| TIM to keep things moving In the house
Il am afraid to start ont to paint pct =
ures for II living. for the reason that have
no guarantee that | could earn living
painting, while know ] can earn a living
tending bar.
Near the window there have a German
landscape. The peasants in the picture
are lust a. saw them when wns in
Germany few years ago.
over on this side | have profile in
red chalk and India ink, heightened with