The San Francisco call., 1910-07-24
PAINTER BECOMES
FAMOUS in PARIS
San Francisco Woman's Splen.
did Canvas Wins Recognition
and Place in Salon
By Margaret Marshall Doyle

From Paris comes news of the lau-
rels being won by California and Cali
fornian artists. One of the latter whose
efforts have been crowned with success
is Mrs Aurilla de Walt Payne
Mrs. Payne is we'll known here. Be-
fore her departure for Europe she had
a studio in her home in this city and
did some portrait work that brought
her considerable praise. However, her
paintings. strictly speaking. were never
placed on the market and so her name
is not as prominent as those of many
other artists Her European trip was
made mainly to advance her art studies
and all places she visited in Spain, Italy
and France appealed to her genius.
She said that she has travelled with
her Sketchbook in her hand painting
all the beautiful spots by the roadside
that so many artists overlook. Brit
tany has been her favorite theme, and
last summer she devoted several
scape and the people with their home
life that wins its own appeal.
Unfortunately most of these studies
were lost during the recent French
floods Mrs. Payne had most of the
studies packed and stored in the base
ment of house during her absence in
Rome. On her return to Paris she
could find no trace of them. The loss
represented summers work in field
that brought into full play her genius
and deep feeling in depicting the land
she saw and loved.
The only one of these Brittany scenes
that was saved was one that was too
large to store with the others. This
one, entitled Grey Way in Brittany"
y
brought her considerable fame. She
has refused several offers to buy it, as
the picture is one of her favorites.
The subject chosen by Mrs. Payne is
a most pleasing one. with the typical
Brittany setting. The narrow path in
the picture, winding through a meadow
bright with the grasses and flowers of
the season and the country side, leads
through the gray green trees to the
distant, low rolling, gray hills. Up
the path, in the gathering dusk,
peasant is toiling, a basket on her
head, giving the human touch that Is
needed to perfect it to a warm, wonder
full canvas.
Mrs. Payne has been for some months
in Paris, where she has, a studio. She
has been taking daily lessons in figure
work, her choice of a life work, hav-
ing done landscape painting as a side
issue. Most of her sketches and small
paintings have found sale in Paris and
Italy. On the close of the salon she
will leave for London for a short visit.
and then leave for America. Her first
plan was to come directly to this city
and hold large exhibition of her Euro
pean work. Recently she changed her
plans, however. and will instead join
her husband in Mexico. 1t will be
early winter before she eventually set
ties here and opens her studio, by which
time she will undoubtedly have added
some delightful Mexican scenes to her
collection. In December public dis
play of her paintings win be held at
one of the local galleries. and San
Franciscans will have another oppor
tunity to judge for themselves Of the
talent California has produced
Another artist who has been making
her home in Paris for some time will
shortly sail for home and in September
or October will hold an exhibition in
this city. Marin Froelich is already
we'll known here, and the news that
one of her figure studies had been ac-
cepted by the Paris salon caused no
surprise to those who had seen and ad-
mired her talent before her departure
for the French capital three years ago.
Miss Froelich won encouraging success
in Europe, but unfortunately her health
was not good, and as she accomplished
what she started out to do she decided
to return home and take a we'll de-
served rest. Following her exhibit in
this city she probably will go to Los
Angeles for few months and then
will open a studio here for the further
pursuit of her figure and portrait work.
Miss Susan Watkins may possibly ex-
send her visit to this coast for two
months more, as the commissions she
has received already seem almost more
than she can undertake. She has been
i'll for some days at the Peninsula hotel
in San Mateo and has had to give up
her painting for a while. Miss Wat
kins came out from the east to visit
her brother, Doctor Watkins, at his
home in this city in Lake street. She
has been with him very little, how
ever, as her portrait work took her to
San Mateo and Hillsboro. Since her
arrival she has painted portraits of the
two children of Mr.. and Mrs. Robert
Coleman and the three little daughters
of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Clark Her
commissions have amounted to $4,000.
Miss Watkins, who has studio In
New York, has been most anxious to
return in time for the winter season,
as she has a course of work mapped