Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-25
Exchanged Quarterback
for an Artists Easel

TO most men. the successful termina.
point to the road OF ease and compare
tive idleness. But there is man here in
Washington who, after forty years of ac-
tive service in the navy, has begun an
other career for himself as an artist
and works hard at it, too. He is Admiral
C. H. Davis. retired, United States Navy.
The three or four years Of his life since
he has withdrawn from active service
have been devoted to the painting of vari-
GUS landscapes and water scenes, and
this past year witnessed an exhibition of
his pictures in the Corcoran Art Gallery.
Much of his work is done in his studio
here in Washington, and several Of his
pictures are representative Of scenes in
and about this city during the spring,
when the trees and flowers in the many
parks have put on their brightest garb.
4
The only really serious work. in the
painting Of pictures, that have done has
been within the last two or three years.
and that have taught myself to do with
the aid Of valuable suggestions from
Others" said Admiral Davis recently. las
a boy I was fond of dabbling in paints
and making pencil sketches. In fact. this
fondness of reproducing the beauties OF
nature on paper never entirely left me
throughout my service in the navy. 1t
was not, however, until after had re-
tired and had seriously set to work to
use water colors that l realized how very
little i knew Of the subject.
Il was convinced that to go to teach
err for instruction would only make me
an imitator and take away all individual
ity: so l mapped out a course Of study
for myself. The first year of this sort
of work found me so discouraged that for
a time I dropped it altogether. But be-
fore the year was out l soon found the
old desire to draw and paint growing
upon me again. With the aid OF sug-
gestions made by friends l finally reach
ed the stage where felt perfect con-
like all artists, never perfect satisfac-
ton in any of my pictures.
Perhaps the greater number Of my pic
lures are reproductions of the many
beautiful spots on Conanicut Island, IN
Narragansett bay and along its rocky
shore. l look forward to each summer
in my home ON that island, for q great
part of my time there is spent before my
easel, either in the fields or along the
cliffs at the waters edge. A number of
my pictures, however, are taken either
from rough sketches or the memory or
the various countries I visited in the
service. In fact, 1 have one picture that
was brought to my mind by very crude
pencil sketch made in leisure moment
some thirty-odd years ago.
4
II remember well the first drawing I
ever made" continued Admiral Davis,
remniscently. when I was a boy at
tended for several months a night draw
ing class in Boston. The first object that
we had to draw was huge ball sus-
pended from the center Of the room: the
idea, of course, was to shade 1t in man
ner to show its convex surface. And, oh,
what a nightmare that ball was to the
boy whose hand wabbled so that to make
a perfect circle without any instruments
seemed an almost impossible feat From
the ball We went on 10 the study Of boxes
for perspective. I left the school before
reaching the life class, and at the age
officer has little time for sketching and
dabbling in paints. and 1t was only at
idle moments during my forty years In
the service that 1 attempted to draw.
TT is rather fancy Of NINE" said
Admiral Davis, ito take small snapshot
Of scene Of which / have just painted
a picture and compare the two. I begin
a picture first by making q drawing that
] endeavor to have as accurate as posi-
BILE. Often this drawing Is made from a
rough sketch drawn in the field, and then
again I almost complete the picture out
in the open. / work more frequently in
this latter manner during the summer
A few finishing touches in the studio
generally complete a picture handled in
this way. The painting of picture from
memory or rough sketch in the studio
usually means several days steady
work. -