Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-09-04

Ierent from tnat Ol the SulillleI IlOOSe.
The antlers the artist has seen are
hard and perfect, but the antlers of
the summer moose are soft and vel
vety, because the blood is circulating
from the body of the animal up
through every part of his horns. Sum-
mer moose look no more like winter
moose than caribou looks like a
deer.
What is the artist going to do? He
doesn't even know what kind of a
country the summer moose inhabits
or where he is found. The summer
moose does not live in the same kind
of a place as the winter moose. He
does not eat the same food nor eat in
the same way. He is of different col
emily. So the reader will see how easy
it is for the painter of outdoor life to
slip up on this sort of thing.
The true portrayal can never come
from the brush of an artist who has
not lived close to nature, and who has
not felt what he paints. To my mind
this fundamental training is big fac
tor in art. 1t is something big-some-
thing apart from the constant swap
ping of ideas from one teacher to an
other
While such an artist may not have
the technical training Of the schooled
artist he has the truth of his work. and
no painting is ever great if it lacks
truth. Being a part of nature will fit
man to portray nature truthfully
when he comes to paint it.
1t doesn't matter what the picture is
on the surface, nor does it make any
difference what you paint it on or what
you use for a brush or color. 1t is
the touch. A man who views picture
rightly looks below the surface of it..
He goes down deep into II
The painter of truth pictures is un-
conscious of what brush he uses or
what color he employs. The only thing
in his mind is the touch of life that
he has seen on the head of some wood
creature or the reflection Of a sunset.
They are the things that appeal to him
as striking, and he works on and on
until he has obtained the effect that is
in his mind. He knows instinctively
when he has found it. and he knows
that he is right. He has given soul
to the painting 1t takes a man who
knows life from practical experience
to read the soul in another mans pic
ture A picture without a soul means
nothing.
This was one OF the reasons why |
went into the woods in the first place.
hoped in a small way to get the peo-
pie to recognize nature in art.
l began my art in the woods Of
northern Maine. At various times
while l was guiding men from the city
through the woods | would draw
sketches for them on pieces of fungus.
They kept telling me l would develop
such a talant, and this pleased me.
| drew considerably after that, but
always hid my stuff. Sometimes peo-
pie would find it and say it was good
and that with a little training l would
one day be an artist. | knew that |
lacked technical training, so | thrust
myself upon every artist | came in
contact with. l observed them close
ly, and nothing escaped me. | Won
dered then if would ever be able to
do anything like the work they We're
doine.
However, the repeated suggestions
of people about my developing my tall
ent encouraged me some, and | stuck
to it. One day magazine wanted to
buy a cover design ! had drawn. That
was the biggest thing | had reached.
said to myself, Here is a chance
for me to draw a picture for the pub
lie with my name signed to it," 1t
meant q great deal to me.
Rut inside I felt that l was not on
equal footing with the other artists be-
cause I hadn't had the training of the
schools | didn't dream at that time
that a man could start out with what
talent he had and make Il success on
his own resources. | didn't have the
money to study, so the only thing for
me to do was to keep on painting and
observing other mems work until |
might one day be recognized as Il
painter of outdoor life.
After / received this recognition
Immediately jumped back to nature in
order to convince that class of doubt
erS who are forever tearing down