El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-12-14

. decorative work should consist solely
Of cupids. crowned and rObed semi
/ angels or categorical Grecian types IS
/ obsolete We do not think in terms
| Of cupids and abstract angels We
I think in the terms with which we are
the most familiar. A figure of a sturdy
I GEAR eyed pioneer with his teet firmly
planted in the ground and his imple-
ments Of toll in his hands can convey
Z more Of the idea of wisdom to the
average person. than an abstract nude
man with a flowing beard holding a
book and floating through the air.
THE school Of decorative work to
which I am attached believes in treat
ing the familiar, the commonplace ard
the every day life types in a big decor
alive way, so that the decorative panel
or frieze or whatever il may be- will
have a vital message TO those who be-
hold il. as well as satisfy the eye with
the decorative effect.
Keeping Spirit of the West
Il want to paint the west as I see
1t and love it and II l can make my
pictures cause other people to love it,
too, 1 Will feel that have in a Measure
succeeded. That is why I live in the
west, for one has to soak up the at
mOsphere and become unconsciOusly
saturated with the spirit of things It
IS impossible to paint western stuff
IN New York city for any length Of
time, and keep the spirit of il. for one
can draw on ones inspiration for only
so long time and then one repeats,
so II is necessary TO continually be
seeking and living the life one paints
Paint Subjects With Appeals.
The lack of interest most people
have in paintings is, I believe. due 10
the fact that people are not presented
with the subjects that appeal to them
Here in the west the western cities do
not realize the tourist value that would
be given their towns by preserving
their distinctive Individuality Santa
Re would have had a tourist attraction
that would have been unreasonable by
money value, if the old Spanish Plaza
had been preserved intact Our western
cities are striving too much TO become
limitations of New York and the other
eastern cities Why should tourists
come from the east to the west to see
sky scrapers and the same style OF
buildings simply on smaller scale in
the West2 The trouble with our cities
is that they Just happen and become a
matter Of streets and buildings without
any relation or harmony.
Value of Decorations.
The value of interior decorations for
public buildings is being better appre-
ciated and now the state capitol build
ings are rated by the mural paintings
they contain Take for example the
capitol of Minnesota. From a purely
commercial point. the amount Of adver-
Using that the state has received from
the decorations within the capitol has
been a tremendous asset to the state.
Ohe sreal trouble Win painters,
continued Mr.. True. lis that they bow
down to the hope Of selling; they make
selling a picture a fetch and in the
end il gets their work and the artist
is dwarfed in his growth. The pictures
one paints are but steps, as one passes
along a journey. II you can record in
the picture the impression you re-
ceived. it is well; if you stop 10 twist
that impression about so as TO make II
saleable to someone, you are getting
side tracked and likely 10 stay side
tracked.
Recognizes Alligator Pond.
al Paso viii always seem to me !