The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-06-24

Merlyn Tasker, will open the door FIR
the callers.
+ + =
There is something new under the
Kansas sun. and it was thought of by
a Topeka business woman and artist.
Mrs. Helen 1. Francis Mrs Francis
is working out a long-cherished plan
to make paintings of every variety of
wild flower that grows in Kansas. Her
scheme entails n vas+ amount of work,
to say nothing of taste. skill and pa
tiencc which she IS putting into it.
She goes to the country every week.
once or twice. and gathers flowers of
every kind she can lind, and she Is
having native wild posics sent to her
from other parts of the state, by rel
atives or friends who are interested
/ in her project. She brings the flowers
! Immediately to her studio. arrangcs
! them they appeared growing on
stems or bushes, photographs them
life size, and while they are still fresh,
| she paints the reproduction in water
/ colors- The work of photograp hing
the flowers is no slight task. They
are harder to photograph" she said,
than babies. and harder to keep
/ still. The slightest jar or breeze dis
! arranges them and makes them move.
nd the least motion spells the pic
/ ture, which L aim to have absolutely
clear and true"
| The water color work on the flowers
1 is beautifully dore, judging by those
! that are thus far completed. and
look at TIE collection gives a faint idea
/ OF the hundreds of varieties OF wild
flowers that grow IN Kansas. Mrs.
! Francis has captured the Cainty frag-
/ lie beauty of the wild rose and trans
| ferreG it to her painting. She has
! pr1mroses. Star of Bethlehem, the dog
tooth violet, the later vioIets. daisies,
sweet william. jack in the pulpit, COL
( umbine. Dutchman's breeches, villa
! larksPur and many others. She ex-
poets to continue her collection all
I through the season until the lust wild
flower has disappeared
The collection is the only one of its
kind, and will become more valuable
! from year to year, as the wild flowers
! are speedily disappearing, and are
/ even now close to the vanishing point
| They are rooted out of the fields
! where crops can be raised, and are to
be found now on the roadsides or in
patches of woods and occasionally
along streams where the ground is
too uneven or rocky for cultivation.
Mrs Francis is making the pictures
on cards of uniform size, and will
mount them suitably in sets.
= + j
special summer exhibit for the
art department of Washkurn college
I viii be held Sunday afternoons during
the summer from to s o'clock in the
art rooms of Boswell hall An invita-.
ton is given to the public to attend
/ The artists who have pictures hung
| IN che soutl. room of the exhibit are:
/ Gertrude Lun0burg Richards now OF
/ New York, and the wife of an artist
she was formerly teacher of art in
the Iopeka nigh school, and some as
| plrlnG artists of this city owe much
OF their inspiration to her MAYNARD
! walker and Marion Peers are two
other Iopeka artists in the exhibit
Mr. Merrill Gage has a collection OF
pictures on display. Mr.. George NJ.
stone mas some canvaSes in the col
lection. Mrs. Fern Coppedge also has
contributed to it. o. P. Townsley of
Pasadena and John E. Jenkins of
! Wichita and c. w. Sanderson and F
Hopkinson Smith are other artists
VINO nave pictures in the south room.
Topeka is to have new school of
music in which piano. voice. violin
and cello will be taught 1t is to he
located IL the old Crawford home at
1zO1 Clay street, July l. and will have
the name of the Daniel Muller School
of Music
Mr. Muller began the teaching of
piano in Topeka in October. 1914 He
started, unknown to the local public
IN studio in the Orpheum building
inc later moved 10 his present quar-
ters IN the Smith building ."roDexa ;.
he says, lis a musical town with nee.
pie who have high ideals and are "a
pable of attaining Them His early
efforts in Topeka were not encourag
ing by reason of any hurricane. sue
cess out ne had faith in the town, and
pelng of Dutch stock, he had the Da
lence to work and wait for an oppor-
tunlty to do his share in placing the
city on higher musical plane. He is
now able to expand the scope of his
efforts
He has secured as his teacher OF
violin, Miss Helen Phipps who has
recently resigned from the faculty of
Washburn college. She is well known
IN town, and over the state as q
| teacher or nd -