The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-09-04

Mugs Of the Mighty.

t0undings should not be not,...,,
she believes. but as you looI -.
portrait you should see onlv =.
sitter.
The effect of this is v.lf M.
trated in her striking portr.n !,
Governor. Cox, which has 49,
black background, perfectly n,.se
30 that the head Of the eoys,ss.
stands out with lifelike distisss
ness This painting Is consiSs..s
one Of Miss Smiths best piecss !.
work. So many people have -.
to see and admire 1t. in the ,tss;.
At her hotel apartment, that 4.
had almost no, time to paint p.t,
finally 1t was moved to one a. n.
hotel parlors.
George White, national Dan.
cratic committee chairman. n.
stopped by to see 1t there the oths,
day, was much impressed. ar.
Jimmie himself" exclaimed NJ
White.
Governor Cox is expected u
drop in to see himself on cam.
when he comes to Washington
Governor Cox's face SHOW,
strong character" Miss Smith SAW
His expression is straightforward
and he has great power Of coucen.
, tration. as you ca ~ fysa hh
keen blue eyes,
Miss Smith described Sen1tor
Harding's coloring as beautiful
He has wonderful hazel eyes and
white hair. {
Likeness is, I think. the most
important feature Of q portrait
and beauty of color is next" che
went on. "rhe greatest difpculty
in portrait painting?-I believe The
carriage of the sitter requires the
most careful study. even more than
the expression Of the face.
II like to work from life. Invent
to President Wilson's ONCE 10
sketch him as he signed papers or
talked with me. The last sitting
he gave me was the day he left for
France the second time. He had .
meeting of the cabinet at the pres
ident's room at the capitol, and
while he talked and signed docu.
ments l got my final impressions.
| Painted Cox from Life.
Governor Cox came to my stu.
do for several sittings. But Ad-
miral Peary's portrait. which am
still working on, had to be made
from four photographs already
taken. We decided upon the most,
representative features Of the diff
ferent pictures and made q COM
posite portrait from them"
| One of the most unusual features
about Miss Smiths work is that
instead of buying the large assert
ment of paints used by most art
lists. she sets her palette with only
white, yellow, yellow ochre. burnt
sienna, vermilion. blue and black.
From the three primary colors she
mixes practically all the Jcolors
needed for any picture.
| Miss Smiths philosophy Is that
everyone in any line Of work
should try to findt new methods
and do the thing in his own way.
She follows her own rule that to
succeed one must have imagina-
ton, and industry to back it. She
has always been a dreamer, and
right now she is planning q book
of Arabian fairy stories. But while
she dreams she is hard at work.
as . long list of pictures and her
career testify.
| John Singer Sargent and Sey-
more Thomas are the only paint
ers besides Miss Smith to WHOM
President Wilson has sat. The
president Is said to have remarked
that he liked her portrait best OF
the three, but MISC Smith says
modestly that Sargent's portrait o.
the president is not his best worl
She is proudest OF having paint
ed the president, and the coming
president - whichever he fs-ana
AFTER tnaC Sue llhes "
. that she won the gold medal q tne
National Academy OF Design IN
1915, before she had graduated.
As for the future. she nnds
Washington so much more home
like than New York and so full Of
fascinating types that she expecu
to live here. In the fall she u 70
, paint six members OF the diplo.
matte corps households. She is no.
at liberty to give the names OF lns
, sitters at present. One OF tnem'
an ambassadors wife, Is 10 "
painted in her national coslu.ns'
which will be a novelty lot Wv
artist, after long siege OF lroe.
coats and uniforms. Then sne
commissioned to paint four mOis
: cabinet officers, and after Maiea
4 there will be an entirely new nj nj
sortment Of famous folk who WI.
: no doubt follow the crowd W
done by the youngest court pain'"
: the capital ever had.