The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-04-29
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mary of what has been done in To-
peka for the cause of art during the
/ last eight or nine months. should now
be given.
There have been public art exhibit
tons in Topeka since the middle of
last September. -Four OF these were
given under the joint auspices Of the
Topeka Art Guild, the Washburn COL
( iege art department, and the art de-
partment of the Woman's club. or
the other two, one was the Kansas
Free Fair exhibition, and the other
Mrs. /. c. Hodges exhibition OF her
own work.
Discussed in their order. rhers was
first the Kansas Free Fair exhibition
the hest collection or Kansas art
work ever shown at fair IN 10
peka. Mrs. gladys Nelson Smith Of
MINNEAPOLIS. Kansas, with her delight
full paintings Of child life and Kansas
scenery, was first brought to public
notice. The American Federation OF
Arts exhibit of fine prints of great
paintings. suitable for home adorn-
ment was new and excellent feature
OF the art department of the kansas
Free Fair.
October. 1921-Exhibition oc the
work OF local artists at Washbur1 col
lege. Paintings, pastels and textiles
done by high school students, were
November-Exhibiti of paintings
and drawings by Burger Sandzen, at
the Topeka high school and Washourn
college. Also Mrs. L. c. Hodges oX-
hibition of her newest landscape and
marine paintings, at the Hodge studio.
ia Kansas avenue
Decent OF etchings
by leading American etchers at Wash
January 1s22-Free exhibition of
Gerritt Beneker's paintings of Amer
lean industrial art, at the city library.
February-American Federation Of
and portrait oil paintings by promi-
nent contemporary artists of the
United States, at Washburn college.
Besides the exhibitions. there was
lecture on sculpture given during
the month of March at Washburn col
lege. by Robert Merrell Gage of Kan
sas City. Missouri.
Mr. Joab Mulvane's gift of $4,000
for a fine arts museum at Washburn
college was another exceedingly i'm
portant event in local art circles.
Many art lectures and discussions
of a semi-public nature. were given
thruout the season at the meetings of
the Topeka Art Guild, the Woman's
club, and other ORGANIZATIONS
A new and remarkable process of
etching has been discovered by Mrs
Helen Francis Hodge, the we'll known
Topeka landscape anu pOilIdlL paint
er, wife of L. c. Hodge, the photoG-
raphsr.
Instead of etching on metal plates
and making prints thererrom with
ink, Mrs Hodge etches or developed
Photographic plates and makes her
prints by the Photographic process
without using any ink at all. The
way she works is as follows:
First she exposes a sensitized glass
plate to the action of light until its
- H. ~. =
developed and fixed in the usual way.
Second, Mrs. Hodge places the plate.
coated side up, in a frame behind
which is a light which shines thru the
semi-transparent plate. Third, she
draws her picture on the plate with
pencil. Fourth, with a sharp steel
point she cuts or scratches the lines
OF the picture thru the coating of the
plate. Lines that are 70 appear jet
black on the finished print are cut
Gear thru the coating. those that are
to appear gray. are cut only part way
thru. Fifth the etched plate is put in
to a regular photographers printing
frame with a piece of senSitized paper
beneath it and a print or positive is
made in the usual way by action of
the sun or of artificial light.
The light that filters thru the I'M
scratched portion of the plate gives
the print a beautiful gray background.
This BACKGROUND NAV be intensified
scraping down the thickness of the
coating on the plate thereby permit
ting more light to set thru onto the
paper beneath.
1t will be clearly seen that this
method of making pictures is just as
legitimately a part of the fine arts
as is making them by the old style
kind Of etching, for the results OBJ
tanned depend entirely upon the ar
lists feeling, judgment and skill.
Pictures shown the author bV Mrs
Hodge were of great beauty and had
none Of the mechanical quality of
photograph.
While inspecting her etchings, Mrs
Hodge also showed the author a land
scape which she painted a few DAYS
ago when motoring near Tecumseh.
1t shows lane leading up thru an
orchard to an old stone farm house
The pear trees composing the orchard
are in full bloom. The effects of
light and shade. sunlight and distance
are all very fine in this picture. 1t
must be seen to be appreciated.
The April meeting OF the Topeka
Art Guild held last Tuesday evening
at the home of Mr.. and Mrs. George
NJ. Stone in. Highland Park was the
best attended meeting Of the Guild
so FAR held this year. Mr.. Stone, by
request, gave an interesting talk on
the technique of painting. pointing
out and explaining the methods of
work used by many or the world $
great artists. Some of his own land
scape and portrait work was used to
demonstrate the methods OF combin-
lrg and applying color. Mrs. H. o.
Carney told in a most interesting Uav
of a visit which she made in COM
pany with number OF other members
or the Federation OF Womans' clubs
70 the beautiful Tiffany estate on
Long Island near Oyster Bay. There
hsa M