Evening star., 1945-07-01
By Leila MechHn

By Leila Mechlin
According to report, the attend
ance at summer art schools will be
larger this year than heretofore
This is without doubt partly due
to the acceleration of interest in art,
created by many exhibitions OF
paintings pertaining to the war.
People who have never painted be-
fore have taken to it as relief
from strain, real recreation. Also,
since the U-boat danger has been
eliminated, artists, wishing to
sketch on the East Coast, do not
have to carry with them, as in the
early years of the war, passports or
family Bibles in evidence of citi-
zenship and loyalty. There Is still
the gasoline shortage to be reck-
cned with, and the dread of con-
templated rationed travel to make
some uneasy.
At Pr0vincefOwn
One of the first outdoor schools
of painting in this country was estab-
lished by Charles w. Hawthorne at
Provincetown, Mass. This was pr1-
marily for figure painting and had
a strong influence on the art of the
time. Hawthorne, himself, did some
of his best work at Provincetown in
connection with his teaching, his
models being the men, women and
children of the Portuguese settle
ment. fisher folks who follow the
sea. BY one such painting, Fisher
mans Daughter" he is well repre-
sented in the Corcoran Gallery OF
Art. Mr.. Hawthorne was assisted
by Henry Henche, who, after his
death in 1890, carried on the school
he had helped to found. He is now
! director of this Cape Cod school.
At OeanQaif, Maine
Another summer school OF art
which helped to direct thought and
effort along good lines was that
founded and directed by the late
Charles H. Woodbury.. painter In
oils and water color, etcher, teacher
and author. This school was at
Ogunquit, Me-, and it did much to
advance the art Of marine paint
ing, especially in water color. 1t
taught what Mr.. woodbury. called
''the art of seeing" later to become
the title of an excellent book OF
which he and his associate, Eliza
beth Ward Perkins, were joint
authors.
While this school was developing,
O number of what may be called
satellite schools had come into ex-
istence. Among them were those
at Rockport, Folly Cove, Annisquam
and Gloucester, Cape Ann, Mass.
They were, in most instances, one
man schools self-organized by the
pupils of a single master and the
output from these, consisting OF
works by masters as well as ad-
vanced students, formed the neu-
cleus for impressive exhibitions at
Gloucester, Ogunquit and elsewhere,
Old Lyme had such a summer art
colony, with now a charming little
gallery in which two notable ex-
hibitions are held each season.
The O'Hara School
For several years a thriving sum-
mer school of landscape painting In
water color has been upbuilt at
Goose Rocks Beach, Me-, through
the initiative and under the direc-
ton of Eliot O'Hara of Washington,
one of our outstanding American
water colorists. The enrolment in
the O'Hara school all through the
var has been large. 1t is interest
ing to note that these students have
come, not from any one, but many
States of the Union.
During 1943 and 1914, O'Hara
was with the ship camoufiage Sec
ton of the Navy, for which service
he is still ION call" Last winter,
when free to accept teaching en-
gagements, he had, for one such, a
school at West Palm Beach, Fla.
In February, he had an important
exhibition of his work at the Mich
Galleries, New York, the first for
bWO vi AllOlC yCdAo. AAC NdtlOAld4
Academy of New York elected him
an associate member in 1914, one of
the first painters in water color to
be so honored.
Under such circumstances the
artist-elect is expected to present to
the academy his own portrait, pre-
sumably painted by himself Mr..
O'Hara, not being portrait painter,
commissioned his friend and COL
league, Wayman Adams, to under
take the commission. The portrait
has been completed and is excellent,
boldly rendered and very spirited
Mr.. Adams, by the way, who spe-
cializes in portraits, has for some
summers conducted summer school
OF portrait painting at Elizabeth
town, N. Y. Mr.. O'Hara, in addi-
tion to being an outstanding water
colorist, Is a printmaker and author
of numerous and sundry books or
painting.