Oral history interview with Milford Zornes
odd: label: General
content: Originally recorded on 12 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 22 digital wav files. Duration is 11 hrs., 2 min.
name: label: Interviewee
content: Zornes, James Milford, 1908-2008
label: Interviewer
content: Anderson, Susan M. (Susan Mary)
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators. Funding for this interview provided by Orange County Museum of Art Historical Collections Council
creator: label: Interviewee
content: Zornes, James Milford, 1908-2008
label: Interviewer
content: Anderson, Susan M. (Susan Mary)
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: James Milford Zornes (1908-2008) was a painter from Claremont, California. Zornes is one of the leading artists of the California School, a West Coast watercolor movement that arose during the Depression era.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 152 Pages (Transcript)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1999 July 18-September 5
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.zornes99
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Pages
label: Type
content: Sound recordings
label: Type
content: Interviews
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: Transcript available online
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Sound recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Interviews
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: An interview of Milford Zornes conducted 1999 July 18-September 5, by Susan M. Anderson, for the Archives of American Art, in Zornes' studio/home, Claremont, California.
label: Scope and Contents
content: Beginning with his childhood in Oklahoma, this interview recounts the formative influences on Mr. Zornes' development as an artist, including his close relationship with Millard Sheets at Pomona College. He discussed the impact of the Mexican muralist Jose Clemente Orozco on his work and on other artists of the California School as well as the importance of nature. He recalled his prolific work on federally-funded art projects such as the PWAP and his mural commission for the Claremont Post Office. Mr. Zornes discussed the impact that WWII had on the California School in general and his particular experience on the China-Burma-India front as one of forty-two official US army artists. He described his long career as a teacher in various educational institutions as well as in outdoor painting workshops conducted around the world. Finally, Mr. Zornes discussed his struggle with macular degeneration and the subsequent change in his working methods due to his recent blindness.