Allergenic art

(1967 September 13)
MM's art course [at the RC campus] met first time last night 6:30-8:30.  Class includes Drs. Meyer, Spear, etc.  They climbed a hill behind the campus and drew the scene below - right thru the ragweed, dews and damps.  Some wit remarked now class was over a clinic could be set up for colds and hayfever.

Drawing class

Mrs. Brice, wife of clergyman, just left, having invited me to a drawing class Monday.  The first lesson will be to draw an apple, and the next an article standing near the apple.  I am thinking of a spider and web.

Kitchen picture

(1993 November)
Somewhere I tried to draw a picture of my grandmother's kitchen.  Jan brot me materials, and if it is still around, I'll put it in, and with your imagination you can finish it off.  [Not found.]

Listless

(1993 April 14)

Lobby of Schmitt Woodland Hills, Retirement Center, Richland Center. ... TV is on "Little House on the Prairie." Those watching are not aware of art in any form

Family mender

(1992 January 17)

Can I do anything to help any of you? Remember, I am the Family Mender, so send any thing that needs special attention.

The Big To-Do

(1991 July?)

June 8 [sic] is a Big To-Do over Frank Lloyd Wright's birthday. Parade and Lunch and stands downtown! We'll have to look into it. Some don't think much of him, as Kathryn Bailey, and think it so silly. As a man probably yes - as an architect - excellent if you like that style.

The Wright Way

(1991 January 22)

We are all worked up here again over Frank L. Wright, and he is on the front page of RC paper. The Historical Society has been out and ascertained his birthplace, and it has been on the radio. When you come, we'll drive around [so Polly can see it]. Edith and Bruce are followers of Wright, go to luncheons honoring him, etc. You know they built their house in Wright Style and got the City to call their short street The Wright Way. And the Society is working on changing the road to Madison (Highway 14) to The Wright Road. Think tourists will want to come to RC on it.

Art appreciation

(1989 September 21)

Do you always know the stories behind the pictures on the postcards [you send]? I sometimes do but they are not always known to me. This Morgan's Love Passing, for example. Isn't that Father Time in the background? Painters always had some thing to say in those days. Now I think it is more something to feel. For us to feel.

Robin Hood

(1988 April 16)

Kathryn Bailey ws telling me about the time you ran over to show her how you looked in your Robin Hood get up. [She painted a picture of Skip in it.] She was wondering what to take to an art show at University of Wisconsin, [where] some good US artists invited all artists to submit work every fall. Kathryn had three of hers hung: "County Fair," "Frank Lloyd Wright" (onstage with musicians), [and] "Robin Hood." She is very proud of her work and has programs telling about the judges, etc.

Impressionism

(1978 February 15)

I have been ailing ever since I came [to Madison to spend some time near MM] and am very tired of it. Across shoulders, arms and neck nervous pain. Embroidery mades it worse, and I am doubting I can tackle your pictures, tho I want to very much. In case I do not, please encourage Sherry to do one in water color. I think she has real talent in drawing and painting. Even tho she may not. Tell her to look at the Unicorn Tapestries for shading. Perfection is not necessary - it is the glimpse or impression.

Abstracted

(1977 August 22)

[On a visit to the Andrews in Madison] Ruth and I went to visit a neighbor, Virginia Tiffany, who illusrated three books I have, Tell Me Cat, Stevenson's verses, and Rumplestiltskin (your shirt model). I told her about it, and she said, "Oh, that horrid little dwarf! I had to draw him so many times!" We were there two wonderful hours. She is doing a lot of absracts now and sells her stuff thru Century House. Sat and worked all the time we were there.

A lovely time

(1976 August 13)

Wednesday night I had a lovely time. David Kopitzke, museum director, invited me to dinner served on the roof of the [Frank Lloyd Wright] Warehouse. When I went thru the building, it all seemed so much like going thru a basement - dirty & dark & cementy. So when I got off the elevator, I was amazed at the transformation - blooming flowers in white tubs, long tables with white cloths & red cloth napkins, candles, vases of flowers, nice silver. Beef brats were being cooked in two or three big black cookers, and the salads and desserts!! Four different beverages, the most fascinating was the beer, which required a good pumping up before a glass was drawn. The Board gave the dinner so some Richland Center people could meet the students from Taliesin [Wright's school in nearby Spring Green], and I sat between two, and some were indeed fantastically garbed.

Signature

(1970 January 30)

My thanks to Lawrence [5] for his picture of teepee! Just love it. Also like his signing his own name - so long a name too!

Eye shadow

(1959 December 7)

Yesterday she [MM, 14] asked me if I minded if she wore eye shadow in the house. Thinking she bought some and was afraid to use it, I said, Why no, go ahead. Much later I found she had used my water color pencils and we had quite a time getting it off at night.

Background

(1958 October 17, on note card showing arcitect's concept drawing of St. Barnabas' church)

Our Auxiliary is selling this paper. The setting seems to be Sherwood Forest, to block out other buildings. [The same drawing was recycled in 2009 to illustrate the plate celebrating the church's centennial.]

Real Americana

(1958 July)

Last night we had Ann and Carl [Meadows] over for supper. Ate in the dining room tho considered eating out only it kept threatening rain. After supper Ann and I washed up while C. and LL played the hi fi. Afterwards we strolled around the grounds. Carl fascinated by our jungle [wild slope down to river]. When the mosquitoes got too much for us they decided to go and we all walked over to [son] Mike's convertible which he did not take to Colorado with him on his job this summer. Impulsively suggested they give us a ride so off we went. What a windy thrill!! Not fast either.

Ended up at the park where Square Dance Club was dancing on the tennis courts. About three figures going. We got out and watched and in between records and calling we would talk to the dancers we knew. Just as we were leaving Donna (our stenographer) arrived on the scene. We had no idea that all was going on and of course our dancing teacher was fascinated because, as she pointed out, it was "real Americana."

The puppet king

(1956 Winter)

MM has a puppet project on at school and we have been making a puppet king with two outfits, an ermine trimmed purple robe over a dark red gown, or robe, and also an ermine trimmed nightgown and nightcap. It was a lot of work, especially hunting the materials. But it turned out well, except the ermine. On that everything went wrong. First I washed an old pair of white fur mittens, cut it into strips (got rabbit hair all over). Then I painted on the black stripes with some black ink which looked wonderful. Only later when it wouldn't dry did I reflect it was ink for a stamping pad designed never to dry! So I blotted that up with a Kleenex, put on hair lacquer, and painted it over with white oil paint and touched up the black with oil paint. That isn't dry yet either. But Mary Margaret forgave me and thot it was wonderful!

More painting

(1956 January 13)

But I have smelled paint again and am in the throes of decorating the cupboad for towels, blankets, etc. which sits in the sewing room. Today I painted the inside of the upper half blue (2-1/2 hours). When I finally get all the ground work done, I'll decorate it. I got out the Peter Hunt book Skip gave me in 1954 and out of that will come something, I hope. Lorin wants me to paint MM jumping out of the bath tub. He thinks it's unique. She puts both feet tight together and leaps. I think it very dangerous and put a stop to it, but he thinks it should be commemorated to posterity. Instead, I think I'll draw her on a bank with her feet in a stream of water.

Thanks for the food

(1954 March)

I had a shock when I brought my plate to [rosemaling] class. Mrs. V. complimented me on how I have improved in my shading. Then when she put on the board some Norwegian sayings for plates, I discovered that TAK VOR MATEN is three words. Mrs. Soffel thought it might come off with turpentine and so it did, and just now I have it back on properly. It is done except for a few more flowers I may think up for the border.

Master of arts

(1954 September 24)

I must tell you we got just a batty letter from Auntie Mabel the other day. One of us must have written her that you got your Master of Arts. "O," says she, "O, I didn't know Skippy had taken up art ... how splendid! What a fine future he will have ahead of him in the field of art!" etc. etc.