Harriet Muller Paintings

Harriet Muller Collection: Tribute to an Unpublished Artist

Table of Contents

Harriett’s Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Gallery of Images

Alaska . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Florida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Northeast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

In the Moment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Portraits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Born in Dalton, Pennsylvania in 1911 to Drucilla, a milliner, and Walter Crothamel, an engineer, Harriet had an older brother, Bob and a younger sister, Jean She was raised during a time of the extended family, and her grandfather, Jackie, who was a coal man for Casey Jones, and a bit of a drinker until prohibition, clearly treated Harriet as his favorite .

To bring income into the household, Jakie kept a coop behind the house for the raising and selling of chickens and their eggs to the neighbors . Harriet, who always carried a piece of chalk with her so that she could ‘doodle,’ often created mischief with that simple piece of chalk . One of her favorite pastimes was to draw a line on the chicken coop floor and place each of the chickens’,

beak down on the line, neatly in a row Not only did this hypnotize the birds, it also interrupted their laying . Luckily, Jakie saw the tomfoolery as being all in fun, and Harriet would be sent on her way to amuse herself elsewhere .

All kidding aside, it was apparent at an early age that Harriet possessed the eye and hand to be an artist Throughout her life she created her art on anything that was available when the mood struck her . In the typical fashion of many true artists, her canvas became anything that was readily available to her for creating a sketch of what would become a painting, including newspapers, the backs of envelopes and magazine covers, using several mediums including pencil, chalk, pastels and oil paint .

Not only was Harriet an artist, but also an actress . In June 1932, as part of the little theatre group in her hometown of Lincoln Park, New Jersey, the Garrett Players, she not only assisted

1917 (L-R) Harriet, Jean and Bob.

As a senior at Boontoon High, 1930.

in designing and creating the stage sets for the play Daddy Long Legs, she also played the lead role of Judith Abbott, while her sister, Jean, played the role of Julia Pennington . Also involved in the production were her life-long friend, Gene Fenn, and her future husband, Robert Crowell .

As a high school senior of the class of 1930, Harriet was the Boonton High’s yearbook artist Accepting opportunities as they came her way, Harriet also took a part-time job assisting the local photographer with his studio work, which further nurtured her creativity . With an incredible sense of imagery, she seemed to see art in most anything Once while living in her niece’s trailer, she decided the water stains that had formed on the ceiling resembled ducks, and thus she painted them into a school of swimming ducks .

In the fall of 1933, yet another opportunity came her way, that of attending the prestigious New York City art school, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art Encouraged by her friend, Gene Fenn, who was also an artist, they attended the school together Fenn, who became one of New York’s foremost fashion photographers in the 1940’s, even photographed Harriet’s daughter, Jean, when she was a toddler In 1949 Fenn moved to Paris to study and paint, but continued with his photography, documenting key artists of the time including Chagall and Picasso . Though a continent apart, he and Harriet remained friends into their late 80’s, with Harriet visiting him three times in Paris, and he each year sending her his personalized Christmas or New Year’s cards . Following his death in 2001, much of Fenn’s work was auctioned at Christie’s of New York .

In her free time Harriet worked at her art in her parent’s attic, beginning with a pastel portrait of her young daughter, Jean, as well as sketching

landscapes with a special emphasis on flowers

In the summer of 1942, during WWII, Harriet accepted a job with Curtiss-Wright Aeronautical where she designed tools and wrote manuals for use by pilots in the field to allow them to repair their own airplane engines . The company is famed for supplying the Wright Whirlwind J5 engine that was used

With Gene Fenn in Paris, 1985.

With daughter, Jean, 1941.

As a freshman at Cooper Union, 1933.

At Newark College of Engineering, 1942.

to power Charles Lindbergh’s “Spirit of St . Louis .” Part of the requirements of her job was to tear down and then rebuild an airplane engine to ensure that the tools and the manual could be put to use in the field and would serve our fly-boys with excellence To prepare her for the position, she attended a War Training Program, run by the then Dept of War In an accelerated course, she logged 397 hours of class time in less than three months to receive a Certificate in Introduction to Engineering from Newark College of Engineering, which, during that time catered to an all male student-body .

In 1951 Harriet fulfilled her dream of moving to Alaska, which at the time was but a territory . The trip was a tale unto itself, beginning with a crosscountry drive to Seattle and ending with she and Jean on a cargo plane with a few GI’s and a load of bananas, flying to Anchorage Once there Harriet worked nights a local bakery and spent her days

Finally reaching the Pacific Ocean, 1951.

drawing upon the wonders that surrounded her and created many wildlife scenes and landscapes . Typical of life in Alaska at that time, they lived meagerly, but that didn’t stop Harriet from thriving as an artist, which perhaps even lent itself to her enthusiasm to remain As the campaign for settlers continued, Harriet’s sister, Jean also came to Alaska with her son and husband in late 1951, staying until

On the Alcan Highway. L-R Harriet’s 4th husband, Otto, daughter, Jean, Harriet (in car), her sister, Jean, with her son, Roger, 1953.

1955 As well, Harriet’s daughter, Jean, remained in Alaska for 20 years, giving birth to all three of her children there .

In 1964 Harriet began studying portraiture with renowned artist Wassily Sommer . Sommer, a Russian immigrant, was a cellist, painter and educator at the University of Alaska He saw great potential in Harriet’s work and encouraged, as well as challenged her to perfect her craft . The two orchestral paintings were done as an assignment from Sommer’s class, as he was also a member of the Anchorage Orchestra . It wasn’t realized until the recent cataloging of Harriet’s work that she had created two Orchestra: The String Section paintings The original, which was painted on masonite, was discovered wrapped in paper and stored in a closet . The second, that has hung, neatly framed in her daughter’s home for years, was painted on a lar ger canvas .

After having relocated her elderly parents to Tarpon Springs in 1959, Harriet made a good many trips between then and 1972, dividing her time to family in Florida, New Jersey and Alaska

Once Harriet settled again, it was Tarpon Springs, the Sponge Docks and the surrounding

area in which she found new subject matter for her work .

For those who remember Bill’s Lighthouse, it was Harriet’s painting of the sponge diver’s that hung just inside the restaurant’s front entrance .

Continuing her fascination of sponge divers, she created two nearly identical pastel renderings of a traditional sponge diver in fully suited gear working a midst an array of colorful and curious fish as he collects live sponges and deposits them in his bag . As well, Harriet also created new signage for Zorba’s restaurant and bar, as is depicted in her original sketches which are on display at the art exhibit .

World Traveler

For a decade Harriet celebrated her birthdays on fabulous adventures, beginning with a trip to Honduras at the age of 66 . In 1978 it was off to Europe, where she saw Spain, England, France,

With her dog, Wolf, at Portage Glacier, Alaska, 1956.

With her mother, Drucilla, in Florida, 1959.

and took a side trip to Morocco where she rode a camel on her 67th birthday .

For her next trip, in 1979, she was excited to see Italy However, at the last minute decided not only to take her granddaughter, Gabrielle along, but also, to expand the trip to an 18-day excursion of Austria, England, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, and Switzerland . It was an exciting trip for both, and unearthed in Gabrielle that incredible sense of adventure that had so driven her grandmother for the whole of her life

The saying, ‘what happens in Bangkok, stays in Bangkok’ meant nothing to Harriet . For her 69th birthday she traveled to Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and South China There, displaying her love of animals, she rode a water buffalo and had her smiling picture taken with a snake draped around her neck .

In 1981, India was the next stop on Harriet’s world tour, where she marveled at the people and the architecture The brightly colored clothing, art and buildings were awe-inspiring to her . Clearly a tourist, Harriet’s curious and friendly demeanor

With granddaughter, Gabrielle in Innsbruck, Austria, 1979.

Snake handling in Bangkok, 1980.

Moroccan camel ride, 1978.

made her welcomed among those she met, and of course, she had her birthday ride, this time atop an elephant

At the age of 71, it was off to Africa on safari . Harriet’s stories of being out in the field and witnessing first hand, the bold, beautiful creatures of that region in their natural element, completely unaffected by human presence was amazing to her . She described nights in her tent hearing the movements and sounds of wild animals in the darkness and watching a kill take place out on the open plain during the daylight hours . Her pastel rendering of a male lion, lying in the deep grass was taken from one of the many photographs of that trip .

Water buffalo ride, Indonesia, 1980.

Gathered with local women, India, 1981.

Atop an elephant in India, 1981.

Posing with tribesmen in Kenya, 1982.

Alaska bound, again, this time to the Aleutian Island of Sand Point; Harriet was off to visit her grandsons, Lynn and Dale, for her 72nd birthday . Never having been to this remote region of the state, she marveled at the life her grandsons had built for themselves as fishermen performing the most dangerous of jobs in the world in the most treacherous bodies of water in the world, the Bering Sea .

A very exciting trip was planned in 1985, as Harriet and her daughter Jean made their first trip together to another continent . This being Jean’s first trip to Europe, it was an even greater thrill to Harriet to be sharing this adventure with her . They went to France, and of course, to Paris to see Gene Fenn, who had not seen Jean since she was a small child . Then it was on to Italy, and from there, to Greece where they walked among the ancient ruins of the Parthenon and the Coliseum in Athens . Highlights of the trip included a donkey ride on the island of Santorini, which took them on a trek up the long stairway to the town of Fira that lies on the rim of the volcano around which the island is built As well, they visited the ancient city of Ephesus in

Celebrating her 72nd birthday, Alaska, 1983. With daughter, Jean, near the Eiffel Tower, Paris, 1985.

On safari in Africa, 1982.

Turkey where Harriet jokingly perched upon one of the multi-seated community toilets of the time that are still found there

In 1986, at the age of 75, Harriet retired from her job as a nurse’s aide at Anclote Manor Hospital . With that, she made one more trip to Sand Point, Alaska, where, at that time, all three of her grandchildren now lived, as well as the new arrival of her first great-grandchild, Lynn, Jr It was on this trip that the beauty and wonder of the wild surroundings gave way to Harriet’s paintings of Squaw Harbor, The Pilings and Salmon Season.

When Harriet retired from her job at the hospital, her friend and life-long admirer, Burns Kurtz invited her to spend time at his home in New York, near the Pocono’s Harriet’s return to familiar surroundings re-energized her creative appetite, as she took in the many picturesque sights of the

area . Paintings from this time include Milkweed, The Butcher’s Shop, and The Stone Arch Bridge.

As she was only an hour from her childhood home of Clark’s Summit, Pennsylvania, she spent many afternoons visiting her best friend since pre-school, Emily Lutz . Both were high-spirited throughout their lives and found fun whenever they were together

1n 1989 Harriet made her first land purchase Finding her place in north Florida, she built her dream home in Old Town and settled there in 1990, with her two dogs, her two acres of wooded bliss and her art . With a place of her very own, she created portraits of the members of her family both

Taking the donkey ride in Santorini, 1985.

On the back deck of a fishing boat, Alaska, 1986.

living and dead, unearthed decade’s old newspaper clippings of wildlife and scenery she thought would someday make nice paintings, as well as capturing

on canvas the images she photographed during her travels around the world .

It should be noted that Harriet especially liked the works of the great impressionist painters Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir Her styling in several of her own paintings is reflective of impressionism In viewing many of her landscapes, they become more clearly focused to the eye when the observer stands a few feet back and takes in the entire depth and scope of the scene

At the age of 81 she successfully fought cancer and managed to return to her life in the woods . However, by the age of 89 her free spirit and creativity were stolen from her by the affects of Alzheimer’s . Although until her 94th birthday, there were those days when that bright, humorous, mischievous spirit that was so Harriet did shine through .

It is the hope of Harriet’s family that her art will be enjoyed and looked upon as an extension of her – a strong, adventurous woman who loved her family and made the most of all that life had to offer

Working at home on one of her very last paintings, 1999.

The home she designed and had built was the first home she ever owned, Florida, 1990.

The Harriet Muller Collection k

Alaska

TITle: alaskan Fisherman

Year: 1995 MedIUM: oil on Canvas loCale: Sand Point, alaska SIZe: 16” w x 20” h

Harriet’s grandson, Dale, was a commercial fisherman in Alaska for 15 years . He began his fishing career as a ‘shrimper’ in Tarpon Springs in the late 1970’s, after serv ing in the U .S . Marine Corps .

TITle: dinner Party

Year: 1987 MedIUM: oil on Canvas loCale: Sand Point, alaska SIZe: 22” w x 28” h

In celebration of Harriet’s 72nd birthday, her grandchil dren threw her a lovely dinner party and she went all the way to the Aleutian Islands to attend . Pictured here is Harriet’s granddaughter, Gabrielle as she sets the table for dinner

TITle: Jean with Child Year: 1964 MedIUM: oil on Masonite loCale: anchorage, alaska SIZe: 18”w x 24”h

While studying with well-known Alaskan artist, Was sily Sommer, Harriet began to explore the medium of oil painting . Here, her daughter, Jean, pregnant with her daughter, Gabrielle, sat for this painting to help fulfill the requirements of a portrait class she was taking .

TITle: Man the Skiff

Year: 1985 MedIUM: oil on Canvas loCale: Sand Point, alaska SIZe: 16” w x 20” h

Among the skills of Alaskan fishermen, one is the ability to properly run the skiff Here, Harriet’s grandson, Dale, was captured doing just that . She removed the sunglasses he was wearing in the photograph and painted in his piercing blue eyes .

NOTE: Although Harriet mastered so many elements in the painting of people, hands, she said, were always the hardest to ‘get right’ In this rendering, it should be noted that she finally got the hands ‘right’, to the point of perfection

TITle: Majestic Mount McKinley

Year: 1993

MedIUM: oil on Canvas loCale: eastern alaska SIZe: 16” w x 20” h

Mt . McKinley is North America’s highest mountain peak, and is visited by many artists seeking to capture her beauty on canvas . On a clear day it can be seen for hundreds of miles, standing far above the mountainous terrain . Harriet took great pleasure in having such breathtaking scenery so readily available to her .

TITle: Mount Sanford Sketch

Year: 1954 MedIUM: oil on Canvas loCale: eastern alaska SIZe: 12” w x 9” h

A small sketch Harriet did of Mt Sanford de picting its individuality .

TITle: Mount Sanford Year: 1992 MedIUM: oil on Canvas loCale: Central Interior, alaska SIZe: 16” w x 20” h

Mt . Sanford is in eastern Alaska near the Cop per River, and is the third highest volcano in the U S Harriet’s original sketch of this view was in 1954, from the unpaved Denali high way while visiting her sister Jean who lived in the small cabin seen in the painting .

TITLE: Planting Season

YEAR: 1956 MEDIUM: Pastel LOCALE: South Central, Alaska SIZE: 18”w x 12”h

The Matanuska Valley is rimmed by the Alaska Range, the Talkeetna Mountains and the Chugach Mountains . With the active glacier streams of the Susitna, Matanuska, and Knik rivers terminating into the Cook Inlet, the large amounts of silt lend to well to farming . This is one of the few areas in Alaska which supports agriculture .

TITLE: Salmon Season

YEAR: 1987 MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas LOCALE: Tolstoy Point, Alaska SIZE: 18” w x 24” h

The fishing vessel “Defender” sets off Tolstoy Point in the Aleutian Islands ready with its nets out for one of the 24-hour fishing seasons Many of the islands boast these steep, beautiful cliffs, which means the fishermen must keep a watchful eye at all times, as running aground in these waters would often prove to be a fatal .

TITLE: Squaw Harbor YEAR: 1987

MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas LOCALE: Unga Island, Alaska SIZE: 16” w x 20” h

Squaw Harbor, located on Unga Island, a port in the Aleu tian Islands, was once a thriving fish cannery . Today its only inhabitants are a maintenance man and the island’s natural wild life

TITLE: The Bear’s Path YEAR: 1993 MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas LOCALE: Chistochina, Alaska SIZE: 20” w x 16” h

Harriet discovered the bear’s path in the old mining town of Chistochina, which is located on the Copper River . The grizzly bears have literally worn a path in the rock terrain over the years, as they travel up and down the mountain to the river for water and to fish .

TITLE: The Glacier Bear YEAR: 1964

MEDIUM: Pastel LOCALE: Alaska SIZE: 171/2”w X 12”h

Appearing to have a blue hue, glacier bears are seldom seen, let alone photographed . Harriet drew this from a newspaper photo in the Anchorage Times that also gave a description of the rare animal’s coloring .

TITLE: The Blanket Toss YEAR: 1986 MEDIUM: Pastel LOCALE: Anchorage, Alaska SIZE: 12” w x 18” h

February in Alaska means the Fur Rendezvous; a traditional event in the land of the midnight sun centered around the fur trade . Eskimos play many games and perform rituals at the festival, such as the blanket toss . This also the start of the world famous Iditarod dog sled race that begins in Anchorage and ends in Nome .

TITLE: The Harvest YEAR: 1990 MEDIUM: Oil on Masonite LOCALE: South Central, Alaska SIZE: 24”w x 18”h

More than 23,000 miles comprises the valleys of the Matanuska and big Susitna rivers, and it’s one of the most settled areas in Alaska . Although homesteaders first came in the 1930’s, and Harriet did not arrive until 1951, it was still a wild and wonderful place, which could hardly be described as settled

TITLE: The Matanuska Glacier YEAR: 1992 MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas LOCALE: South Central, Alaska SIZE: 18” w x 24” h

This painting captures nature’s cycle of moun tains molded by an age old glacier, to its melt ing and the birthing of the Matanuska River The river, located in South Central Alaska, is approximately 75 miles long and runs through two mountain ranges .

TITLE: The McLaren River YEAR: 1966 MEDIUM: Pastel LOCALE: Alaska SIZE: 18” w x 12” h

Harriet drew this while staying with friends at the McLaren River Lodge, which is located just east of Mt McKinley, and about 80 miles from the Denali highway which is a mostly dirt road in the summer and only snowmobile worthy in the winter

TITLE: The Pilings YEAR: 1988 MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas LOCALE: Popof Island, Alaska SIZE: 24” w x 18” h

At first glance, this painting gives the impres sion of an illusion – what are we really seeing here? The pilings of Wakefield’s Dock at the Sand Point spit made for an interesting com position when viewed from the underside, utilizing the reflection that was created in the water .

TITLE: The Inland Passage YEAR: 1966

MEDIUM: Pastel

LOCALE: Southeastern, Alaska SIZE: 12” w x 18” h

On one trip home to Alaska Harriet took the ferry from Prince Rupert, Canada to Haines, Alaska . This route fol lows the Southeastern coast of Alaska, which is known as the Inland Passage .

TITLE: The Trapper’s Den YEAR: 1992

MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas

LOCALE: Alaska SIZE: 20” w x 16” h

Always inspired by all she encountered in Alaska, Harriet was taken with a picture she found in a local newspaper of this trapper’s den . It spoke volumes to her artistic mind of a quiet, peaceful hideaway where one could work passionately at what they loved In 1990, Harriet built her hideaway home in the woods of North Florida where she lived with her two dogs and painted to her heart’s content for a decade .

Florida

TITLE: Captain Lynn

YEAR: 1984

MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas

LOCALE: Tarpon Springs, Florida

SIZE: 18” w x 24” h

Harriet’s grandson, Lynn began his fishing career in 1975 in Tarpon Springs working as a ‘shrimper’ . In 1980, he moved back to Alaska to take advantage of the commer cial fishing boom there, and stayed until 1990

TITLE: The Sponge Diver

YEAR: 1972

MEDIUM: Pastel on Masonite

LOCALE: Tarpon Springs, Florida SIZE: 24” w x 30” h

One of the tourist attractions of the Sponge Docks is watching a sponge diver suit up, go over the side of the boat and return to the surface bearing a live sponge . This is Harriet’s interpretation of a diver harvesting sponges, a trade which began in Tarpon Springs in the 1880’s While the sponge trade no longer sustains the community, its heritage does carry on .

TITLE: Going Fishing

YEAR: 1996

MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas

LOCALE: Tarpon Springs, Florida

SIZE: 16” w x 20” h

With Harriet’s imagination at work again, here Lynn, Jr ., at age 10, is going fishing .

TITLE: Lake Tarpon

YEAR: 1975 MEDIUM: Oil on Masonite

LOCALE: Tarpon Springs, Florida SIZE: 16” w x 17” h

Having the distinction of being the largest lake in Pinellas County, Lake Tarpon once boasted a lush shoreline of moss draped cypress trees as seen here in Harriet’s rendering of the un touched landscape during the 1970’s

TITLE: Deer in the Woods

YEAR: 1998 MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas LOCALE: North Florida SIZE: 24”w x 18”h

One of the things Harriet loved best about the haven she had created for herself in the woods of North Florida was catching glimpses of the deer that would often find their way through her property .

TITLE: Lemon Street Pines

YEAR: 1986 MEDIUM: Pastel LOCALE: Tarpon Springs, Florida SIZE: 12” w x 18” h

Prior to all the growth and construction, pine trees such as these were plentiful in Tarpon Springs . These particu lar trees stood across the way from the family home on Lemon Street that has since been pushed through to ac commodate the building . Harriet’s imagination brought in the misty mountains seen here, reminiscent of the landscape she saw whilst traveling in the Orient .

TITLE: Mooring on the Anclote YEAR: 1972 MEDIUM: Oil on Masonite LOCALE: Tarpon Springs, Florida SIZE: 30” w x 24” h

The Anclote River in Tarpon Springs offered unlimited potential to Harriet when it came to her painting As a transplant to Tarpon, she spent a great deal of time on the river, even living for several years on the sailboat, the Jaeger, with her beau, Ernie .

TITLE: River Village YEAR: 1987

MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas LOCALE: Tarpon Springs, Florida SIZE: 24”w x 18”h

River Village Trailer Park winds along the Anclote River in Tarpon Springs . This particular painting was done of the view off a dock on Riverview Lane, many years prior to the construction of the housing development now in place .

TITLE: Shorty’s Watch YEAR: 1975 MEDIUM: Oil on Masonite LOCALE: Tarpon Springs, Florida SIZE: 30” w x 24” h

A local resident of Tarpon Springs and a fixture about the Anclote River, “Shorty” was a man of rather small stature, but of grand personality . To Harriet, “Shorty” was as much a part of this painting as the boats, the river, and the docks .

TITLE: Swamp Sunrise

YEAR: 1987

MEDIUM: Oil on Masonite

LOCALE: Florida SIZE: 20” w x 30” h

In another image from Harriet’s vivid imagination, here the early morning sun’s first light on the swamp awakens the stillness

TITLE: Clearwater

YEAR: 1965

MEDIUM: Pastel

LOCALE: Clearwater, Florida SIZE: 12w x 18”h

In the 1960’s this was the view one had as they drove south on Alt 19 through Dunedin on the way to Clearwater .

TITLE: Shrimpers on the Anclote YEAR: 1988

MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas

LOCALE: Tarpon Springs, Florida

SIZE: 36” w x 24” h

A full moon brings the shrimpers to the dock, causing the Anclote River to buzz with excite ment and energy . Here, part of the local fleet makes its way up the river to unload their catch, clean up and howl at the moon if time permits, before icing up to go out shrimping again .

TITLE: The Tinsley YEAR: 1999

MEDIUM: Oil on Masonite

LOCALE: Tarpon Springs, Florida SIZE: 18” w x 24” h

The Tinsley was a fine boat, with a mysterious life Her obituary made the newspaper, however, her secrets went untold . In 1966, Harriet’s beau was hired to captain the 104-foot vessel from Tarpon Springs to Passe-a-Grille, where it was to go up for auction . However, the cruise had a fiery end and the crew was retrieved from the wa ter by a passing boat .

Northeast

TITLE: Callicoon Creek

YEAR: 1988

MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas

LOCALE: Calliccon, New York SIZE: 18” w x 24” h

Once called “Beaverkill Creek,” Callicoon Creek flows through the town of Callicoon, in Sullivan County, New York . Again, Harriet brings a sense of tranquility out in her art, allowing you to nearly bathe in the warmth of the sun as the faint sound of trickling water flows beneath the shade of the trees .

TITLE: Milkweed

YEAR: 1988

MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas LOCALE: Upstate, New York SIZE: 24” w x 20” h

Harriet took several photos of the milkweed to study its transformation . Here she created the soft, breezy, floating of the milkweed’s silk bursting forth, and becoming airborne .

TITLE: One Stone Arch

YEAR: 1988

MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas

LOCALE: Sullivan County, New York SIZE: 16” w x 20” h

In use for more than 100 years now, this bridge is a testa ment to the German and Swiss masons who were careful to choose the type and shape of stones they used when con structing this strong, long-standing work of art . Perhaps Harriet’s eye of appreciation came from her father’s work as a civil engineer, and his specializing in bridge building .

TITLE: Spring on the Pequannock River

YEAR: 1948 MEDIUM: Pastel LOCALE: Lincoln Park, New Jersey SIZE: 6”w x 9”h

One of Harriet’s favorite places to go, as it was quiet and near the woods at the north end of Sandy Beach; one of the town’s only places to enjoy sand and swimming in the summertime .

TITLE: Fall on the Pequannock River YEAR: 1948 MEDIUM: Pastel LOCALE: Lincoln Park, New Jersey SIZE: 6”w x 9”h

The fall colors gave Harriet a brand new scene to paint of a very familiar place .

TITLE: The Fishermen YEAR: 1979 MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas LOCALE: Northeastern, U S SIZE: 30” w x 24” h

Harriet clipped a photo from the newspaper and tucked it away for years until she was ready to paint . Her feel for the subject matter and color transformed a black & white clip ping into an image for which you can almost hear the gulls and feel the sea air

TITLE: Old Stone Arch Bridge YEAR: 1988 MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas

LOCALE: Sullivan County, New York SIZE: 24” w x 20” h

Built around 1880 in Sullivan County, New York, is listed on the National Registry of His torical Places, few bridges of this kind and structure are still in existence today . By add ing uncut, high foliage, Harriet took this his toric site back in time to a scene untouched by construction .

TITLE: Serenity YEAR: 1963 MEDIUM: Pastel LOCALE: Clark’s Summit, Pennsylvania SIZE: 12” w x 18” h

This is a rendering of Harriet’s father fishing on a lake near Clark’s Summit, Pennsylvania where they lived until Harriet was 12 Walt was a simple man who enjoyed the simple things of life .

TITLE: The Butcher Shop YEAR: 1988

MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas

LOCALE: Sullivan County, New York SIZE: 28” w x 22” h

In the true sense of country living, this farm was known as ‘the butcher shop’ . It was here that Harriet and the other neighbors shopped for their meat and eggs, as the freshness and quality just couldn’t be beat .

TITLE: Dad’s Poppies

YEAR: 1948

MEDIUM: Pastel

LOCALE: Lincoln Park, New Jersey SIZE: 12” w x 20” h

These brilliantly colored poppies bloomed every year in the center of Harriet’s father’s vegetable garden . This was one of four live flower pictures and the only survivor of the set .

TITLE: Country Kids

YEAR: 1999 MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas LOCALE: Pennsylvania SIZE: 20” w x 16” h

Approached by a doctor at Mayo Clinic about a book cover, Harriet wanted to show healthy, happy children in the country as she had been raised . This is the last painting Harriet started, but never finished As the Alzheimer’s set in, her ability to paint diminished along with her train of thought .

TITLE: Pansies

YEAR: 1948

MEDIUM: Pastel LOCALE: New Jersey SIZE: 6”w x 9”h

Harriet enjoyed the deep and changing colors in the pan sies with their velvet-like texture When she was expect ing company for dinner, she would send her daughter over to the graveyard to pick fresh ones for the table’s centerpiece .

In The Moment

TITLE: A Perfect Day YEAR: 1994 MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas LOCALE: Florida SIZE: 20” w x 16” h

What better way to spend a perfect day – en joying temped weather and blue skies and not having a care or worry in the world Harriet painted this picture for her granddaughter, Ga brielle, as a wedding gift . The marriage didn’t last, but the wish for perfect days has carried on and been realized many times over .

TITLE: Orchestra: The Grand Piano YEAR: 1965 MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas LOCALE: Anchorage, Alaska SIZE: 8” w x 5” h

The piano caught Harriet’s eye while working on ‘The String Section’ .

TITLE: Orchestra: The String Section YEAR: 1965 MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas LOCALE: Anchorage, Alaska SIZE: 24” w x 18” h

Harriet’s art teacher, Wassily Sommer also played cello for the Anchorage Orchestra Depicted here is her answer to the teacher’s challenge to capture a rehearsal on canvas . This painting is actually a duplicate; the identical original, painted on masonite was recently discovered wrapped in paper and stored in a closet .

TITLE: A Bison at Altamira YEAR: 1992 MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas LOCALE: Old Town, Florida SIZE: 30” w x 24” h

“A bison at Altamira, Spain” was among the first cave paintings accepted as more than a forgery . Harriet found this picture in the In ternational Wildlife magazine (March-April 1989 issue) . Before she could replicate it she had to mathematically figure the dimensions, bringing it to scale from the 3” w x 3 5” h im age in the article to the 30” x 24” piece seen here . Seems her education in engineering did not fall by the wayside .

TITLE: Ambush YEAR: 1992 MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas LOCALE: Old Town, Florida SIZE: 30” w x 40” h

This painting was described as, “Ice-age bowmen ambush a herd of deer on a cliff face in eastern Spain . Whether the scene represents an actual hunt or an attempt to in voke a similar triumph is unknown” . Taken from the same International Wildlife magazine as “A bison at Al tamira”, this painting also required a few calculations to bring it to the scale Harriet envisioned before she painted her replication

TITLE: White Tiger

YEAR: 1987 MEDIUM: Pastel LOCALE: Tarpon Springs, Florida SIZE: 18” w x 12” h

As a companion picture to the lion, Harriet drew this white tiger from a photo taken by her granddaughter-in-law, Dawn, while at Bush Gardens .

TITLE: African Lion

YEAR: 1987 MEDIUM: Pastel LOCALE: Kenya, Africa SIZE: 18” w x 12” h

While on safari in Africa, a lady from the group captured this lion on film . Upon returning home she sent a copy of the picture to Harriet and asked if she would do a picture for her When Harriet had finished the first lion, she was so pleased with the end result, that she drew a second for herself

Portraits

TITLE: At the Ballet YEAR: 1971

MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas LOCALE: Dayton, Ohio SIZE: 16” w x 20” h

An afternoon with Gramma usually included something art-related . Here, Harriet’s granddaughter, Gabrielle, aged six, sat as still as possible while watching her first ballet on television . As Swan Lake carried on, so did Har riet, whose goal it was to have the painting completed before her own daughter returned the next day from out of town .

TITLE: Happy 19th YEAR: 1984 MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas LOCALE: Holiday, Florida SIZE: 24” w x 18” h

The photograph is of Gabrielle on her 19th birthday . Harriet, not caring for her haircut at the time, painted her with a completely new hair-do .

TITLE: Eric YEAR: 1991

MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas LOCALE: Tarpon Springs, Florida SIZE: 18” w x 24” h

A family friend, Eric Chase, delighted Harriet with his easy-going ways and boyish good looks . Again from her imagination, Harriet decided Eric would’ve made a fit ting Elizabethan minstrel .

TITLE: Lynn, Jr YEAR: 1988 MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas LOCALE: Sand Point, Alaska SIZE: 16”w x 20”h

All toll, Harriet had three grandchildren and three greatgrandchildren . This portrait was painted when Lynn, Jr ., now 22, was two He was her first great-grandchild

TITLE: Butch YEAR: 1991 MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas LOCALE: Holiday, Florida SIZE: 18” w x 24” h

Harriet’s son-in-law, Butch Cunningham, a long-time resident of Tarpon Springs actually wore this hat from time to time Many may remember Butch as owner of Jack’s Sunoco on the corner of Pinellas & Tarpon Avenues during the 1960’s & 70’s . David “Butch” Cunningham 1937 – 2003

TITLE: Jean YEAR: 1991 MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas LOCALE: Holiday, Florida SIZE: 24” w x 20” h

In 1991, Harriet decided that portraits would be the perfect Christmas gift . This is one of a collection of six she did of the family . As an added gift everyone got a new hat for Christ mas as well .

TITLE: Lynn YEAR: 1964 MEDIUM: Pastel LOCALE: Anchorage, Alaska SIZE: 12”w x 18”h

One might say this was the beginning of Harriet’s portrait work, the face came from a photograph of both grand sons posed together, but Lynn had to pose holding a block of wood to for the positioning of his hands .

TITLE: Dale YEAR: 1964 MEDIUM: Pastel LOCALE: Anchorage, Alaska SIZE: 12”w x 18”h

Again, the face was taken from a photograph with his brother, and Dale had to pose with a piece of wood for positioning of his hands . Being happy with the outcome, Harriet plunged into the study of portraits .

TITLE: Nancy

YEAR: 1991

MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas LOCALE: Tarpon Springs, Florida SIZE: 18” w x 24” h

Nancy Manson, Harriet’s niece This was painted from a photo taken at Nancy and Pete’s wedding in 1978 . Note: Nancy didn’t get a hat but was instead given a book to hold

TITLE: Pete

YEAR: 1991

MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas LOCALE: Tarpon Springs, Florida SIZE: 18” w x 24” h

Peter Manson, a long-time Tarpon resident, and Butch’s best friend, married into the family when he betrothed Harriet’s favorite niece, Nancy .

TITLE: Shelley YEAR: 1995

MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas LOCALE: Tarpon Springs, Florida SIZE: 16” w x 20” h

Harriet’s second great-granddaughter, Shelley, now 16, still wears the same happy, jokingly, cute smile .

TITLE: Sarah YEAR: 1992

MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas LOCALE: Tarpon Springs, Florida SIZE: 18” w x 24” h

Every little girl is a bright flower filled with wonder . Here Harriet painted her first great-granddaughter, Sarah, now 19, in a beautiful, imaginary secret garden .

TITLE: The Bird YEAR: 1969

MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas LOCALE: Anchorage, Alaska SIZE: 12” w x 17” h

From Harriet’s imagination, 4-year-old granddaugh ter, Gabrielle seems to be drawn to a wild bird that has perched itself at her bedroom window .

Harriet Crothamel Muller 1911–2005

For information on reproductions of exhibit paintings, contact Jean Cunningham, 727-934-8873, email: jdcc@ij .net .

Exhibit book lovingly produced by Gabrielle Wood / Gabrielle@gdwink com