An Artful Gift Passed on to a New Generation

An Artful Gift Passed on to a New Generation

By Jodi Nash

There’s much scientific debate over whether great aptitude, be it musical, athletic, mathematic or artistic, is genetically inherited, or developed through nurturing and practice. The truth probably lies somewhere in between.

Research does clarify (and common sense reinforces) that the best performers only reached their high achievement level because they started learning and practicing from an early age ~ and spent more time than most perfecting their skill day in, day out.

If that’s the case, then ten-year-old Morgan Settle has a jump on it. Her great- grandfather, Wesley Dennis, was a gifted and iconic artist, most famously known for his illustrations of Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry. Born in 1903 in Falmouth, Massachusetts, he grew up on Cape Cod, always loved horses, and had a natural gift for drawing.

Fine art is definitely in young Morgan Settle’s gene pool.

Photo by Jodi Nash

Wesley ultimately moved to a Warrenton farm where he raised his two sons, Reid and Morgan, the late and beloved long-time manager of the Middleburg Tennis Club. Like her great-grandfather, sixth grader Morgan Settle loves animals. She always had a crayon and coloring book in her hands as a toddler and she’s now constantly creating art in a multitude of mediums.

Her mother, Devon Settle, Wesley’s granddaughter, is executive director of the Fauquier SPCA, where Morgan can often be found drawing or painting, or working as a volunteer.

She does small clay miniatures of animals, food plates, mushrooms and fairy houses, sketches in colored pencils and oil pastels, and paints with acrylics, mostly on canvas. Working with a neighbor, Pam Pittinger, an accomplished professional artist, Morgan is constantly sharpening her skills.

“I like doing art because I get to experiment and find my own style,” Morgan said, adding that she’s a great admirer of her great-grandfather’s unique artistic style, as well. “Then I try to improve it.”

Her home and bedroom walls are filled with his art, both sketches and paintings, some cherished originals, some prints, all remarkable for their animation, energy, and animal expression.

If personality exists across the entire animal kingdom, as scientists now suspect, then Wesley Dennis had an intuitive sense of it. To the untrained eye, it clearly looks as if Morgan has that same focused creative passion and talent.

Wesley Dennis moved to Boston at 17, and family legend has it he first secured paid work by passing off his older brother’s work as his own.

As a young adult, Wesley moved to Paris to hone his skills with renowned artist Lowes Dalbiac Luard, famous for his charcoal drawings and paintings of horses. Returning from France in 1932, Wesley frequented the racetrack in Boston, sketching horses, and selling the sketches often to the owners of the winners.

He eventually illustrated over 150 books, including Anna Sewell’s Black Beauty and John Steinbeck’s The Red Pony. He also wrote and illustrated a few of his own, among which are “Flip,” and “Flip and the Cows.” Marguerite Henry discovered his work when she entered a children’s library and pulled “Flip” out of the stacks. They collaborated for 20 years, publishing 16 books.

Wesley humbly called himself an “illustrator,” but in fact produced some exquisite stand-alone art work. And these days, his great-grandaughter seems to be carrying on the tradition.

For more on Wesley Dennis, visit the exhibition “Storied Friends: Marguerite Henry and Wesley Dennis” running through September 11 at the National Sporting Library and Museum in Middleburg.