Stephen T. Rascoe: A Life in Art | Paintings from 1949-1980

Page 1

STEPHEN T. RASCOE

JUNE 1- JULY 3, 2024

Foltz FINE ART

StephenT.Rascoe(1924–2008)

TheartofStephenRascoe(1924–2008)spanssixdecades,andencompassesthevastarrayofcolors,lines,shapes,and vignettesthatbothdefinedtheartist’sexperiencesandsparkedhiscreativityfromthetimehewasaboythroughouthis entirelife.Rascoetransformedthemanylandscapes,interiors,andpeopleheencounteredintorich,vibrant compositionsfilledwithrecognizableimageryinfusedwithabstractedelementshighlightingthefundamentalvisual elementsandspatialrelationshipswithinthepictureplane.

AveteranofWorldWarIIandgraduateoftheArtInstituteofChicago,Rascoewasexposedtoabroadrangeof geographies,cultures,andphilosophies.TheeffectsoftheseexperiencesinformedRascoe’sworksignificantlyyet judiciously,ashemaintainedanunfailingcommitmenttoimpartacertainnaturalismandbeautyintoeverythinghe produced.Ultimately,Rascoewantedtomake“thekindofartyoucanlivewith.”

Rascoeworkedprofessionallyfrom1951to2008,andduringthattimeleftanindelibleimpressiononcollectors, students,andtheartcommunityinNorthTexasandacrosstheUnitedStates.Rascoewasafixtureofthepostwar Texasartscenewhofrequentlyshowedalongsidemid-centurycontemporariessuchasOtisDozier,KellyFearing, MichaelFrary,DeForestJudd,WilliamLester,EverettSpruce,andCharlesUmlauf,alongwithFortWorthCircle artistsBillBomar,DicksonReeder,andBrorUtter.

OfRascoe’swork,theDallasMorningNewswrote,“Hisstyletendstoquietlyabstractessentialsofform,notstarkly orirresponsibly,butboldly,withsinewofstructuredominatingmood.”Likewise,theCorpusChristiCaller-Times describedhisworkashaving“acontrolledyetrichpalette,linearvariation,andaccent…carefullyplannedand skillfullyappliedcolor…andExpressionist-likemasculinityofattack.”

BorninUvalde,Texas,in1924,RascoegrewupinCorpusChristi,andthenattendedtheUniversityofTexas,before servinginWorldWarII.HecompletedhisundergraduateworkinFineArtattheArtInstituteofChicago,wherehe subsequentlyearnedanMFAin1951.AfterworkingasadraftsmanforTexacoandthenShellOil,in1964,Rascoe tookapositionasartinstructoratUTA—apostofferedtohimbyHowardJoyner,whofoundedtheartprogramatthe universityandalsoplayedakeyroleinthedevelopmentoftheArlingtonArtAssociation,andeventuallytheArlington MuseumofArt.RascoeservedasprofessorofartatUTAuntilhisretirementin1992.

Rascoe’spaintingscanbefoundinthepermanentcollectionsoftheDallasMuseumofArt,theHoustonMuseumof Art,theArtMuseumofSouthTexas,theTexasA&MUniversityMuseum,UTA,SouthernMethodistUniversity, TexasFineArtsAssociationLagunaGloriaMuseum,andtheBlantonMuseumofArtinAustin.Hisworkalsoappears innumerousprivateandpubliccollections.

-BiographyofStephenRascoebyPaulaKornyeTillman

ArtistStatement

Inmylife’swork,Ihavebeeninfluencedbymostoftheinternationalartstyles,butItakefromthestyleandjoinittowhat Iseeinnature,distillingthecomplexityofnaturebythestyle.

Ihavepaintedlarge,veryabstractpaintingsformuseumsshows,butIfinallydecidedthatwhatIlikebestistopaintwhat Iwouldliketolivewith,andthatIhopeotherpeoplewillliketolivewith,too.Thishasreinforcementinsomethingthat JeanRenoir,thefilmmaker,expressedwhenhewasinterviewedafterthetheftofhisfather’s(PierreAugusteRenoir) paintingsfromhishomeinHollywood.Hesaid(sic)“IhopethatwhoeverhasthemwillenjoythemasmuchasIdidover mylifetime.”

WhenIstartedapainting,IalwayshavesomethinginmindthatIwanttodo(sometimesmakingsketchesbeforehand),but it’slikeavoyageofdiscovery.Itisalwaysexcitingtostartoutandencounter“accidents”alongtheway,thataddupto makethepaintingcomealive.Oneexamplewouldbetheoverlappingofsomecolorswithothercolors.

Manytimes,Ithinkintermsofseeingsomethingthroughsomethingelse–asunriseorsunsetthroughaforest,ororanges onatablethroughavase,orlightthroughaflightofbirds,orthroughacomplexsilhouetteofracinghorsemen.

FoltzFineArt
2143Westheimer Houston,TX77098 713.521.7500 www.foltzgallery.com
2143Westheimer|Houston,TX77098|713.521.7500|www.foltzgallery.com

Mylong-timeDallasartdealer,MaryNye,wroteanoteononeofmyinvoices,toapotentialpurchaserofaseagull painting,“FlightinGoldenSunlight”:“Thisisaconstanttheme–tocatchthesoundandactionofbirdsinflight.”Then shewentontolistseveralclients,describingseagullpaintingsodminethattheyhadpurchases.

Sailboatsarefrequentlythesubjectofmypaintings.They,liketheseagulls,aresymbolsoffreedom.Often mypaintingscombinesailboatsandseagulls.

StephenThomasRascoe(1924-2008)

B.UvaldeD:Arlington. Painter,watercolorist. CorpusChristi.

Studied:DelMarCollege;UniversityofTexas,Austin;ArtInstituteofChicago(B.F.A.,1949,M.F.A.,1951);Antonio Garcia.

Member:TexasFineArtsAssociation;SouthTexasArtLeague(president); ArlingtonArtAssociation;FortWorthArtAssociation;DallasArtAssociation.

SoloExhibitions

1952Solo,JamesButeCo.Gallery,Houston,TX

1953Solo,JamesButeCo.Gallery,Houston,TX

1954,Solo,LittleTheater,CorpusChristi,TX

~Including:StillLifewithMowers,DarkBird,Palms,DesertVillage,LandscapewithTrees,BicycleParade, LandscapewithHorses,BoatsatDawn,TheBridgeandFleetofSmallBoats

1958Solo,SouthwestTexasStateCollege,SanMarcos,TX

1958Solo,JamesButeGallery,Houston,TX

1958Solo,NyeGallery,Dallas,TX

~RocksandSea,TropicalCity,StillLifewithBouquet,DarkMountain,DriftwoodandBirds,Mountains,Sea BirdsandDriftwood,LandscapewithChristmasTrees,BouquetonaBalcony,Rocks-SeaandSky,Seascape,Still LifewithWhiteandBlueBouquet,MountainintheRain,DriftwoodwithThreeClouds,SeaGulls,SceneFroma Balcony,StillLifewithYellowBouquet,SeascapewithNetsandBoats,GirlwithBouquet,LandscapewithLake

1959Solo,MuseumforContemporaryArt,Waco,TX

1959Solo,MaryNyeContemporaryArtGallery,Dallas,TX HarborDawn

1960Solo,CentennialMuseum,CorpusChristi,TX

1962Solo,MaryNyeContemporaryArtGallery,Dallas,TX

1962Solo,LaredoStatesArtAssociation,Laredo,TX

1963Solo,MaryNyeContemporaryArtGallery,Dallas,TX

~TheSea

1964Solo,MaryNyeContemporaryArtGallery,Dallas,TX

1964Solo,TexarkanaArtGallery,Texarkana,TX

1966Solo,MaryNyeContemporaryArtGallery,Dallas,TX

1966Solo,UniversityofCorpusChristi,CorpusChristi,TX

2143Westheimer|Houston,TX77098|713.521.7500|www.foltzgallery.com

1969Solo,MaryNyeContemporaryArtGallery,Dallas,TX

1988Solo,ArlingtonMuseumofArt,Arlington,TX

2004Solo,80thBirthdayCelebration,GalerieKornyeWest,FortWorth,TX

2007Solo,GalerieKornyeWest,FortWorth,TX

SelectedExhibitions

1951CorpusChristiArtFoundationExhibition,CorpusChristi,TX AdobeVillage(watercolor)(honorablemention)

1951SouthwesternPrintsandDrawingsExhibition,DMFA,Dallas,TX Bullfight(linocut)

1952HoustonLocalArtistsExhibition,MFAH,Houston,TX

~LandscapewithRedTrees(prize)

~HouseontheBeach

1952TexasFineArtsAssociation,Austin,TX

1952TexasContemporaryArtists,MKnoedlerandCompany,NewYork,NY;ContemporaryArtsMuseum,Houston,TX

1952TexasWatercolorSociety

~Church ~AdobeVillage(prize)

1953TexasFineArtsAssociation,Austin,TX

1953TexasGeneral/TexasPaintingandSculptureExhibition,DMFA,Dallas,TX;MFAH,Houston,TX

~SmallBoatsatDawn

1953SouthTexasArtLeague,CorpusChristi,Tx

1954SouthTexasArtLeague,CorpusChristi,Tx BridgeatNight(honorablemention)

1955SouthTexasArtLeague,CorpusChristi,Tx SmallBoats(prize)

1955TexasGeneral/TexasPaintingandSculptureExhibition,DMFA,Dallas,TX;MFAH,Houston,TX SmallBoats

1956SouthTexasArtLeague,CorpusChristi,Tx

~Landscape(prize)

1956TexasGeneral/TexasPaintingandSculptureExhibition,DMFA,Dallas,TX;MFAH,Houston,TX

~OilFieldatNight(MFAHpurchaseprize)

1956CorpusChristiArtFoundationExhibition,CorpusChristi,TX

~SeaGulls(prize)

1957CorpusChristiArtFoundationExhibition,CorpusChristi,TX

~Seascape(prize)

1957TexasGeneral/TexasPaintingandSculptureExhibition,DMFA,Dallas,TX;MFAH,Houston,TX

~CanyonWalls(DMFApurchaseprize)

1957LongviewJuniorServiceLeagueAnnualInvitationals,Longview,TX

2143Westheimer|Houston,TX77098|7135217500|wwwfoltzgallerycom

1958TexasGeneral/TexasPaintingandSculptureExhibition,DMFA,Dallas,TX;MFAH,Houston,TX

~StillLifeonanOrangeTable

1958LongviewJuniorServiceLeagueAnnualInvitationals,Longview,TX

1958TexasFineArtsAssociation,Austin,TX WhiteWave TidelandSunrise

1958TexasFineArtsAssociation,Austin,TX Tideland

1958DDFeldmanCollectionofContemporaryArt,DMFA,Dallas,TX

1958ArtUSA,MadisonSquareGarden,NewYork,NY

1958TexasOil‘58,ASalutetotheOilIndustryoftheStatebyTexasPainters,DallasPublicLibrary,Dallas,TX

~Offshore(prize)

1958ArtistsWestoftheMississippi,DenverArtMuseum,Denver,CO

~SunPatterns

1959LongviewJuniorServiceLeagueAnnualInvitationals,Longview,TX

1959TexasFineArtsAssociation,Austin,TX

~Sunrise

~StillLifewithDriftwood

1959TexasGeneral/TexasPaintingandSculptureExhibition,DMFA,Dallas,TX;MFAH,Houston,TX

~Waterfall

1959DDFeldmanCollectionofContemporaryArt,DMFA,Dallas,TX OilFieldLights(purchaseprize)

195915FromTexas,HarwoodGallery,Taos,NM ThePinkMountain

1959SarasotaAnnuals,Sarasota,FL

1959MadeinTexasbyTexans,DallasMuseumforContemporaryArts,Dallas,TX

~SunriseReflections

1960MaryNyeContemporaryArtGallery,Dallas,TX

1960LongviewJuniorServiceLeagueAnnualInvitationals,Longview,TX

1960DDFeldmanCollectionofContemporaryArt,DMFA,Dallas,TX

1960SouthwesternArt:ASamplingofContemporaryPaintingandSculpture,DallasMuseumofFineArts,Dallas,TX

~CanyonWalls

1961LongviewJuniorServiceLeagueAnnualInvitationals,Longview,TX

1962TexasFineArtsAssociation,Austin,TX

~VerticalLandscape

1962JointwithHiramWilliams,NyeGallery,Dallas,TX

1962LongviewJuniorServiceLeagueAnnualInvitationals,Longview,TX

2143Westheimer|Houston,TX77098|7135217500|wwwfoltzgallerycom

1962SouthwesternStatesAnnualExhibition,Roswell,NM

1962-3TexasGeneral/TexasPaintingandSculptureExhibition,DMFA,Dallas,TX;MFAH,Houston,TX TheStorm

1963TexasGeneral/TexasPaintingandSculptureExhibition,DMFA,Dallas,TX;MFAH,Houston,TX ReflectionsinaSmallHarbor

1963LongviewJuniorServiceLeagueAnnualInvitationals,Longview,TX

196369thAnnualforWesternArtists,DenverArtMuseum,Denver,CO

1964LongviewJuniorServiceLeagueAnnualInvitationals,Longview,TX

1965MaryNyeContemporaryArtGallery,Dallas,TX

1965LongviewJuniorServiceLeagueAnnualInvitationals,Longview,TX

1966LongviewJuniorServiceLeagueAnnualInvitationals,Longview,TX

1966TarrantCountyAnnual,FortWorthArtCenter,FortWorth,TX ~GoochPrizewinner

1967MaryNyeContemporaryArtGallery,Dallas,TX

1967LongviewJuniorServiceLeagueAnnualInvitationals,Longview,TX

1967ArtistsWestoftheMississippi,DenverArtMuseum,Denver,CO

1968LongviewJuniorServiceLeagueAnnualInvitationals,Longview,TX

1968CushingGallery,Dallas,TX

1969LongviewJuniorServiceLeagueAnnualInvitationals,Longview,TX

1970LongviewJuniorServiceLeagueAnnualInvitationals,Longview,TX

1970BeaumontAnnual,BeaumontMuseumofArt,Beaumont,TX firstprize

1971LongviewJuniorServiceLeagueAnnualInvitationals,Longview,TX

1971TexasPaintingandSculpture:The20thCentury,travelingexhibition:PollockGalleries,SouthernMethodist University,Dallas,TX);TheWitteMemorialMuseum(ConfluenceMuseumHemisFairPlaza,SanAntonio,TX;The UniversityMuseum,UniversityofTexasatAustin,TX;TheAmonCarterMuseumofWesternArt,FortWorth,TX;andThe Museum,TexasTechUniversity,Lubbock,TX

1975SixAmericanArtists,USIndependentTelephoneAssociation,Fairmont,Dallas,TX

1977StewartGallery,Dallas,TX

1995IntheHandsofMan:Man’sInterpretation&TransformationofNature,CityHall,Dallas,TX ~CanyonWalls

2002AroundtheWorldinEightyPaintings,GalerieKornyeWest,FortWorth,TX

2003SilverPitcherShow,Invitational,GalerieKornyeWest,FortWorth,TX

2004FromDuskUntilDawn,Invitational,GalerieKornyeWest,FortWorth,TX

2143Westheimer|Houston,TX77098|7135217500|wwwfoltzgallerycom

ArlingtonMuseumofArt,Arlington,TX

ArtMuseumofSouthTexas,CorpusChristi,TX

BlantonMuseumofArt,Austin,TX

DallasMuseumofArt,Dallas,TX

FordMotorCompany,Dearborn,MI

Jarvis,PuttyandJarvis,BryanTower,Dallas,TX–25ftmuralcommissionin1974

MemoryTech,Plano,TX

MuseumofFineArts,Houston,TX

SouthernMethodistUniversity,Dallas,TX

TexasA&MUniversityMuseum,CollegeStation,TX

TexasFineArtsAssociation(LagunaGloriaArtMuseum),Austin,TX

TheFrankHWardlawCollectionofTexasArt,TexasA&MUniversityPress,CollegeStation,TX UniversityofTexasatArlington,TX UniversityofTexas,Austin,TX

SelectedCollections
2143Westheimer|Houston,TX77098|7135217500|wwwfoltzgallerycom

Seascape with Pink Sky, c. 1950 oil on board 14 x 16 in

Framed 19 x 21 in $3,500.00

FoltzFineArt 2143Westheimer Houston,TX77098 713.521.7500 www.foltzgallery.com
Stephen Rascoe
2143Westheimer|Houston,TX77098|713.521.7500|www.foltzgallery.com

Signature: Signed lower right 48 x 36 in Framed 49.50 x 37.50 in $12,800.00

FoltzFineArt 2143Westheimer Houston,TX77098 713.521.7500 www.foltzgallery.com
Stephen Rascoe Canyon Wall Purple Sky (6), c. 1956 oil on masonite
2143Westheimer|Houston,TX77098|713.521.7500|www.foltzgallery.com

Stephen Rascoe Landscape with Horses, c. 1949 oil on masonite

Signature: Signed lower right 20 x 30 in

Framed 26.25 x 36.25 in $11,600.00

FoltzFineArt 2143Westheimer Houston,TX77098 713.521.7500 www.foltzgallery.com
2143Westheimer|Houston,TX77098|713.521.7500|www.foltzgallery.com

Sparkling Day on the Beach (Unison), c. 1970

FoltzFineArt 2143Westheimer Houston,TX77098 713.521.7500 www.foltzgallery.com
2143Westheimer|Houston,TX77098|713.521.7500|www.foltzgallery.com
Stephen Rascoe
oil on masonite Signature: Lower right 36 x 36 in Framed 37.50 x 37.50 in $6,800.00

Stephen Rascoe

Abstract Sea, c. 1949 oil on canvas

Signature: Signed lower right 20 x 24 in

Framed 21.50 x 25.25 in

$4,200.00

FoltzFineArt 2143Westheimer Houston,TX77098 713.521.7500 www.foltzgallery.com
2143Westheimer|Houston,TX77098|713.521.7500|www.foltzgallery.com

Rascoe West Texas with Violet Indigo Sky, c. 1970 oil on masonite

Signature: Signed lower right 24 x 36 in Framed 31.50 x 43.50 in $4,600.00

FoltzFineArt 2143Westheimer Houston,TX77098 713.521.7500 www.foltzgallery.com
Stephen
2143Westheimer|Houston,TX77098|713.521.7500|www.foltzgallery.com

Girl with Umbrella, c. 1980 oil on masonite

Signature: Signed lower center left 24 x 32 x 0.25 in Framed 25.50 x 33.25 in $5,800.00

FoltzFineArt 2143Westheimer Houston,TX77098 713.521.7500 www.foltzgallery.com
Stephen Rascoe
2143Westheimer|Houston,TX77098|713.521.7500|www.foltzgallery.com

Choppy Waves Against the Rocks, c. 1956 oil on masonite

Signature: Signed lower right 36 x 48 in Framed 38.75 x 50.75 in $12,800.00

FoltzFineArt 2143Westheimer Houston,TX77098 713.521.7500 www.foltzgallery.com
Stephen Rascoe
2143Westheimer|Houston,TX77098|713.521.7500|www.foltzgallery.com

Stephen Rascoe

Mountain in West Texas, c. 1959 oil on masonite

Signature: Signed lower right 24 x 48 in Framed 25.50 x 49.50 in $5,800.00

2143Westheimer|Houston,TX77098|713.521.7500|www.foltzgallery.com

Signature: Signed lower right 30 x 48 in Framed 31.50 x 49 in $6,400.00

Stephen Rascoe Sun Over Dunes, c. 1970 oil on masonite
2143Westheimer|Houston,TX77098|713.521.7500|www.foltzgallery.com

Rascoe Sunrise Reflections, c. 1959 oil on masonite

Signature: Lower right 48 x 35 in Framed 50 x 36 in $14,400.00

FoltzFineArt 2143Westheimer Houston,TX77098 713.521.7500 www.foltzgallery.com
Stephen
2143Westheimer|Houston,TX77098|713.521.7500|www.foltzgallery.com

Rascoe

Reflections in a Blue Inlet, c.1956 oil on masonite

Signature: lower right 48 x 34 in Framed 49.50 x 37.25 in $12,400.00

FoltzFineArt 2143Westheimer Houston,TX77098 713.521.7500 www.foltzgallery.com
Stephen
2143Westheimer|Houston,TX77098|713.521.7500|www.foltzgallery.com

Stephen Rascoe Abstract Wave at Sea, c. 1964 oil on masonite

Signature: Lower right 36 x 60 in $9,400.00

FoltzFineArt 2143Westheimer Houston,TX77098 713.521.7500 www.foltzgallery.com
2143Westheimer|Houston,TX77098|713.521.7500|www.foltzgallery.com

Stephen Rascoe Rocks & Surf, c. 1950 oil on canvas

Signature: Lower right & en verso 34 x 42 in Framed 35 x 43 in $8,000.00

FoltzFineArt 2143Westheimer Houston,TX77098 713.521.7500 www.foltzgallery.com
2143Westheimer|Houston,TX77098|713.521.7500|www.foltzgallery.com

Rascoe Sunset Reflections, c. 1950-60 oil on masonite

Signature: lower right

30 x 48 in Framed 32.50 x 50.75 in $8,600.00

FoltzFineArt 2143Westheimer Houston,TX77098 713.521.7500 www.foltzgallery.com
Stephen
2143Westheimer|Houston,TX77098|713.521.7500|www.foltzgallery.com

Stephen Rascoe Taos, New Mexico, c. 1950 oil on canvas panel

Signature: Signed lower right. 20 x 24 in Framed 24 x 28 in $5,200.00

FoltzFineArt 2143Westheimer Houston,TX77098 713.521.7500 www.foltzgallery.com
2143Westheimer|Houston,TX77098|713.521.7500|www.foltzgallery.com

Rascoe Mid-Day Iris Bed, c. 1966 oil on masonite

Signature: Lower right 59.50 x 48 in $14,400.00

FoltzFineArt 2143Westheimer Houston,TX77098 713.521.7500 www.foltzgallery.com
Stephen
2143Westheimer|Houston,TX77098|713.521.7500|www.foltzgallery.com

Rascoe Bayou Sunlight, c. 1950s oil on masonite Signature: Lower right 36 x 48 in Framed 37.50 x 49.25 in $12,400.00

FoltzFineArt 2143Westheimer Houston,TX77098 713.521.7500 www.foltzgallery.com
2143Westheimer|Houston,TX77098|713.521.7500|www.foltzgallery.com
Stephen

c. 1970 oil on masonite

Signature: Lower right

24 x 30 in

Framed 25.25 x 31.50 in $5,800.00

FoltzFineArt 2143Westheimer Houston,TX77098 713.521.7500 www.foltzgallery.com
Stephen Rascoe Patio Goldfish
2143Westheimer|Houston,TX77098|713.521.7500|www.foltzgallery.com

Stephen Rascoe Abstract Seascape, 1957 oil on masonite

Signature: Signed and dated, lower right. 30 x 48 in Framed 36 x 53.50 in $9,800.00

FoltzFineArt 2143Westheimer Houston,TX77098 713.521.7500 www.foltzgallery.com
2143Westheimer|Houston,TX77098|713.521.7500|www.foltzgallery.com

Stephen Rascoe Oilfield with Blue Lake, c.1955

Oil on Masonite

Signature: Lower right

30 x 48 in Framed 31.25 x 49.25 in $8,600.00

FoltzFineArt 2143Westheimer Houston,TX77098 713.521.7500 www.foltzgallery.com
2143Westheimer|Houston,TX77098|713.521.7500|www.foltzgallery.com

Stephen Rascoe Still Life with Driftwood on a Round Table, c. 1949 oil on masonite

Signature: Lower right 36 x 48 in $9,800.00

FoltzFineArt 2143Westheimer Houston,TX77098 713.521.7500 www.foltzgallery.com
2143Westheimer|Houston,TX77098|713.521.7500|www.foltzgallery.com
FoltzFineArt 2143Westheimer Houston,TX77098 713.521.7500 www.foltzgallery.com
2143Westheimer|Houston,TX77098|713.521.7500|www.foltzgallery.com
Stephen Rascoe
High Tide, c. 1960 oil on masonite Signature: Lower right 16 x 24 in $2,800.00

Stephen Rascoe

Swelling Waves and Seagulls, c.1956 oil on masonite

Signature: lower left 12 x 24 in

Framed 13.50 x 25.25 in $3,100.00

2143Westheimer|Houston,TX77098|713.521.7500|www.foltzgallery.com

Stephen T. Rascoe: A Life in Art | Paintings from 1949-1980

This June, Houston will host CASETA’s (Center for Advancement and Study of Early Texas Art) annual symposium and art fair dedicated to early Texas art – defined as artists active at least 40 years ago. With this cutoff date bringing us into the 1980s, early Texas art has moved from impressionism and regionalism through modernism and post-modernism, bringing a new generation of artists into the fold, continuing the evolution of the conversation “what is Texas art?”

Coinciding with CASETA, Foltz Fine Art will present concurring exhibitions dedicated to taking a closer look at Texas Modernism and its links to contemporary Texas art, the highlight of the gallery being a survey exhibition as well as a “rediscovery” exhibition of paintings by Stephen T. Rascoe (1924–2008)

Rascoe was a well-known Texas artist and professor who produced a prolific body of work during the 1940s-1980s, ranging from pure abstraction and later evolving into his personal take on a kind of impressionistic naturalism. Like many post-war American artists, Rascoe’s life and art reflects its era. Coming of age in a time of greater access allowed artists such as Rascoe to experiment with broad styles and influences to make art that reflected their changing world. During his time at the Chicago Art Institute in the early 1950s, he was exposed to international artistic movements and styles that facilitated in cultivating a Modernist sensibility which indelibly left a mark on the artist’s work for the rest of his life.

In 2008, Rascoe passed away, leaving behind 60 years of artwork, whose stylistic development over time helps identify when works were created, with certain motifs and ideas revisited throughout his career. While his works range in subject matter and style, there is something uniquely identifiable about his work. He frequently said that he wanted his art to be “the kind of art you’d like to live with.”

In Stephen T. Rascoe: A Life in Art, the exhibition features 25 paintings from the 1940s through 1980s – covering a wide array of style and subject matter, unified by bold use of color, and investigations of compositional structure, with paintings ranging from pure abstraction to a more impressionistic naturalism. Through presenting some of the best remaining works in the artist’s estate, we hope to keep Stephen Rascoe’s art and legacy alive.

Stephen T. Rascoe: A Life in Art will be on view at Foltz Fine Art from June 1 – July 3, 2024, with an opening reception on Saturday, June 1st from 4-6pm. The artist’s family will be in attendance. For more information, please visit FoltzGallery.com.

YouTube Video about Stephen Rascoe

Stephen T. Rascoe: A Life in Art

On View: June 1 – July 3, 2024

Opening Reception: Saturday, June 1st, 4 – 6PM

About the Artist

The art of Stephen Rascoe (1924–2008) spans six decades, and encompasses the vast array of colors, lines, shapes, and vignettes that both defined the artist’s experiences and sparked his creativity from the time he was a boy throughout his entire life. Rascoe transformed the many landscapes, interiors, and people he encountered into rich, vibrant compositions filled with recognizable imagery infused with abstracted elements highlighting the fundamental visual elements and spatial relationships within the picture plane.

A veteran of World War II and graduate of the Art Institute of Chicago, Rascoe was exposed to a broad range of geographies, cultures, and philosophies. The effects of these experiences informed Rascoe’s work significantly yet judiciously, as he maintained an unfailing commitment to impart a certain naturalism and beauty into everything he produced. Ultimately, Rascoe wanted to make “the kind of art you can live with.”

Rascoe worked professionally from 1951 to 2008, and during that time left an indelible impression on collectors, students, and the art community in North Texas and across the United States. Rascoe was a fixture of the postwar Texas art scene who frequently showed alongside mid-century contemporaries such as Otis Dozier, Kelly Fearing, Michael Frary, DeForest Judd, William Lester, Everett Spruce, and Charles Umlauf, along with Fort Worth Circle artists Bill Bomar, Dickson Reeder, and Bror Utter.

Of Rascoe’s work, the Dallas Morning News wrote, “His style tends to quietly abstract essentials of form, not starkly or irresponsibly, but boldly, with sinew of structure dominating mood.” Likewise, the Corpus Christi Caller-Times described his work as having “a controlled yet rich palette, linear variation, and accent… carefully planned and skillfully applied color… and Expressionist-like masculinity of attack.”

Born in Uvalde, Texas, in 1924, Rascoe grew up in Corpus Christi, and then attended the University of Texas, before serving in World War II. He completed his undergraduate work in Fine Art at the Art Institute of Chicago, where he subsequently earned an MFA in 1951. After working as a draftsman for Texaco and then Shell Oil, in 1964, Rascoe took a position as art instructor at UTA—a post offered to him by Howard Joyner, who founded the art program at the university and also played a key role in the development of the Arlington Art Association, and eventually the Arlington Museum of Art. Rascoe served as professor of art at UTA until his retirement in 1992.

Rascoe’s paintings can be found in the permanent collections of the Dallas Museum of Art, the Houston Museum of Art, the Art Museum of South Texas, the Texas A&M University Museum, UTA, Southern Methodist University, Texas Fine Arts Association Laguna Gloria Museum, and the Blanton Museum of Art in Austin. His work also appears in numerous private and public collections.

- Biography of Stephen Rascoe by Paula Kornye Tillman

1.

StephenT.Rascoe:ALifeInArt|Paintingsfrom1949-1980

StephenRascoe

SeascapewithPinkSky,c.1950 oilonboard

14x16in

Framed19x21in

4.

5.

StephenRascoe

CanyonWallPurpleSky(6),c.1956 oilonmasonite

48x36in

Framed49.50x37.50in

StephenRascoe

LandscapewithHorses,c.1949 oilonmasonite

20x30in

Framed26.25x36.25in

StephenRascoe

SparklingDayontheBeach(Unison),c.1970 oilonmasonite

36x36in

Framed37.50x37.50in

StephenRascoe

AbstractSea,c.1949 oiloncanvas 20x24in

Framed21.25x25.25in

713.521.7500 www.foltzgallery.com

$3,500.00

$12,800.00

$11,600.00

$6,800.00

$4,200.00

FoltzFineArt
2143Westheimer Houston,TX77098
2. 3.
2143Westheimer|Houston,TX77098|713.521.7500|www.foltzgallery.com

StephenRascoe

WestTexaswithVioletIndigoSky,c.1970

oilonmasonite

24x36in

Framed31.50x43.50in

StephenRascoe

GirlwithUmbrella,c.1980 oilonmasonite

24x32x0.25in

Framed25.50x33.25in

$4,600.00

$5,800.00 8.

StephenRascoe

ChoppyWavesAgainsttheRocks,c.1956 oilonmasonite

36x48in

Framed38.75x50.75in

StephenRascoe

MountaininWestTexas,c.1959 oilonmasonite

24x48in

Framed25.50x49.50in

$12,800.00

$5,800.00 10.

12.

StephenRascoe

SunOverDunes,c.1970 oilonmasonite

30x48in

Framed31.50x49in

StephenRascoe

SunriseReflections,c.1959 oilonmasonite

48x35in

Framed50x36.50in

$6,400.00

$14,400.00

StephenRascoe

ReflectionsinaBlueInlet,c.1956 oilonmasonite

48x34in

Framed49.50x37.25in

$12,400.00

6.
7.
9.
11.
2143Westheimer|Houston,TX77098|713.521.7500|www.foltzgallery.com

StephenRascoe

AbstractWaveatSea,c.1964

oilonmasonite

36x60in

Framed37.25x61.50in $9,400.00

StephenRascoe

Rocks&Surf,c.1950 oiloncanvas

34x42in

Framed35x43in

StephenRascoe

SunsetReflections,c.1950-60 oilonmasonite

30x48in

Framed32.50x50.75in

StephenRascoe

Taos,NewMexico,c.1950 oiloncanvaspanel 20x24in

Framed24x28in

$8,600.00

StephenRascoe

Mid-DayIrisBed,c.1966 oilonmasonite

59.50x48in

Framed61.50x49.50in

$14,400.00 18.

StephenRascoe

BayouSunlight,c.1950s oilonmasonite 36x48in

Framed37.50x49.25in

$12,400.00 19. StephenRascoe

PatioGoldfish,c.1970 oilonmasonite 24x30in

Framed25.25x31.50in

$5,800.00

13.
14.
$8,000.00 15.
16.
$5,200.00 17.
2143Westheimer|Houston,TX77098|713.521.7500|www.foltzgallery.com

21.

StephenRascoe

AbstractSeascape,1957 oilonmasonite

30x48in

Framed36x53.50in

StephenRascoe

OilfieldwithBlueLake,c.1955

OilonMasonite

30x48in

Framed31.25x49.25in

StephenRascoe

StillLifewithDriftwoodonaRoundTable,c.1949 oilonmasonite

36x48in

Framed45x57in

$9,800.00

$8,600.00

$9,800.00 23.

24.

StephenRascoe

HighTide,c.1960 oilonmasonite 16x24in

Framed17.50x25.25in

StephenRascoe

SwellingWavesandSeagulls,c.1956 oilonmasonite 12x24in

Framed13.50x25.25in

$2,800.00

$3,100.00

20.
22.
2143Westheimer|Houston,TX77098|713.521.7500|www.foltzgallery.com

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