Water Rites:
Rivers, Lakes and Streams in Texas Art
William Reaves Fine Art • January 8-23, 2010
Water in the Life and Art of Texas continuation of the gallery’s on-going efforts to map and define the distinctive characteristics of art made in Texas, and to trace the evolution of these significant themes and attributes in Texas art over time. Texas is known for its tradition of landscape painting. As a state endowed with a vast network of rivers, lakes, and streams, there is little wonder that Texas landscape scenes are punctuated frequently by water subjects. Water is a vital and integral component of this native landscape, and to paint the landscape one must be adept at painting water! Thus, while the proclivity of Texas artists for water subject matter is not particularly surprising, it is intriguing to explore the means through which so many accomplished artists have utilized water as an element of composition and have Fig. 22, Alexandre Hogue, Quite Pool at conveyed its dynamic White Rock Lake
In Water Rites: Rivers, Lakes, and Streams in Texas Art we consider how our Lone Star artists have viewed and treated (no pun intended) water as an artistic subject matter throughout the history of Texas painting. This is a rich exhibition, containing fifty great Texas paintings, all of which incorporate water as a significant compositional element. These works span a period from 1896 to 2009, and their images portray virtually every sector of our Fig. 29, Julian Onderdonk, San Antonio River state. The thirty-eight artists included in this show are among the state’s most significant painters - both past and present. This exhibition also constitutes one of our most beautiful shows to date, offering a collection which will appeal to the aesthetic, as well as environmental sensibilities of our patrons. Water Rites represents a 1
These paintings offer us a rare opportunity for reflection; perhaps looking at water can help us appreciate it more. In creating these water scenes we believe that the artists, intentionally or otherwise, engage in their own rites of environmental conscientiousness. Each has used their considerable talents to create natural imagery so pleasing and compelling that we are reminded again of the simple elegance of water in the life and art of Texans. Could art have a more profound purpose? Enjoy and acquire.
qualities in paint. From Julian Onderdonk to Alexandre Hogue, John Biggers to Randy Bacon, this exhibition Fig. 49, Clara McDonald Williamson, Paluxy Creek enables viewers to examine the compositional and stylistic qualities of water in Texas painting. In doing so, one discovers the many and varied courses of expression utilized by our state’s finest artists to convey this most lovely and nourishing natural asset. Aside from aesthetic considerations, the paintings in this exhibition remind us of the sheer presence, natural beauty, and vitality of water as an essential part of the world around us. Hopefully we are also reminded of the fragility of this natural resource. In Texas, it seems we have gone from abundance to scarcity of natural ground water in less than 200 years! Our water is now an element under stress, a precious commodity facing peril. While there is growing awareness and increased sensitivity to the matter, we need more occasions to reflect on this crucial aspect of the Texas environment in order to stop ourselves from mindless destruction of such a fundamental property.
William Reaves, Stephen Gaskin, and Sarah Beth Wilson
Fig. 30, Clara Pancoast, Autumn on Medina Lake
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Exhibition Checklist Fig. Artist 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33.
Bacon, Randy Bacon, Randy Biggers, John Bomar, Bill Boone, Elmer Bowling, Charles Boynton, Jack Bruce, Granville Crowell, Reid Dawson-Watson, Dawson Eades, Luis Edelman, Don Eisenlohr, Edward G. Flaming, Jon Frary, Michael George, Hunter Gonzalez, Xavier Greer, A.D. Harrison, Robert Hoey, William Hoey, William Hogue, Alexandre Jamison, Lee Jamison, Lee Johnson, Harvey Keese, Travis Oliver, Josephine Oliver, Josephine Onderdonk, Julian Pancoast, Clara Rascoe, Stephen Reaugh, Frank Reily, Bill
Title
Bridge…Samuels Avenue Llano River at Highway 87 Study for “Salt Marsh” Spring Cascade West Texas Summer Moonlight Riverbank Encounters 4 Aqueduct White Rock Creek Untitled Flood Big Bend Morning (Man in Mist) House by the Road (ed. 27/50) Donnell Flour Mill on the Brazos River Near Criders (Hill Country) Crossing the Guadalupe Woodlands Untitled (Water Hole) Enchanted Rock Shoal Creek Early Moon Quiet Pool at White Rock Lake Last Boat Back - San Jacinto Battleground Where Heroes Gathered - U.S.S. Houston The Cleansing Morning Approach Lake Cliff Untitled San Antonio River Autumn on Medina Lake Untitled Creek Scene in East Texas Mystic Fisherman 3
Date
2009 2009 n/d n/d n/d n/d 1994 c. 1960 n/d 1917 1957 1984 c. 1933 2006 1978 2003 n/d n/d 2009 n/d n/d 1926 2008 2008 2006 n/d n/d c. 1923-33 n/d n/d c. 1965 1896 1964
Medium
oil on canvas oil on canvas color pencil watercolor on paper oil on canvas / board oil on board acrylic on canvas oil on canvas oil on canvas pastel casein on paper oil on board lithograph on paper oil on masonite watercolor on paper watercolor watercolor oil on canvas oil on canvas oil on canvas mixed media oil on canvas / board oil on canvas oil on canvas colored conté on paper oil on canvas pastel on hand-gritted paper pastel on hand-gritted paper watercolor oil on canvas oil on masonite pastel on paper watercolor
Size
38 x 80 in. 24 x 84 in. 25 1/2 x 78 in. 27 x 19 1/2 in. 12 x 16 in. 12 x 16 in. 48 x 48 in. 20 x 30 in. 25 1/8 x 30 1/4 in. 8 1/4 x 6 1/2 in. 11 x 20 in. 30 x 48 in. 7 x 10 in. 36 1/2 x 42 in. 21 1/2 x 29 7/16 in. 12 x 16 in. 21 x 29 in. 24 x 36 in. 30 x 40 in. 20 x 24 in. 17 x 23 in. 12 x 16 in. 15 x 30 in. 12 x 16 in. 18 x 24 in. 24 x 36 in. 4 x 6 1/8 in. 4 5/8 x 8 13/16 in. 10 x 12 in. 11 x 14 in. 48 x 36 in. 9 x 4 in. 22 x 29 in.
Exhibition Checklist, cont. Fig. Artist
Title
34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51.
Reily, Bill Pond / Fragment of a Japanese Garden Rogan, Robert River Forms Rogan, Robert Blue Swamp Sprohge, Erik West of Hunt Sprohge, Erik River Rock Sprohge, Erik* Guadalupe Boulder Sprohge, Erik* Gruene, Texas Spruce, Everett Franklin Untitled (Dark Rocks) Stout, Richard Untitled - Trees Past Water Strahalm, Franz Evening Light (Moonlit Pond) Teel, Lewis Spring in West Texas Travis, Olin Along the War Eagle River Trotter, McKie Sunrise Vandruff, Olive Falls on the Guadalupe Weimerskirsch, Robert Sail Boats Williamson, Clara McDonald Paluxy Creek Worthman, Harry San Antonio River Walk Young, William The Source of the Brazos
*Image unavailable. 4
Date
1961 1970 1959 1991 2009 1982 n/d n/d 1961 n/d n/d n/d 1950 1953-55 1966 1956 1947 2009
Medium
acrylic on canvas oil on canvas duco on board acrylic on board watercolor oil pastel on paper watercolor graphite / charcoal on paper oil on canvas oil on board oil on canvas oil on board oil on canvas watercolor on paper oil on canvas oil on panel pastel acrylic on masonite
Size
24 x 30 in. 36 x 40 in. 14 x 28 in. 22 x 28 in. 19 x 27 in. 24 x 27 in. 21 x 14 in. 9 1/16 x 12 1/16 in. 20 x 24 in. 16 x 20 in. 26 x 36 in. 12 x 16 in. 19 1/2 x 26 in. 11 1/2 x 15 in. 45 x 58 in. 22 x 33 in. 10 x 13 1/2 in. 18 x 24 in.
1. Randy Bacon, Bridge…Samuels Avenue, 2009, oil on canvas, 38 x 80 in.
2. Randy Bacon, Llano River at Highway 87, 2009, oil on canvas, 24 x 84 in.
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3. John Biggers, Study for “Salt Marsh”, n/d, color pencil, 25 1/2 x 78 in.
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4. Bill Bomar, Spring Cascade, n/d, watercolor on paper, 27 x 19 1/2 in.
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5. Elmer Boone, West Texas, n/d, oil on canvas / board, 12 x 16 in.
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6. Charles Bowling, Summer Moonlight, n/d, oil on board, 12 x 16 in.
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7. Jack Boynton, Riverbank Encounters 4, 1994, acrylic on canvas, 48 x 48 in. 10
8. Granville Bruce, Aqueduct, c. 1960, oil on canvas, 20 x 30 in.
9. Reid Crowell, White Rock Creek, n/d, oil on canvas, 25 1/8 x 30 1/4 in.
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10. Dawson Dawson-Watson, Untitled, 1917, pastel, 8 1/4 x 6 1/2 in.
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11. Luis Eades, Flood, 1957, casein on paper, 11 x 20 in.
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12. Don Edelman, Big Bend Morning (Man in Mist), 1984, oil on board, 30 x 48 in.
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13. Edward G. Eisenlohr, House by the Road (ed. 27/50), c. 1933, lithograph on paper, 7 x 10 in.
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14. Jon Flaming, Donnell Flour Mill on the Brazos River, 2006, oil on masonite, 36 1/2 x 42 in.
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15. Michael Frary, Near Criders (Hill Country), 1978, watercolor on paper, 21 1/2 x 29 7/16 in.
16. Hunter George, Crossing the Guadalupe, 2003, watercolor, 12 x 16 in.
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17. Xavier Gonzalez, Woodlands, n/d, watercolor, 21 x 29 in.
18. A.D. Greer, Untitled (Water Hole), n/d, oil on canvas, 24 x 36 in. 18
19. Robert Harrison, Enchanted Rock, 2009, oil on canvas, 30 x 40 in.
20. William Hoey, Shoal Creek, n/d, oil on canvas, 20 x 24 in.
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21. William Hoey, Early Moon, n/d, mixed media, 17 x 23 in.
22. Alexandre Hogue, Quiet Pool at White Rock Lake, 1926, oil on canvas / board, 12 x 16 in.
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23. Lee Jamison, Last Boat Back - San Jacinto Battleground, 2008, oil on canvas, 15 x 30 in.
24. Lee Jamison, Where Heroes Gathered - U.S.S. Houston, 2008, oil on canvas, 12 x 16 in.
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25. Harvey Johnson, The Cleansing, 2006, colored contĂŠ on paper, 18 x 24 in.
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26. Travis Keese, Morning Approach, n/d, oil on canvas, 24 x 36 in.
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27. Josephine Oliver, Lake Cliff, n/d, pastel on hand-gritted paper, 4 x 6 1/8 in.
28. Josephine Oliver, Untitled, c. 1923-33, pastel on hand-gritted paper, 4 5/8 x 8 13/16 in.
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29. Julian Onderdonk, San Antonio River, n/d, watercolor, 10 x 12 in.
30. Clara Pancoast, Autumn on Medina Lake, n/d, oil on canvas, 11 x 14 in.
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31. Stephen Rascoe, Untitled, c. 1965, oil on masonite, 48 x 36 in.
32. Frank Reaugh, Creek Scene in East Texas, 1896, pastel on paper, 9 x 4 in.
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33. Bill Reily, Mystic Fisherman, 1964, watercolor, 22 x 29 in.
34. Bill Reily, Pond / Fragment of a Japanese Garden, 1961, acrylic on canvas, 24 x 30 in.
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35. Robert Rogan, River Forms, 1970, oil on canvas, 36 x 40 in.
36. Robert Rogan, Blue Swamp, 1959, duco on board, 14 x 28 in. 28
37. Erik Sprohge, West of Hunt, 1991, acrylic on board, 22 x 28 in.
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38. Erik Sprohge, River Rock, 2009, watercolor, 19 x 27 in.
41. Everett Franklin Spruce, Untitled (Dark Rocks), n/d, graphite / charcoal on paper, 9 1/16 x 12 1/16 in.
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42. Richard Stout, Untitled - Trees Past Water, 1961, oil on canvas, 20 x 24 in.
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43. Franz Strahalm, Evening Light (Moonlit Pond), n/d, oil on board, 16 x 20 in.
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44. Lewis Teel, Spring in West Texas, n/d, oil on canvas, 26 x 36 in.
45. Olin Travis, Along the War Eagle River, n/d, oil on board, 12 x 16 in. 33
46. McKie Trotter, Sunrise, 1950, oil on canvas, 19 1/2 x 26 in.
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47. Olive Vandruff, Falls on the Guadalupe, 1953-55, watercolor on paper, 11 1/2 x 15 in.
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48. Robert Weimerskirsch, Sail Boats, 1966, oil on canvas, 45 x 58 in.
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49. Clara McDonald Williamson, Paluxy Creek, 1956, oil on panel, 22 x 33 in.
50. Harry Worthman, San Antonio River Walk, 1947, pastel, 10 x 13 1/2 in.
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51. William Young, The Source of the Brazos, 2009, acrylic on masonite, 18 x 24 in.
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William Reaves Fine Art
2313 Brun Street • Houston, Texas 77019 • 713.521.7500 • www.reavesart.com