Water Cooler Wednesday-N.C. Wyeth: Father of Artists

It's Water Cooler Wednesday over on Randy Elrod's site -Ethos.  Time for the creatives to gather around and toss out a subject and discuss.

A visit to the Texas Tech Museum with our Sr. Adult group last week brought me to a new understanding and appreciation of formation of art and artists.   The museum had a new exhibit of textile art (subject of a future blog), but also houses one of the largest collections of privately owned art created by Newell Wyeth (early 20th century illustrator)

I didn't know about Wyeth until I got there and certainly only learned enough there to peek by interest.  Here' s what Wikipedia says about Wyeth

He also illustrated editions of Kidnapped (1913), Robin Hood (1917), The Last of the Mohicans (1919), Robinson Crusoe (1920), Rip Van Winkle (1921), The White Company (1922), and The Yearling (1939). He did work for prominent periodicals including Century, Harper's Monthly, Ladies' Home Journal, McClure's, Outing, The Popular Magazine, and Scribner's.  

Wyeth also gave us our modern day image of Santa Claus.

Wyeth also raised some amazing children who became artists in their own rights.

N. C. Wyeth created a stimulating household for his talented children Andrew Wyeth, Henriette Wyeth Hurd, Carolyn Wyeth, Ann Wyeth McCoy, and Nathaniel C. Wyeth. Wyeth was very sociable and frequent v isitors included F. Scott Fitzgerald, Joseph Hergesheimer, Hugh Walpole, Lillian Gish, and John Gilbert. According to Andrew, who spent the most time with his father on account of his sickly childhood, N.C. was a strict but patient father who did not talk down to his children. [11] His hard work as an illustrator gave his family the financial freedom to follow their own artistic and scientific pursuits. Andrew went on to become one of the foremost American artists of the second half of the 20th Century, and Henriette, and Carolyn also became artists; Ann became an artist and composer. Nathaniel became an engineer for DuPont and worked on the team that invented the plastic soda bottle. Henriette and Ann married two of N.C.'s proteges, Peter Hurd and John W. McCoy. N.C. Wyeth is the grandfather of artist Jamie Wyeth and musician Howard Wyeth.[12]

It was his daughter Henrietta's art that caught my attention at the museum. She was featured along side her dad, and the wall descriptions talked about the creativity that her dad inspired in her. She longed to be one of his students and found her way as such into his studio to learn from him. Look at the other children--all of them artists.

I had to stand there and wonder what kind of impact I was having on my children? ( They are all musical and they love drama--so good, I haven't missed the boat here). But I wonder what I intentionally do each and every day to stimulate their artistry--to foster their desire to grow their craft? Hmm..how are we doing there?

So I was inspired by art from a long time ago and challenged to live my life like Newell Wyeth did--raising up the next generation of artists, beginning with my own.