As when a tree’s cut down, the secret root live underground, and thence new branches shoot~John Dryden.
I’ll never forget the summer a few years ago, when I visited my daughter, my grandchildren, and my son-in-law in Texas. I especially wanted to spend the much needed time that I’d set aside for the too many things happening in my life that was tying me up, making me stressful. The stress was mostly coming from my fear of retiring at the time. I was in the process of deciding to spend the rest of my life with my art, and helping other artists promote and market their work. I wasn’t certain I wanted to do this, or simply retire, and fish, travel, and etc. The fishing and traveling part sounded very tempting. However, oft, we do not fearlessly step into the unknown. It was at this time that I had an opportunity to reacquaint myself with my son-in-law’s father, James Frederick…the great artist. I say great, not because he was a world-wide famous artist, but because after studying his works, I felt he should have been. Even at that time, I knew enough about art, and artists, to know what is good art, and what is not. I could tell at instant glance that James Frederick’s meticulous art work was superior. The works were decorating the walls all around his home. This was why I said the great artist…James Frederick.
I spent a good deal of time taking photos of his pictures (which are often posted on this blog sight). A few month’s before, I’d began my blog post, and I wanted to introduce the world to his works.
However, it wasn’t the artwork that was the only thing that inspired me, it was the conversations we had in the afternoons, sitting in rocking chairs, casually discussing some of his attempts to promote his works at fairs, and other public events. Promoting art was not easy for him, but it did often have a sense of satisfaction. We laughed when he discussed having won an art contest at the Smithsonian Institute for man’s air flight. He’d sent drawings of a group of four airplanes, matted together and framed. However, only one of the drawings won the contest. He refused to separate the drawings because he’d entered the contest with the four planes as one framed set. If they had to have the one, he would have to refuse the honor. He chuckled, and said: “They decided to keep them as a set, and I won the contest.”
The photo on the wall does not give much detail of the drawings; however, the drawing on the right is one of the four. You can see why James would have won a contest with this drawing.
With great regret, less than a year after my visit that so inspired me to be more passionate about art, James passed. He was eighty years old. However, his art remains.
Below are a few other works of James Frederick…The Great Artist.
Just as Dryden’s poem at the beginning of this post mentions, when the tree falls, the roots live on. His grand-daughter, as well as mine, Olivia, has shown that the art of the Frederick and Burton family will live.
For some more of Olivia’s works, check out the Burton Family gallery.
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