Don Crowley: "I just feel blessed that this whole thing came along."

Don Crowley was a child of the Great Depression. Perhaps the lingering memory of living in a state of desperate impoverishment, like so many others of his generation, compelled him to work as hard as he did thoughout the first decades of his career. Year after year Crowley patiently drew and painted one assignment after another.  But in the early 1970s, as Crowley reached his mid-40s, he also reached a point many illustrators must grapple with.  A point when the work no longer holds any challenge... when one assignment blends into the next, and the passion to make pictures disappears and becomes instead a chore.  Crowley had survived the demise of the Cooper studio with his career intact He'd made it through the '60s - a realistic painter in an age of stylized illustration.  After twenty-plus years of what was beginning to feel like a relentless grind (in all those years, Don had rarely ever even taken a weekend off) Crowley began to wonder; could he keep this up for another twenty (or more) years?



Then two things happened almost in tandem that profoundly affected Don Crowley's life. The first was his attendance at the opening of a gallery show of western paintings by one of Don's old friends from the Cooper days, James Bama. Don was enthralled by Bama's new work - even buying a piece from the show. Don said, "Jim Bama's show in '72 was the thing that really, really inspired me. The show was unbelievable. I figured if I could do that kind of work I wouldn't ever ask for anything else."

Following soon after the Bama show (by coincidence or fate) Don received a visit from an old Art Center chum, Sam Wisnom. Remembering that time, Don said, "Sam visited me in Connecticut. He was opening a gallery in Tucson featuring western art... and that sounded kind of intriguing. So I sent out a couple of paintings and he sold one. And it really sounded like it might be a new direction for me, so I made a trip out and stayed a couple of weeks, did some sketches and research."

But more than that, what Don did... was fall in love with the place.



At first, Don continued to do some commercial work. He hung onto good clients like Reader's Digest while he navigated the bumps in the road to becoming a full-time gallery painter. And there were bumps; Sam Wisnom's gallery closed just a year after opening, and Don had to deal with the anxiety of letting go of his commercial art safety net. But the magic of the South West had captivated Don Crowley. In 1974 he and B.J. moved the family to Tucson and never looked back.



Not long after the move Don visited the San Carlos Indian Reservation. It was, for him, an epiphany. Don returned to San Carlos often, always respectful and grateful that his hosts were allowing an outsider to observe their daily routines. That place and those people so inspired Don that even the most mundane activities of the resident Indians were transformed into works of art when Don set brush to canvas.



In the book of his art, Desert Dreams, Don said, "When I was growing up the only thing I knew about Indians came from movies and magazines. It was all unrelentingly negative and simplistic. As an adult I came to realize that these were a people forced to the brink of extinction and that their story was a true tragedy. I have learned to care about their customs and traditions, and I am drawn to the substance of their everyday life and to the solemn beauty of their sacred ceremonies. The essence of Indian life is essential to my art."



As we were finishing up our conversation on the phone, I said to Don, "So you must feel very fortunate that you found something out there that has been both financially stable and artistically rewarding." He replied "Absolutely. I just feel blessed that this whole thing came along."



"We've been out here thirty years," Don said, "and I've made a good living at it ever since."


* All of today's images are from the Greenwich Workshop Press book, "Desert Dreams" by Don Hegpeth and Don Crowley © 2003

For more of Don's work visit doncrowley.com

Don Crowley: "I was always a realist."

As many readers already know, the world of illustration changed dramatically after 1960. The magazine industry was unable to compete for ad dollars in the face of increased tv viewership. Lucrative assignments from print advertisers had been the lifeblood that had sustained large commercial art studios like Cooper's.



Don Crowley could see that times were changing. Like so many others who had enjoyed the privilege of membership in America's most prestigious art studio, he regretfully left to pursue freelance on his own.

Although his specialty (product illustration still lifes) continued to be in demand, he craved figurative work and found opportunities to pursue that type of illustration in the burgeoning paperback cover market.





He first tried a partnership in a small studio with one of the former salesmen from Cooper's, Jack Randall and another artist, Bob Smith. Don said, "Business was actually better with this new, smaller group... I did well with them for a couple of years."

Later he worked from home with an art rep, Joe Mendola, sending him assignments. "I did quite well with him for maybe seven or eight years," Don recalls.



I asked Don if the arrival of artists like Bernie Fuchs and Bob Peak on the scene had had any impact on his work, but he gave me a definitive "No."

"They were very individualistic and I was always a realist... never thought about trying any 'cute' techniques or anything like that." In spite how that might sound on the surface, Don mentioned in passing that Bob Peak was one of his best friends and that the two of them enjoyed socializing - often doing lunch at the Society of Illustrators. "I knew an awful lot of artists in those days," said Don, "[The SoI] was a great place to get together."



Don continued to do quite well throughout the '60s, doing more and more figure work. Book covers and Reader's Digest became the source of many assignments, along with Don's signature product 'still life' work, which he continued to produce steadily for advertising and packaging clients.




But as Don reached his middle '40s, and after more than two decades of working countless evenings and weekends (as is so often the case in freelance), Don began to wish for... "something else." At that point in an illustrator's career when the work becomes too familiar, no longer interesting or challenging, when the long hours begin to take their toll, two old friends and two important events came together to show Don the path to "something else."



Call it coincidence or call it fate, but just when he needed to find a reason to go on, a dramatic change of course found Don Crowley.

Concluded tomorrow...

* Most of today's images are from the Greenwich Workshop Press book, "Desert Dreams" by Don Hegpeth and Don Crowley © 2003

* Thanks to my Flickr contact, levar for the 1968 paperback cover scan which appears in this post, and to Brian McFann for the Reader's Digest images at the end of today's post.

* Also: Bruce Hettema has posted a look at the work of Peter Helck at his P&H Creative blog

* And: This week's NCS Spotlight is on ... Al Capp!

Don Crowley: "Cooper gave me what I needed: he gave me work."

When Don and B.J. arrived in New York in 1953, Don's first job was in a studio near the New York Public Library. When we spoke on the phone about those days Don said, "I don't even remember the name of the place... but I used to go sit on the library steps at noon and think about jumping out into traffic." He chuckled at the memory of his youthful despair.



"I think I was there for a month and he never gave me a job at all. It was just horrible." Don had been hired for $75 a week because the studio owner liked his portfolio and was willing to give him a desk to sit at. "Unfortunately," says Don, "the place just wasn't all that busy. I did a couple of samples not really knowing what he wanted or what I was to do." 

"Time Pieces" by Don Crowley, 1953

Meanwhile, one of Don's friends from Art Center, Ben Wholberg, had secured a spot at the much renowned Charles E. Cooper studio...

Don said, "About that time Mr. Cooper came up with the idea of doing some still life samples to try and get some ads for grocery stores and things like that because illustration was slowing down."



Don had shown Cooper his portfolio when he first arrived in New York ("Cooper's was my first stop," he said)... but Chuck had not been interested at that time. Now he had Ben Wholberg call Don to say he'd like to see his book again.



"That was really fortunate," Don said. "So I went back and he did hire me - for $50 dollars a week."


"So I went to work right away... and worked diligently, night and day, and did whatever they asked me to."  When I asked about his willingness to take such a drastic pay cut Don said, "It didn't make any difference.  Not a bit.  Because Cooper gave me what I needed:  he gave me work."



Within a month or two, with his work selling well, Don was able to move up from the weekly studio artist starter's salary to the more lucrative freelancer's arrangement of spitting project commissions 50/50 with the studio. "They had six or seven salesmen and they kept me pretty busy," said Don. "They had a much larger range of contacts and places to go." 





"I worked at Cooper's for about seven years and things went really quite well most of those years."





Continued tomorrow...


* Most of today's images are from the Greenwich Workshop Press book, "Desert Dreams" by Don Hegpeth and Don Crowley © 2003


* Thanks to Piper Hobbs for the 1953 Cooper Exhibit brochure that appears in today's post.  The photos of Don Crowley and Ben Wohlberg are taken from that brochure.  ("Time Pieces", shown near the top of today's post, was Don's entry in the Cooper Studio Exhibit)

Don Crowley: : "I wanted to stay home and finish that painting."

Some things may be destined. In Don Crowley's case, its seems he was destined to be an artist. Like most children, 4-year old Crowley loved to draw with crayons; coloured swirls and circles brightened his young life during the dark days of the depression.



When Crowley was just six years old he found a book in his house by Frederic Remington called "Done in the Open." He immediately became interested in art. "It was really inspirational," Don told me when I spoke with him on the phone. "I loved [Remington's] work and he became my favourite artist from then on."

"The Night Rider" by Remington, from the Apr. '67 cover of American Artist

When I asked if his parents were supportive of his early interest in art, Don shared the following anecdote:

"I remember one day I ditched school and I went out and hid in the chicken coop. I was working on a painting and I wanted to finish it. My mother saw me sneak out there and came out and asked what I was doing," Don chuckled. "I told her I wanted to stay home and finish that painting. And she said, well if you're that interested you can do that today, but don't do it again."



In junior high, Don met his second great inspiration: a young lad named Mervin Corning. Don said, "We met in about Grade 7, and from then on we were drawing together. He was a great inspiration because he was so damn talented."

(Corning went on to become an important California landscape painter)

“Station Eleven (Playa Del Rey)” by Merv Corning

These two ambitious young artists enjoyed a fast friendship that lasted throughout high school and beyond. Together they studied Rockwell Kent's World Famous Painting and made attempts at copying, in oils, the masterpieces therein. Don and Merv were enthralled by Disney's Pinocchio when it was first released. They hoped that some day they might be good enough to work at the studio.

After high school came four years in the service (two years in the Merchant Marine, two years in the Navy) then the G.I. Bill provided Crowley with the means to study at Art Center College in L.A., where he met his future bride, Betty Jane ("B.J.") Brown.

In the spring of 1953 Don and B.J. married. Don's father, an ordained minister, presided over the ceremony and Merv Corning was Don's best man. Two weeks later, with $500 and two portfolios the newlyweds flew east to New York City to find their fortune in the commercial art mecca of the 1950's. There, after a false start in a second-rate studio, Don Crowley hit the jackpot: an apprenticeship in the Charles E. Cooper studio.


Continued tomorrow...

* Most of today's images are from the Greenwich Workshop Press book, "Desert Dreams" by Don Hegpeth and Don Crowley © 2003

Back to School - Back to Work!

Last week was the beginning of the fall semester at Mohawk College where I teach (in the Graphic Design program). After the leisurely pace of summer life I'd grown accustomed to, the change to a more rigorous daily schedule sort of caught me off guard.



As a coordinator in the program I had faculty meetings to attend, scheduling conflicts to work out and, in the bustle of a campus that had suddenly come alive with activity, a million little unforeseen problems needed attending to.



With all of those responsibilities monopolizing my time I had to put the brakes on my plans for that week's TI topic.



Just the act of attaching names to all those fresh new faces in my classroom was a challenge, let alone actually teaching and supervising the start of their first assignments!



By the time we all packed up at the end of each day my voice was hoarse, my feet hurt, and my brain was fried.



All I wanted to do was get home and relax. After making dinner. And prepping the next day's lesson. And dealing with emails from administration. And, and, and... !



I want you to know I tried... I really did. I sat and scanned stuff and began transcribing an interview I'd done with a retired illustrator who I'd planned to feature - but I just couldn't get it done. I was just too tired! Those kids wore out! I was in bed at 9 o'clock every day last week!



Well, this week I'm determined to get back on track. I've got a wonderful series lined up and ready to go, which will start tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, I ask you to be patient. I'm really stoked about my courses at the college and have to make that my top priority. So if I drop the ball now and then, don't lose faith - I'm as passionate as ever about Today's Inspiration and your encouragement and support is what keeps me going.



* Incidentally, if you're at all curious about what I'm teaching, I started a blog for one of my courses (I'll be doing so for all of them eventually) where you can read about the assignments my students will be doing and follow their progress. Visit Promotional Illustration with professor Peng for more details!

* Ever wonder what I look and sound like? The college asked me (and a number of other new instructors) to participate in their current marketing campaign, called "Learn from Experience". Watch my video here.

Some Labour Day Weekend Reading

I don't know how many readers get to celebrate Labour Day Weekend by, err, not labouring... but regardless, here are some great places to visit if you'd like a hit of visual inspiration in the vein of TI... while I labour away at some freelance. ;^)

From the Scrap Files of P&H

Bruce Hettema writes, "When I purchased [San Fransisco art studio Patterson & Hall], I discovered an old file cabinet containing the agencies scrap files going back to the 1920′s. The files contained reference photos taken for the staff illustrators, advertisements, and samples of illustrators the agency admired. Over the coming weeks I will post these samples at the P&H Creative blog, along with some bio info and my commentary."



Bruce has already written about two artists represented in the P&H Scrap Files. The first is MAURICE LOGAN (1886-1977)



"There are 2 sides of Maurice Logan," writes Bruce. "The illustrator, and the fine artist. What I like about his work is his ability to, at times, combine these 2 worlds. You can often see in his commercial work the loose, impressionistic brush stroke of a fine artist and his non-commercial work shows what a keen an eye for design and composition he had."

"By 1915, Maurie Logan was a leading illustrator in San Francisco. His specialty was creating painted images on demand for advertising work. Someone else would then usually do the lettering and layout work. His expertise with the landscape and the figure made him very versatile." Read more...

Bruce's second post is on ROBERT RIGGS (1896-1970)



Bruce writes, "I was not familiar with the work of Robert Riggs, but I can see how his style has influenced some contemporary illustrators. His heroic figures, with their thick, block shapes look like they where hewn from stone. They are compelling, yet at the same time eerily disturbing. You can especially see this in his later lithographic work depicting circuses, boxers and psychopathic wards." Read more...

* I'll be sure to let readers know when Bruce updates the P&H Scrap Files!

Three by Georgi

Chadwick Crawford writes, "I found a couple of Edwin Georgi images at a vintage magazine shop and scanned them today. I posted them to my blog which nobody reads."

That's a shame, because Chadwick has a bunch of great mid-century illustrations posted, including some terrific paper back cover art.



Chadwick offered to send me his Georgi scans - but I have so many of my own (like the one above) I decided I'd encourage you instead to visit Chadwick's blog and enjoy his scans there.

Catching Up with Marvin Friedman

Rick Friedman sends a quick note: "Check out the new updates!" And you really should - there is so much spectacular artwork on Marvin Friedman's website... Marvin's "Current Works" section alone is beyond belief. Gorgeous, sensitive observational artwork that is at once visceral... and magical.



Marvin's got guts and as far as I'm concerned he should be considered a national treasure. Marvin Friedman.net

Vida e Obra

Evandro Rocha writes, "Would you consider writing a post on a Brazilian artist? There is an artist I am a fan of and I would be very pleased if you could do a post on the work of '70s artist, Joseph Lanzellotti.

Unfortunately I have no knowledge of this artist or examples of his work. But readers might enjoy visiting Evandro's blog, where they'll see a couple of pieces by Lanzellotti (and hopefully there will be more to come in the future).

Unknown Spanish Illustrators

Enrique Flores writes, "Greeting from Spain! I've been posting some stuff about unknown spanish ilustrators (Bagaría, Lata) that might interest you. You'll find it here"



Thanks Enrique!

NCS Spotlight on... Hank Ketcham

A reminder that each week the NCS blog features a 'spotlight' on one of its members, culled from the archives of Today's Inspiration. This week its Hank Ketcham's turn in the spotlight. Drop by the blog for some neat, rarely seen spot cartoons by the creator of Dennis the Menace.

And speaking of Ketcham, here's an obscure cartoon spot. This was sent to me by the owner of the original who wrote, "My father was an Illustrator all of his life. He was in the Navy working on ships as a signalman during WWII. It was during a visit of an officer that he was recognized for his artistic ability. The Navy transferred my father to work in Washington D.C. to draw and sketch. It was in D.C. that my father met Hank Ketchum, Also working for the Navy."



"Long story short, they both drew. Although my father never became famous, he supported and raised all five of us children through his talent as an illustrator and a draftsman. My father stayed in touch with Hank on occasion. Hank sent my father a cartoon unlike any I have ever seen. It is of a small girl in an attic playing "dress-up" with the items from an old chest. It could be an idea that never came to pass. If you could help me identify a time period for this cartoon it would help me greatly."

I forwarded the note and the scan to Marcus Hamilton, who draws the Dennis daily panel. Marcus replied, "That’s a great illustration by Hank. And an interesting email from [the owner] regarding his father’s association with Hank in the Navy. I sent the image to Dottie in our home office and to Ron, our Sunday artist, and neither knew a date nor publication that the art was created for. It looks like one of his spot illustrations for either Saturday Evening Post, or Colliers, both of which were regular clients of his during his freelance days in the late ‘40s, prior to Dennis in 1951. That’s our best guess." Thanks Marcus!

And Finally...


I don't often plug my own stuff on Today's Inspiration (hey, I was born in the mid-century but I didn't start illustrating until the late century! ) but I did just write a HUGE long post about all the Pokémon artwork I drew about a decade ago, with a TON of examples from that particular adventure. If you still want more Labour Day Weekend reading and you're up for something a little more contemporary, you might enjoy taking a look at "my Pokémon adventure" at Leifdrawing101

"Obscure, but fine drawings for "pen and ink" fanatics"

I am always grateful for the contributions - both images and words - so generously shared by those who visit this blog and my illustrator archives on Flickr. For example, about nine months ago I posted this image below by Henry C. Pitz. On the image's Flickr page, my friend Norman C. Mallory commented, "Pitz has been important to me since high school. He's underrated ( and forgotten!) these days-- classed with Adolph Dehn and the like ( not that Dehn is entirely without charm... )."



"Pitz's book for Watson-Guptill on pen and ink drawing is a treasure. I was lucky enough to find a hardback in good condition (from about 1949) pretty cheap at a used bookstore-- when there were many good used bookstores around."



A few days later Norman sent me an email:

"Inspired by your recent Pitz postings (I consider Pitz one of my most important "teachers", his books have tutored me since I was 15), I scanned some crisp repros from my pristine hardback edition of PEN, BRUSH AND INK, published in 1949 by Watson-Guptill. I was lucky enough to find a clean copy in a used bookstore a few years ago."

"These are masterful pen-and-ink drawings by relatively unknown artists whose work appeared in THE SATURDAY EVENING POST."

... and soon after the following scans I'm sharing with you today arrived. I've posted these scans extra large so you can click on them and marvel at the details as I did. Norman adds some brief, appreciative remarks:

"The Paul Nonnast and Fred Freeman drawings are, I think, superb. The Justis "worksheet" a treasure, and the Coll-- well, what does one say about the music of Chopin and Beethoven on the same page... ?"



"I love the combination of freedom and control in this drawing, and the sense of the wind's power... "



"The variety of marks Justis uses is apparently inexhaustibly inventive... "



"Not much to say about this beauty-- except the influence of Vierge is strong here. Coll got bolder toward the end of his short life. The Flesk books, with generous sized repros and details, show that clearly."



"I thought, possibly, that [these images] might find a home among your magnificent archive of postings. I know there must be more "pen and ink" fanatics who would like to see these obscure, but fine drawings."

And I'm sure Norman is correct. With many thanks to him for sharing these beautiful examples of the art of the inked line - as well as his fine commentary!

* NC Mallory on Flickr