An image of part of a painting by Grandma Moses titled “Sugaring Off,” 1943. Image provided by Darla McCammon.

By Darla McCammon
and Darlene Romano
Guest Columnists

WARSAW — Anna Mary Robertson “Grandma” Moses (1860-1961) was a housekeeper–turned-homemaker who received no formal education but became a legend for her lively folk art paintings.

She first became interested in art as a child when her father would buy a sheet of white paper for the children. As she married and grew her own family, she pivoted into creating decorative art. When Moses was 76 years old, she developed arthritis and could no longer use her sewing needles, so her friends suggested she try painting again. At first, she just used whatever medium she had on hand, such as house paint. Once she could afford to buy art supplies, she created paintings on pressed wood using oil paints. Moses had a talent for creating paintings of the simple rural life that had surrounded her when living on farms throughout her life.

She designed her paintings to depict the way life used to be without modern features and began selling them for $3 to $5 each, depending on the size. The image included is titled “Sugaring Off,” 1943. Of her paintings, a German fan said, “There emanates from her paintings a lighthearted optimism; the world she shows us is beautiful and it is good.” (en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grandma_Moses)

Moses created award-winning jams and baked goods, and it was this talent that led to her discovery by art collector Louis J. Caldor in 1938. A local store had an exhibit in the window with Moses’ jams and baked goods, and her paintings were used as a backdrop. Caldor saw the paintings and was so impressed that he bought all the paintings in the window and 10 additional paintings from Moses. The next year, Caldor arranged for the paintings by Moses to be included in New York’s Museum of Modern Art exhibition titled “Contemporary Unknown American Painters.”

This led to exhibitions of her artwork throughout Europe and the United States over the next 20 years. Grandma Moses created over 1,500 canvasses in three decades and her work has been reproduced on greeting cards, tiles, fabrics and ceramics and used to market products. For more information, go online to: theartstory.org/amp/artist/grandma-moses.

Events

Midwest Museum of American Art in Elkhart: In honor of its 44th anniversary, the museum is presenting the exhibition “America the Beautiful by American Master Photographer Clyde Butcher.” Focusing mostly on landscapes, Butcher uses a medium-format camera to create silver gelatin prints, platinum palladium prints and digital prints. His extraordinary work will be available for viewing beginning Saturday, May 6, and continuing through Sunday, July 16. The museum is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 1-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The museum is located at 429 S. Main St., Elkhart. Admission is $10 for adults. For more information, call (574) 293-6660.

The Heartland Artists Gallery: The Heartland Artists Gallery will be hosting the annual “Small Wonders Juried Exhibit” from Tuesday, May 2, through Friday, June 2. The gallery is located at 101 N. Michigan St., Plymouth. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and admission is free. For more information, call (574) 936-9515.

Ford Meter Box Calendar Competition: The annual calendar competition for Ford Meter Box is underway and artists are invited to submit artwork. The deadline to submit work is Friday, June 2. For a list of the rules of the event or for more information, contact Michele Ilyas at [email protected] or Tanya Denney at [email protected].

Lakeland Art Center & Gallery: The gallery is currently exhibiting the work of “Hilarie Couture: Unity with Variety.” Gallery hours are 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and admission is free. The gallery is located at 302 E. Winona Ave., Warsaw. For more information, send an email to [email protected].

Warsaw City Hall Art Gallery: Kim Lanoue is the featured exhibitor at the Warsaw City Hall Art Gallery. The gallery is inside of Warsaw City Hall, located at 102 S. Buffalo St., Warsaw. The gallery is open from 8 a.m. to 4 daily, and admission is free. To exhibit at Warsaw City Hall Art Gallery, contact Darla McCammon, curator, at (574) 527-4044 (leave a message) or send an email to [email protected].

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