Description

Watercolors by Millard Sheets

Catalog from a one man show at the Stary-Sheets Art Gallery. May 6 through May 31, 1989.

46 pages, limited availability.

61 color illustrations, softcover – $22.00 

The Stary-Sheets Art Gallery is extremely privileged and
honored to present a collection of watercolors by Millard Sheets, painted over
a nineteen-year period for United Airlines. This is an astonishing collection
of work by one of America’s most important artists, offering all of us the
opportunity to visit (back in time) one of the most vibrant periods in our
Nation’s history.

These richly designed and vividly colored paintings were
created for the purpose of linking the commercial interests of one of America’s
giant corporations to the sensitivities of the American public’s growing
enthusiasm for air travel. In the late forties and early fifties air travel was
just beginning to accommodate the needs of the average American, and, as a
result, the public had access to previously difficult areas to visit. The era
of Regionalism was changed forever. Places once far away and only an image out
of National Geographic or books of lore were a lure to the public to begin
exploring this incredible country in which we live.

Millard Sheets was picked by United Airlines to document the
wonderful landscapes and urban scenes of those areas the airline serviced. He
did this with his own vision and the paintings were reproduced in the form of calendars
that were given to the customers. Each painting is individual in its character
and represents an impression of a particular location, be it Mt. Hood or
Washington Monument, and the excitement that location created for the artist.
The calendars were extremely popular as the offered uncontrived and evocative
views of the enchanting places our country offers. The original paintings have
a freshness and vitality as though they were painted yesterday and are as
individual as any Millard Sheets ever produced.   David Stary-Sheets

California Watercolor – California Art Books