Wednesday, November 09, 2011

Walter H. Everett: "... a man preoccupied with his work to the detriment of his family life."

I had never heard of Walter H. Everett until his work was brought to my attention recently by Greg Newbold. Greg has published two posts on his blog showcasing Everett's work -- and what stunning work it is!

Everett has the dubious distinction of having one day burned all of the originals in his possession and abandoning illustration. Thank goodness some (but not much) of his work was out in the world at the time or none might have survived for us to enjoy today.

For instance, just look at the piece below, which I found in the photostream of Flickr member, Joseloff Gallery

Everett01

Jim Vadeboncoeur has a short biography on Everett on his "Illustrators" web page. He writes that Everett was "described as a man preoccupied with his work to the detriment of his family life." And that after burning all his work, "he painted for himself until his death in 1946."

Below, a lovely example of Everett's personal work, painted the year before his death.

Everett02

Be sure to visit Greg Newbold's blog to see many more examples of Walter H. Everett's gorgeous artwork. And drop by Jim Vadeboncoeur's webpage to read more about Everett and many other illustrator biographies.

* Thanks to Heritage Auctions for allowing me to use the second scan in today's post.


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6 comments:

  1. Rich12:19 PM

    He burned works of this calibre?
    He must have gone through a hell of a crisis then...

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  2. Cray4:48 AM

    I've heard of a couple of other illustrators who used old paintings for fire wood when times were hard.
    They can be a strange lot, illustrators.

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  3. Anonymous2:40 AM

    I'm completely blown away by the few paintings I've seen in the links provided. I can't believe he destroyed his work, what a loss. I would really love to get my hands on a book with more of his work; perhaps of his personal painting!

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  4. BRIAN POSTMAN2:58 PM

    Here's a couple of more examples of Everett's fantastic works...B http://gregnewbold.blogspot.com/2010/06/walter-everett.html

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  5. Paul Martinez Everett1:14 AM

    Walter H Everett was awesome! I'm his great grandson and as a child I was raised with his artwork covering the walls. My grandfather and father saved a lot of his artwork from his destructive behavior.
    - My sister is currently working on hosting a gallery exhibit soon!

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  6. Seth1:26 PM

    I own the painting above titled "Trees". It was painted in 1945 for a friend with a lovely inscription to said fiend on back. I did not know of Walter H. Everett when I purchased this painting...I just loved it. It's a shame so much of his work was destroyed. I feel blessed to have this painting and enjoy looking at it every day. Thanks Walter!!

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