Vintage American Artist Providence, Rhode Island, Provincetown, Massachsetts Eliza Draper Gardner Colored Woodblock Signed, 7 1/2 X 7 3/4" Image size, 15 1/2 x 17 1/4", pencil signed lower left and titled "Nice Pussy" and edition 37/50.NOT laid down
Eliza Draper Gardner(1871-1955), Rhode Island/Provincetown Print Master, was born and lived most of her life in the Providence/Cranston area. She would become one of the greatest artists ever produced by that wonderful state.Her early education was at the Friend's School, later known as Moses Brown, where later she taught for a period of time. She became a pioneer in the color woodblock print and affiliated with the famous Provincetown Printmakers. She went on to study at the Rhode Island School of Design and shortly after graduation was a very popular teacher there for ~30 years.She learned etching techniques from Charles Woodbury, who emphasized to his students to create in verbs not nouns. She was also influenced by the techniques of Arthur Dow and Sir William Nicholson.Although associated by some with the Provincetown Printers she never adopted their white line technique. She preferred pure flat color and simple design espoused by the Japanese. She utilized rice paste, watercolor and occasionally pastel and crayon in her prints. She was also proficient in creating linocuts, lithographs and watercolors. Her landscapes, still lifes and portrait sketches showed equal skill to her printmaking ability.Her primary legacy is absolutely charming prints of children doing their usual, cute activities and of family life on holidays.Eliza Gardner exhibited throughout the U.S. in Boston, Cape Cod, Rhode Island, New York Philadelphia, Chicago and as far away as California and the Uffizi in Florence and Biblioteque National in Paris.She participated in the important print shows at the Brooklyn Museum and Detroit Art Museum.Her most prolific phase was 1910-1930s where she worked out of her R.I. studio from a converted barn. She belonged to most of the art societies in Rhode Island and the American Color Print Society and print clubs in California and Philadelphia.In 1987 the Newport Art Museum had a retrospective of her work accompanied by a beautiful catalogue of her works.Written and submitted by Robert Savage of The Wellesley Collection. Sources include Bert Gallery, Annex Galleries and Terra Art Foundation

15.5 x 17.25 x 1 in

10 lb