Edgar Alwin Payne is one of Americas twentieth century most distinguished muralist, illustrator and landscape painter. He lived between the first of March 1883 and the 8th of April 1947. He lived his early life in the south west of Missouri, Barry County in the farmlands of Washburn where he was born. During his teenage years, he had a passion for traveling where he toured most of the United States, Canada, Mexico and Europe. He was most fascinated by the western side of America where he would later settle. When he was 14, his artistic journey began when he started painting signs, houses, murals, and stage in theatres in order to finance his tours. When he was 19, he embarked on a major tour that took him across the Ozarks, southeast and central United States, and Mexico to onto Chicago where he would settle for a moment to enroll for picture art studies in the Arts institute of Chicago. He only studied at the institute for a fortnight after he found the learning to be very bureaucratic and instead opting self learning through practice.
Edgar did struggle for a time, and he would start exhibiting landscape pictures at a local club called Palette and Chisels and also engaging in occasional wall painting for extra income. In 1909 when he was 26, he made his first trip to California where he stayed for several months engaged in painting at the Laguna Beach. He then went to San Francisco where he met many artists notable among them Elsie palmer who was working as a commercial artist there. He then went back to Chicago for two years and then came back to California. In 1911, he went back to Illinois and met Elsie who at the time had taken job as an artist there. The bonds between them become stronger due to their shared interest in art and they married in November 9th 1912. Edgar was very fascinated with art that during the wedding ceremony, he had to postpone it for some time in order to allow for a more perfect lighting. Luckily, his bride accepted. The couples become popular in the art scene around Chicago and their first major collaborative mural piece was at the institute of arts in Chicago and another one that was a hallmark for them in 1914 when they got their first daughter.
His first major work was the Topeka Atchison and Santa Fe railroad company which contracted him to paint impressions of trainline landscape. Payne traveled with his wife to four corners area where they painted murals depicting rocky landscapes with Navajo riders riding horses. The Paynes used the artistic impression of light that made the pictures to portray the unique open nature of the southwest. His success continued and in 1917, he was contracted by congress hotel at San Francisco in painting a huge mural using a piece of muslin. The project was done with the aid of many local artists and after this contract they returned to Laguna Beach. At Laguna Beach, Payne was critical in founding the Laguna beach art association. This organization made him to network with other art organizations in California and at one time he was made the president of California art club (Cook, n.d).
In 1922, Payne traveled with his family to Europe for two years in many locations. At this time, he continued painting and one of his works an artistic impression of the Alps, was cited in the honorable category in 1923 at the Paris salon. He researched a lot about the paintings he was making although most of them were inspired by what he observed. When he returned to America, he continued to paint together with his wife and daughter mostly in expeditions to mountains like Lake Louise in Canada and sierras. He became well acquitted with the mountains that the lake called Humphrey basin was renamed after him in his honor (Cook, n.d). In 1929 at the time of the great depression, they were hit hard due to declining commissions from their work and they returned to California and bought a permanent home in Los Angeles.
When there daughter married soon after their return to Los Angeles, Payne separated from his wife but they did not divorce. Elsie later remarried but Payne relocated to Hollywood where he continued his artistic work recording a documentary called sierra journey and he also wrote a book called composition of outdoor painting which outlined his painting methods and skills (Cook, n.d.).The book expounded on the techniques painting landscapes, rhythm, color, value and repetition. In 1946, Payne was battling with cancer and his wife returned after a separation lasting fourteen years. Elsie nursed his former husband in the last stages of his cancer until he died in 1947. Payne won many prizes for his work, like the National academy of sciences prize in 1929 and Californian state affairs prize in 1917 among a series of other prizes and honors (cook, n.d).
Edgar did struggle for a time, and he would start exhibiting landscape pictures at a local club called Palette and Chisels and also engaging in occasional wall painting for extra income. In 1909 when he was 26, he made his first trip to California where he stayed for several months engaged in painting at the Laguna Beach. He then went to San Francisco where he met many artists notable among them Elsie palmer who was working as a commercial artist there. He then went back to Chicago for two years and then came back to California. In 1911, he went back to Illinois and met Elsie who at the time had taken job as an artist there. The bonds between them become stronger due to their shared interest in art and they married in November 9th 1912. Edgar was very fascinated with art that during the wedding ceremony, he had to postpone it for some time in order to allow for a more perfect lighting. Luckily, his bride accepted. The couples become popular in the art scene around Chicago and their first major collaborative mural piece was at the institute of arts in Chicago and another one that was a hallmark for them in 1914 when they got their first daughter.
His first major work was the Topeka Atchison and Santa Fe railroad company which contracted him to paint impressions of trainline landscape. Payne traveled with his wife to four corners area where they painted murals depicting rocky landscapes with Navajo riders riding horses. The Paynes used the artistic impression of light that made the pictures to portray the unique open nature of the southwest. His success continued and in 1917, he was contracted by congress hotel at San Francisco in painting a huge mural using a piece of muslin. The project was done with the aid of many local artists and after this contract they returned to Laguna Beach. At Laguna Beach, Payne was critical in founding the Laguna beach art association. This organization made him to network with other art organizations in California and at one time he was made the president of California art club (Cook, n.d).
In 1922, Payne traveled with his family to Europe for two years in many locations. At this time, he continued painting and one of his works an artistic impression of the Alps, was cited in the honorable category in 1923 at the Paris salon. He researched a lot about the paintings he was making although most of them were inspired by what he observed. When he returned to America, he continued to paint together with his wife and daughter mostly in expeditions to mountains like Lake Louise in Canada and sierras. He became well acquitted with the mountains that the lake called Humphrey basin was renamed after him in his honor (Cook, n.d). In 1929 at the time of the great depression, they were hit hard due to declining commissions from their work and they returned to California and bought a permanent home in Los Angeles.
When there daughter married soon after their return to Los Angeles, Payne separated from his wife but they did not divorce. Elsie later remarried but Payne relocated to Hollywood where he continued his artistic work recording a documentary called sierra journey and he also wrote a book called composition of outdoor painting which outlined his painting methods and skills (Cook, n.d.).The book expounded on the techniques painting landscapes, rhythm, color, value and repetition. In 1946, Payne was battling with cancer and his wife returned after a separation lasting fourteen years. Elsie nursed his former husband in the last stages of his cancer until he died in 1947. Payne won many prizes for his work, like the National academy of sciences prize in 1929 and Californian state affairs prize in 1917 among a series of other prizes and honors (cook, n.d).
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