biografía de George Demont OTIS (1879-1962)

Lugar de nacimiento: Memphis, TN

Lugar de defunción: Kentfield, CA

Direcciones: Colorado; Taos and Santa Fe, NM; Kentfield, CA

Profesión: Landscape painter, etcher, lecturer, teacher

Estudios: Chicago Acad. FA, 1894; AIC with Vanderpoel; CUA Sch; PAFA; ASL; Woodstock Sch. Painting with John Carlson, Izra Winters, and Wellington Reynolds; R. Schmidt; Reynolds; Poole; R. Henri; Chute; Fursman; Brooklyn Acad.; Cape Cod Sch. Art.

Exposiciones: Sacramento, Calif., 1925 (prize); AIC, 1926.

Asociaciones: Chicago SA; Palette & Chisel Cl., Chicago (founder); Pen & Brush Cl., Chicago; Kit Kat Cl., NYC; New York Beach Combers; ASL (Chicago and NYC); SC; Soc. for Sanity in Art; Western Arts Academy Foundation (founder, 1947; which resulted in the formation of the Soc. Western Artists); Calif. AC; Los Angeles PS; Laguna Beach AA; Cliff Dwellers; AAPL (Western Chmn., 1948).

Obra: AIC; Hackley A. Gal.; & other galleries & museums in U.S. & abroad.

Comentarios: A highly influential teacher, he gave classes in Chicago, New York, New Jersey, Texas, and California until 1939; and, more than 500 of his students became professional painters. He spent two seasons as a professional baseball pitcher in TN, painting on the off seasons. As he gained success with his art, he made painting his career but also produced wood carving and stained glass. For many years, he painted in the Indian Reservations of the Southwest and Mexico, producing a series of watercolors of the Indians. His specialty was Impressionist mountain landscapes of California and the missions. He was a friend of John Steinbeck, Jack London, and Brother Cornelius. Strongly independent, he always kept his own studio and gallery, refusing to work with dealers. Author: The A B C of Landscape Painting (publ. posthumously).

Fuentes: WW59; WW47. Hughes, Artists in California, 416; exh. cat., Geo. Demont Otis Foundation, San Fran., CA (1977).