Thanks for Desert Sabra Cactus
oil painting
34 x 59 inches putting me on to John Collier. There are many of his portraits online from The National Portrait Gallery of Great Britain. I noticed they are a bit on the dark side, and if one saves the images' files and then lightens them with a photo editor, nuances come through to show more of this great artist's vision and technique. A posthumous "hats off" to this great painter.

Wow! This is exactly what I aspire to do!! I am beyond making a living at art, but have always drawn glamour girls, and love his muted color. Collier's work has a lot of class! I hope to see more art that looks like the master's work, and without the help of computer workshops! Anyone can trace, and render! Free drawing separates the men from the mice, so to speak. I love this work.

Collier himself didn't think much of books as a way of learning art. Hands on, long hours of application, scraping off unsatisfactory passages, study of actual masterworks, and the close guidance of living masters were his ideals. "It is a melancholy fact that more nonsense can be talked about art than about any other subject, and writers of treatises on painting, from the great Leonardo downwards, have not been slow to avail themselves of this privilege," he said. It is curious that he saw fit to write the book.

I loved the Boys fishing in the canal
original painting paintings. What a shame that people aren't trained to paint accurately what is before them... anything at all... people, animals, landscape, still life, etc... as abstract art becomes more "in fashion" ...again... it is sad that people won't know what realistic "art" is after a while... especially because it isn't taught in school as it used to be. These are wonderful letters of yours, Robert, I don't know how you do it... you're a marvel.

I also have a copy of John Collier's A Manual of Oil Painting published in 1911, and I purchased mine at a garage sale for $5.00 in my home town of Thunder Bay and, although I do not paint with oils because of my allergies, I have found the book to be very inspiring and truly practical for any medium... thanks for sharing these letters with us.

(RG note) Thanks, Maureen. There is something to be said for finding an early edition - or even a first edition. The reprint currently available on Amazon has been nicely done and as far as I can see leaves out none of the good stuff.

I was curious Historical Home Lowman, New York
oil painting
18 x 24 inches as to whether you have had the great experience of working with the Maroger Medium? I have been making and painting with it for the past 60 years. I was taught to make it by the old master himself, "Jacques Maroger." He was a true modern day master. Not too much is said or written about him. Too Bad. There are a few well established artists such as David Lefel, Whitaker, and Joseph Sheppard also using the medium for a lot of years. The Schuler School of Fine Arts teaches the old master's methods and techniques using the medium. Ann Schuler went on to work with Maroger until he passed on in 1962 and started the school and is now 90-some years old and still painting. Great, Huh? If anyone has any questions regarding Maroger medium please contact me.

(RG note) Thanks, Walt. For those others who don't know about Jacques Maroger (pronounced: ma - ro – ZHAY) (1884–1962) he was a painter and the technical director of the Louvre Museum's laboratory in Paris. He devoted his life to understanding the oil-based media of the Old Masters. From 1930 to 1939, Maroger worked at the Louvre Museum as Technical Director. He was also a Member of the Conservation Committee, General Secretary of the International Experts, and President of the Restorers of France. In 1937, he received the Légion d'honneur. He emigrated to the United States in 1939 and became a lecturer at the Parsons School of Design in New York. His "Maroger Medium" was actually a variety of reinventions from old masters and others he admired - the main ingredient was, unfortunately, lead. Modern day media such as Megilp manages to get the lead out, and many oil painters simply love it.

The painting of Collier's you illustrated titled "Lilith" was a popular painting subject throughout the history of Western Art. Lilith is not just Frazier's difficult girlfriend, but an important figure in the Bible and other mythology. In one version of the myth, Lilith was Adam's first wife before Eve. (Deuteronomy 27:21). Lilith didn't like the idea of male dominance, gave Adam some mating difficulty and has been a troublesome figure ever since. The Dead Sea Scrolls mention Lilith in several places and add to her unpleasant reputation. Collier, who loved painting women, was not beyond painting their deceptive, curious and vindictive side.

Collier also wrote a book putting forth his views on religion. The Religion of an Artist (1926) parallels the views of Thomas and Julian Huxley, to whom he was related by marriage. Collier, essentially a humanist, looked forward to the time when ethics might take the place of organized religion. "The benefits of religion," he said, "can be attained by other means which are less conducive to strife and which put less strain on the reasoning faculties." His point of view came from his curious nature and an ever-deepening empathy for the state of mankind—an attitude not unfamiliar to some artists. Collier was a strong believer in what he thought was the simple and natural universal tendency for uncompromised people to be kind to one another.