Ray Stanford Strong, West Coast landscape artist

401 Pages·2017·279.013 MB·English

by  Humpal, Mark;Strong, Ray

R ay S ta n f o r d S t r o n g
W E S T C O A S T L A N D S C A P E A R T I S T
m a r k h u m pa l
R ay Stanford Strong
W E S T COA S T L A N D SC A PE A RT I S T
THE CHARLES M. RUSSELL CENTER SERIES ON
ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY OF THE AMERICAN WEST
B. BYRON PRICE, GENERAL EDITOR
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R ay Stanford Strong
W E S T COA S T L A N D SC A PE A RT I S T
m a r k h u m pa l
UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA PRESS : NORMAN
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Material in chapters 1–4 previously appeared in “Artist Ray Strong: An Enduring Vision of the Oregon
Landscape,” Oregon Historical Quarterly 109, no. 1 (Spring 2008): 98–127. It is reproduced here with
permission from the Oregon Historical Quarterly and its publisher, the Oregon Historical Society.
Figure 4.14, Ray Strong, San Gabriel County, 1938, is a Post OfficeTM Mural and is reprinted on pages 102–3
with the permission of the United States Postal Service. All rights Reserved. Written authorization from
the Postal Service is required to use, reproduce, post, transmit, distribute, or publicly display this image.
The following images appear uncaptioned on the pages noted:
Pages ii–iii: (detail) Ray Stanford Strong, Big Sur Coast, ca. 1950s. See plate 16, page 321.
Page v: (detail) Ansel Adams, Ray Strong, Mill Valley, California, ca. 1950s. See figure 9.5, page 192.
Pages vi–vii: (detail) Ray Stanford Strong, Friant Dam and Madera Canal, ca. 1959. See plate 18, page 325.
Pages viii–ix: (detail) Ray Stanford Strong, Sun Drenched Desert, 1946. See figure 7.6, page 149.
Page xvi: (detail) Ray Stanford Strong, Plough Patterns (Fall Plowing Patterns, Pierce Point), 1941.
See figure 6.3, page 131.
Ray Stanford Strong, West Coast Landscape Artist is Volume 28 in The Charles M. Russell Center Series
on Art and Photography of the American West.
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on
Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources, Inc. ∞
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Name: Humpal, Mark, 1952–
Title: Ray Stanford Strong, West Coast landscape artist / Mark Humpal.
Description: Norman : University of Oklahoma Press, 2017. | Series: The Charles M. Russell Center series on
art and photography of the American West ; Volume 28 | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017003555 | ISBN 978-0-8061-5770-2 (hardcover : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Strong, Ray, 1905–2006. | Landscape painters—United States—Biography.
Classification: LCC ND237.S797 H86 2017 | DDC 759.13 [B] —dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017003555
Copyright © 2017 by the University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Publishing Division of the University.
Manufactured in China.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or
otherwise—except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the United States Copyright Act—
without the prior permission of the University of Oklahoma Press.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
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To Elizabeth Brown Strong, the tail on the kite
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vi
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CONTENTS
List of Plates ix
Acknowledgments xi
Abbreviations xv
Introduction 3
1. Early Years and Formative Experiences 9
2. Early Studies in California and Arizona 27
3. New York 39
4. San Francisco Years 67
5. Eric Thomsen, the Cooperative Movement, and John Steinbeck 109
6. Berkeley Years 123
7. Oregon Opportunities and Other Postwar Exploits 137
8. Mill Valley: Big Ideas and Big Challenges 157
9. Art Activities in Mill Valley 183
10. The 1950s: Travels and Other Adventures 203
11. Santa Barbara and Museum Commissions 217
12. Project 400 239
13. Teaching, Lecturing, Demonstrating 251
14. Canadian Rockies, GOO, and Banks 261
15. Revival and Return 275
Plates 289
Notes 343
Selected Bibliography 365
Index 369
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viii CONTENTS
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COLOR PL ATES
plate 1. Barn at the Foot of Spruce Hill, ca. 1932 291
plate 2. Mt. Lassen, ca. 1936 293
plate 3. Oregon Hill Top (Stump Farm, Gresham), 1937 295
plate 4. Lassen Fire, ca. 1935 297
plate 5. Paper Mill Creek, ca. 1940 299
plate 6. Zion, Portal Cliffs, ca. 1946 301
plate 7. Late Afternoon, Del Puerto Canyon, 1946 303
plate 8. Lost Lake, Oregon Coast Range, 1947 305
plate 9. Albion Flat, ca. 1945 307
plate 10. Olex Ranch, 1947 309
plate 11. Bishop Pines, Point Reyes, 1951 311
plate 12. Mt. St. Helens from above Timberline (Thrust of the Northwest), 1953 313
plate 13. Columbia Gorge, ca. 1946 315
plate 14. Mendocino City, 1951 317
plate 15. Road to Point Reyes, ca. 1950s 319
plate 16. Big Sur Coast, ca. 1950s 321
plate 17. Madera Canal, ca. 1950s 323
plate 18. Friant Dam and Madera Canal, ca. 1959 325
plate 19. Nicasio Ranch, ca. 1959 327
plate 20. Fireworks, 1961 329
plate 21. Monument Valley, ca. 1964 331
plate 22. New Moon, Big Sur, ca. 1970 333
plate 23. Tungsten Canyon (Pine Creek Canyon Near Bishop), 1969 335
plate 24. Eucalyptus in the Mist, ca. 1970 337
plate 25. Grunion Night, Hope Ranch, ca. 1970 339
plate 26. Blue Day—Equinox—Old San Marcos Pass Road, ca. 1981 341
ix
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