Howard Russell Butler and Me

A very satisfying moment on my Facebook Profile (with the clutter blurred).
I see a lot of synergy between my “I-10W x 110” and Howard Russell Butler’s Eclipse painting.

Howard Russell Butler is my Great Great Uncle. I never met him, but he is a huge influence on my art.

[I wish I could add images of the two paintings mentioned below but I can’t find them]
I grew up with this painting. It still hangs in my mom’s living room, many houses later.
This is one of my favorites, it hangs in the family cottage on Martha’s Vineyard.
[Will add whenever I do].

My great uncle (his son) gave me this pastel in the early 80s

Howard Russell Butler, Desert Landscape [not officially titled, not dated], Pastel on paper, 6×9″

With it, came the story of Howard Russell Butler taking the train from New York to Santa Barbara and sketching live from the train window. The story goes that he would work from the sky down, filling in the foreground details when good ones appeared.

I tried this method from a car. It did not go well, I got car sick.
The chalk pastel was awfully messy as well.

Anne M Bray, I-5, CA, 1982, Pastel on paper, 11×14″

It just so happens I’m accompanying a friend on a road trip up I-5 in one week.
I had already been thinking about the possibility of doing some sketching, since I won’t be driving (unless he gets a migraine). My Instagram @annembray will tell what transpires!

This post inspired by:
1) a Facebook post by a friend showing some solar eclipse art
2) remembering seeing HRB’s eclipse painting the same visit that my great uncle gifted me the Desert Landscape pastel
3) finding an article via Google about a current exhibit of HRB’s eclipse paintings!
4) the Daily Post’s weekly Photo Challenge, this week’s challenge is Satisfaction