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(Pine Trees 1955 Watercolor and ink on paper.  Credit: Smithsonian Institution )

 

Ever so slowly, I’ve been reading through a pile of very old art books.  After thumbing through a watercolor book from the late 60s I came across a black and white picture of a watercolor painting by William Thon.  The black and white picture was incredibly blotchy and did his painting no justice.  So, of course, I had to look him up on the web.

 

I was intrigued to find that William Thon was born in New York City in 1906.  That must have been an interesting time to grow up in New York City – it was the city’s progressive era where many of its iconic buildings were being constructed and the population was growing by leaps and bounds.

 

 

Thon quit school at 16 years old to work as a bricklayer’s assistant.  He bought paint and brushes with his first pay!  He served in the Navy during WWII and after the war won a fellowship and grant to the American Academy in Rome.  Prior to the Academy, he had no formal art training except 30 days at the Art Students League.  Once he began at the American Academy in Rome he discovered watercolor and began to paint in a loosened style.  His work continued to become more abstract and emotion filled.

 

His big artistic break through happened while he was painting scraggly trees and granite rocks inspired by the quarry near his home in Maine.  It turned out to be an abstract based in Nature. 

 

Thon had been painting in oil on canvas prior to his time at the American Academy and his subject often had been based on the sea, ships, sailing, etc.  This was a big change for him.  I couldn’t find much else written about him unfortunately, but if I could I would want to find out what or whom inspired him at the Academy to try watercolor.  It seems there might be more to this story but I may never know.  I’m glad to have found the few paintings online.

 

Have you ever been so inspired by someone or something that it drove you to create something completely new?  Did you feel like you were out of your comfort zone?  I’d love to hear your story.

 

(Midnight Quarry 1952 watercolor, pen, brush and ink on paper William Thon

Credit: Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.  The painting is not on display but you can view it online here:  https://whitney.org/collection/works/2858)

 

(Sunset at Cordoba 1956 watercolor, pen and ink, and brush and ink on paper

Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.  The painting also is not on display but you can view it online here: https://whitney.org/collection/works/2859)

 

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