Featured Artwork: A High And Rocky Mowing

Unnamed: From a Pasture Ledge

Woodward did not keep records of his pastels he called "chalk drawings."

Editor's Note:

In trying to select a "comp" to what this drawing may be similar to height was our main consideration. Burnt Hill in Heath is a good candidate. Woodward started traveling to Heath shortly after acquiring his first car around 1924. But there are plenty of other options, for instance, the artist mentions the "mowing edge above the house" where he situated himself to paint the award winning piece, New England Drama. Also check out the Pastures Gallery.

Springfield Republican, December 12, 1929

The Pynchon Gallery Exhibition is one of the few exhibitions that featured Woodward's "Crayon Drawings." As many as 13 were reported to be exhibited and this website is not aware of any exhibit that featured more than this number. The Deerfield Academy, 1932 Exhibition featured 10 drawings.

Springfield Republican, 1929, by Jeanette C. Matthews

"'A High and Rocky Mowing' is a title that almost gives you the picture, but you must see for yourself the color of the mowing, the hills and the curve of the hills behind the pasture, the restful balance of the trees, the suggestive drawing of those same trees."

Artwork Mentioned in article:

• God's Quiet Acre
• Clouds In May
• From The Heights
• The Sea Of Hills, Chalk
• The Genial Old House, Chalk
• December Farm; A Winter Sketch
• Mount Peru in Summer
• The Young Tree And The Old House
• Aeolus: Home Of The Winds, 1929
• From The Pasture Top
• The Hopper at Greylock
• The Chimney Shadow
• Warped Roofs

Regarding the
Chalk Drawings

The following is an excerpt from, "An Artist of his Time", a lecture, hosted by the Friends of RSW, on RSW by Peter Trippi, editor-in-chief, Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine, which also did a feature article on RSW. CLICK HERE to view the Article

"...the pastel works - they're just fantastic. And I'm afraid that they photograph very well but you don't really appreciate the difficulty of making them until you see them up close. That as you know with pastel, you have to be very very good to make it work, because it hard to correct a mistake. With oil paint it's much easier to cover over the error. But these are really really spectacular."

October 4, 2014
Peter Trippi, editor-in-chief
Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine