If someone was to ask me today who my favorite American painters is, I might pause because it is a tough question, but ultimately, I know I would say Andrew Wyeth. Son of the infamous illustrator, N.C. Wyeth, Andrew was raised in a family that encouraged imagination and creativity. He painted for the majority of his life. He is known for his realistic, figurative paintings, but I always admired his passion for going further, painting from memory. I admire his firm belief that he paint from abstraction, that there was more than just beauty in the painting. One of his many muses was Christina Olson, a strong woman despite a muscular disease that left her paralyzed from the waist down. Wyeth grew to become dear friends with her family, setting up a studio in their home. He was drawn to the Olsons and their rambling home in Cushing, Maine.
One of my favorite paintings of the Olson home is Wind from the Sea. Inspired by a gentle breeze through old lace curtains, Wyeth painted a moment that passed by, but lingered in his memory. I have always been drawn to Wyeth’s use of windows in his paintings.
This painting inspired me to design my own lace curtain pattern in Berroco Indigo. You might remember our free pattern, Christine’s Curtains from a recent issue KnitBits (I named them for Christina Olson, but the name got changed to due to a bit of office telephone). And like the curtains in Wind From the Sea, they’re just waiting for a gentle breeze to roll through.
So lovely, Emily!
I appreciate your artistry but wonder why you refer to N. C. Wyeth as “infamous”.
Sorry, no idea! Emily no longer works here.
Thanks for responding. I appreciate your site.