Puget Sound Group of Northwest Painters

HISTORY

History

Well, since our founders began PSGNWP, there have been a "few" changes...

We became an all male group when the women formed their own group, the "Women Painters of Washington" and we've remained so ever since.

We've been a happy go lucky bunch of artists who have shared a raucous good time since 1928 and we wholeheartedly believe that we've only just begun.

Here's a look at where we have been.....(and a good indication of where we may be headed)...

THE FIRST FIFTY YEARS
Though the fact may come, as something of a disappointment to the incurably
romantic, all artists in the twenties were not starving in garrets on the Left Bank. There was quite a large and well-established colony in as early as 1926 flying the banner of the Seattle Art Club, and while not exactly prosperous, they certainly were not starving. That came later.

For some reason, the Seattle Art Club passed from the scene and, though the picture is rather fuzzy for the next few years, it was succeeded by a group, which called itself the "Seattle Palette Club." Around 1930, according to Kenneth Callahan reporting in the Town Crier, the Seattle Palette Club became the Puget Sound Group and at about the same time, for or reasons unknown, also became for men only. The women went on to make their own considerable contributions to the arts as the Women Painters of Washington.

It is almost cliché to say that anything that began on or after 1928 in the United States began humbly. Therefore, it was for the Puget Sound Group and the five stalwarts who became the charter members.

Early day meetings were attended largely by admirers of Eustace Ziegler, one of the Pacific Northwest's first real name artists, who had acquired a considerable reputation for his Alaskan paintings. Many of these first meetings were actually sketching classes in Ziegler's studio in the White Building, held for the benefit of younger students.

Before long, the group became an organization and Ziegler, Glenn Sheckles, A. J. Stahmer, William Klamm and Ernest Norling were joined by James Allen, Guy Anderson, Harry Bonath, Edwin Burnley, Kenneth Callahan, Willard Cox, Leon Derbyshire, Arne Jensen, Erik Johanson, Paul Immel, R. C. Lee, Walter Reese, John Taliaferro, Pieter Van Dalen and Franz Zallinger. Eustace Ziegler, naturally enough, became the first president.

Very quickly, the group made a firm commitment to be more than just a social club. The recollections of one of charter members report that at an early meeting, someone suggested that members bring their paintings to the club to be criticized constructively by the others.

This commitment to quality was retained and formalized over the years until today an aspiring member must meet some very rigid membership requirements.

Prospective members must first have exhibited in a juried show. Applicants are required to submit three original works of art to the membership for review and be sponsored an active member. Applications are submitted to the membership at special meetings held twice a year and must be approved by two thirds of the members present. Running this gauntlet often eliminates more than 50 percent of each year’s candidates, but few are discouraged, and many have applied for membership at least twice; some as many as four times before achieving standards acceptable a membership.

The shows hung, the prizes won and the prices commanded by many members of the Puget Sound Group are testimony to the benefits of these demanding membership requirements

For those on the outside looking in, exposure to the workings of the Puget Sound Group is limited largely to the lighthearted aspects such as the annual banquet and art auction. Nevertheless, there is much more to the organization. Otherwise, it could not have survived for over seven decades as one of the most unique and successful art groups in the country.

Unlike other purely social organizations, this one has a mission. That mission: to further the arts in the Northwest. To that end, it has contributed many thousands of dollars over the years to support the arts in a myriad of ways including art scholarships and art books for the public library. The Rainier School in Buckley, Washington, an institution for the mentally retarded, has received support in the form of art supplies from the group. Prize money for many prestigious Northwest art shows such as the Northwest Watercolor Show sponsored by the Northwest Watercolor Society at the Seattle Art Museum, and the Northwest Annual sponsored by the Seattle Art Museum, plus innumerable summer community art festivals like the Bellevue Arts and Crafts Fair, are just a few of the beneficiaries. Unlike many such monetary prizes, these are always "no-strings-attached," for it is an ironclad rule that the artist retains the prize-winning work.

A healthy and lively process of self-criticism has always been among the unwritten rules of the group. This is often fostered by periodic well-attended sketch trips sponsored by the organization. On one such occasion, the small sleepy town of Roslyn, a former coal mining center in eastern foothills of the Washington Cascades, was startled out of its normal routine by the arrival of a bus load of painters equipped with palettes, easels, box lunches and beer for a day of "painting the town." Nothing escaped the canvases of Puget Sound Group members, including the rural complement of main street observers.

The picturesque Washington communities of Port Townsend and LaConner have undergone similar artistic invasions at intervals. In fact, the annual harvest of paintings formed the basis for a regular exhibit at a local gallery in LaConner.

At other times and other places, special events have prompted unusual paint-ins such as occurred at the 1962 World's Fair in Seattle. On another occasion, in an effort to save and restore the ancient three-masted schooner Wawona, the Puget Sound crew turned out en masse. The products of this effort were auctioned and the proceeds turned over to the Save Our Ships group to further the restoration of the Wawona and other historic vessels.

A number of special exhibits which have become virtual institutions in the, Northwest were originally organized and sponsored by the Puget Sound Group. The annual Seattle Boat Show Art Exhibit was started by the group. The well known "Changing Scene" shows featured at the Seattle Museum of History and Industry have been hung chiefly from the works of the Northwest Painters' ranks, and Frederick & Nelsons Little Gallery has often featured their works as well.

Always open to fresh viewpoints, special meetings often star international celebrities in the arts.

As one might expect, informality in all respects is one of the rules. From its earliest days, the world of art as viewed by the members of the Puget Sound Group has never been musty or stuffy.

An anecdote provided by an early day patron illustrates the lighthearted side of the organization very well. It seems that through all the years of its existence, the group has yearned for a permanent home. At various times, they have rented space in old buildings, and on one occasion nearly purchased an obsolete firehouse from the city of Seattle for use as a permanent headquarters. In the early days, various restaurants and coffee houses served as the official headquarters for the modest membership. During one period early in the depression, a dingy basement restaurant operated by an old Alaskan sourdough became home base. Depressed by the unsightly surroundings, and perhaps as a manifestation of the nesting instinct, the group pitched in and redecorated the premises in an authentic gold rush decor straight out of a Robert Service poem, it even included a piano in the corner with the Lady known as Lou. Overnight, the restaurant became one of Seattle's "in" spots and the group had trouble even keeping their special table.

Eventually, the members began to swap, or buy one another's sketches. Nevertheless, in the early, grim days of the great depression, this contributed precious little to the treasury and the in-breeding really didn't contribute much toward popularizing or improving the arts of the Northwest.

Finally, a member suggested getting together for lunch and auctioning off sketches. This set the stage for one of the few remaining purely social and cultural events of the Seattle art scene.

A pioneer Seattle physician, who, through his close friendship with Ernest Norling, also became an early patron the group, attended the first and all of the subsequent auctions until recent years. He recalls that in the very early days the event was literally a full dress affair believing the sad state of the economy in the thirties. He explained the only decent suit of clothes most of the artists had were the tuxedos left over from the halcyon days the roaring twenties. They wore them simply because had nothing else appropriate to wear.

At any rate, the aura of prosperity this false front fostered must have created the right image, because the affair grew in scope and the Puget Sound Group began to prosper in reality.

Sometime during the Thirties, too, a membership arrangement was introduced which has not only endured to the present day but as near as anyone knows is unique. Each active member is assessed one framed painting or other original work of art per year, which comprises his dues for that year. Thus, the proceeds from this art, when auctioned, become the cash dues for the member and is deposited in the club treasury.

Not surprisingly, actually, this procedure did not produce any "junk" art, for there has always been a spirited though unofficial competition between the members as to whose art would bring the highest price at the auction.

Although wives and families attend some of the Group's activities, and some events such as the annual picnic are planned with the family in mind, the annual banquet and auction has always been for men only.

If it wasn't the art, perhaps it was the sumptuous seventy five cent banquet, but whatever the drawing card, the banquet and auction caught on, and very quickly a "by invitation only' guest list policy had to be established. Though the banquet sites changed at intervals, moving to Maison Blanc's, a well known French restaurant of the day, the banquet prices stayed constant until 1936 when it moved uptown to the Washington Athletic Club and the price skyrocketed to one dollar and fifty cents. But the enthusiasm of the art lovers remained undiminished and by this time

What has come to be known as the "Annual Extravaganza and Art Auction," started modestly and quietly enough at the Wilsonian Hotel in the University District. According to an early historian who provided this background, the date was November 2,1932. The chairman of the facilities committee was charged with "locating a suitable place for the occasion." In those days, this translated to "low cost" and the management of the Wilsonian rose to the challenge, providing a sumptuous dinner for seventy five cents with an added bonus of fuel for the dining room fireplace included free.

Since there was no money in the treasury for paid entertainment, it is further reported that a mock auction was held just to lighten the affair. Proceeds were nineteen dollars and fifty cents. Dr. Richard Fuller, an early day patron of the group, bought a woodcarving and watercolor, planting the seed of what in years to come was a financial mainstay for the organization. Even the newspapers were paying attention, with the Post-Intelligencer reporting the event as a "typically Bohemian evening."

In 1938 and 1939, the New Washington Hotel basked the limelight, and then the Sorrento Hotel until 1942. By this time, there were 50 members in the group, and the auctions were netting the munificent sums of $300 to $400 a year. At this point, the club began the practice of awarding prizes for art exhibits.

Until 1943, at the Gowman Hotel, entertainment at annual events had been Spartan, consisting mostly of paid musicians, with some occasional impromptu musical acts by members with a strong drive for self-expression.

That changed forever in 1943, with the first authentic dramatic production by the Puget Sound Group of "Pin Up GirIs," an original variety show written, produced and acted by members of the group, picking up on a popular World War II theme.

The set painting party is always enthusiastic-so much so that on occasion, it becomes an embarrassment. Such as the time they reproduced an Alaskan saloon for the "Smell of the Wild", by the Wandesforde Chamber Pot Players." A prominent sign on the wall of the saloon said, gunshot wounds, see Dr. Rawson." The doctor spent uneasy evening in the audience wondering how the advertising would set with the Medical Association.

Scripting and planning for the production is surprisingly complex, for though the cast members may be accomplished painters, actors they are not.

Further handicapped by limited rehearsal time, the director is truly a director, and must keep lines simple and instructions explicit detailed. The fact that some of the roles are traditional played by the same members year after year helps, as does the consistency of production and management. New members must perform at least once in the annual auction, and one of the unofficial questions always asked when candidates are being screened for membership is, "do you sing, dance or act?"

Some of the old reliables of the Puget Sound Group Chamber Pot Players" included the late Fred Marshall, who produced, directed and acted for many, many years. Bob Wandesforde, who understudied Fred, then took over the producer's function on Fred's retirement and is one of the zaniest deadpan comics in the world of theatre.

Fun though it is, it all has a serious purpose, to raise money for the worthwhile charitable functions of the Puget Sound Group. This they do vigorously. Immediately following cocktails, dinner, and the show, the annual event gets down to the serious business of selling art, and the guests have come to take this as seriously as the members have.

Every year, nearly four hundred tickets are doled out carefully through members, for there are generally more customers than tickets available.

Art patrons discovered long ago that these auctions are events that provided collectors the opportunity to obtain the work of artists on the way up-works that would appreciate in value and often sold at reasonable prices. In the early days of the sale, the group relied on professional auctioneers to extract the highest possible prices for the work. Later, however, perhaps in the interest of adding a little bit more to the treasury, several latent auctioneering talents emerged from the group's membership, and over the past twenty-five years have developed a highly polished technique.

Thus began a tradition of once a year, one-night stands which have successively graced the stages of the New Washington Hotel, 1944-45; the Seattle Chamber of Commerce Auditorium, 1946-51; the Norway Center for twenty four straight years; and the Eagle's Auditorium in 1977-78.

Just as World War II changed society, so it altered the nature of the Puget Sound Group. A new generation began to swell its ranks, not only infusing it with new concepts and talents, but with new enthusiasm, which manifested itself particularly at the annual auction. The stage show became a major production and a highlight of the evening.

The theme of the show varies every year. Though it leans rather heavily on the Old West or Alaska, it has taken occasional excursions into cave man days; the space age, with an on-stage landing of a space capsule; and, one year, the Roman Coliseum was built on stage with an extravaganza presented by the "Pvget Sovnd Grovp-Tickets II $ and L Cents." In other years, they have produced the Arabian Nights and even built a run-down Parisian alley for the "Life and Loves of an Artist."

Though it is generally conceded that the Puget Sound Group has produced more good artists than it has actors, never in the history of the theatre has so much attention and talent been lavished on stage settings for such a brief run.

To say the auctions have been successful is to over simplify. They have not only placed money in the treasury of Puget Sound Group to further their good works, but have showcased some of the country's finest artists. Over the years, they have given literally hundreds of art patrons the opportunity to own and enjoy the works of these artists at excellent prices, as well as letting people participate in bettering the state of the arts in the Northwest.

On the subject of names and personalities, and before getting to the art, which is the real meat of the book, a more names must be named. Though almost every member contributes something sometimes, there are a few people who, over the years, seem never to have stopped contributing. They deserve to be singled out, not for thing in particular that they have done, but because they e done everything they were asked, cheerfully and well.

From the 1940's: Lyman Bosserman, Fred Dybwad, Irwin Caplan, Jess Cauthorn, Frank McCaffrey, Gus Swanberg, Chuck Webster, Bill Werrbach and Bob Wikstrom.

From the 1950's: Phil Flash, Ray Gerring, Keith Kingsman, John Lee, Wally Riehl and Jim Smith.

From the 1960's and 70's: Jim Connor, Ken Duffin, Dave Murphey, Bill Reese, John Ringen and Jim Scott.

Three honorary members who have freely contributed their professional services for twenty-five years and more also deserve special mention. They are By Fish, our publicity person, Jim Belch, our accountant and W. L. "Scotty" Gibbon, our legal advisor.

Perhaps there's a clue here to the real spirit-or essence if you will-of the Puget Sound Group. It obviously takes more than socializing or sharing a common interest to hold so many diverse individuals together for so many years, and there is a hard-to-define continuity of purpose that has not only survived, but is even now being passed on to a third generation of Northwest artists.

Many old time members with national and international reputations and no real need to seek the approval of their peers will, in candid moments, admit they are motivated to retain their membership with the group primarily in the hope of helping others as they once were helped.

This, then, is the real heritage that Eustace Ziegler and his four friends left for the world of Northwest art.

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