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James Fetherolf
(American,
1925 – 1994)
James Fetherolf, given the appellation "A Contemporary Legend" in
landscape painting, captured on canvas the raw beauty of America. His
works seem to tap us on the shoulder and say, "Step into nature. Join me
in a vision of beauty."
From the high country meadows, to the silhouetted
mountain cathedrals, to great rock monoliths guarding foreboding
deserts, James Fetherolf painted the many faces of our land in a way
unlike all other landscape artists. Oak shaded country barns surrounded
by rolling hills of wheat and rye also typify the Americana theme that
he painted so well. From the tiniest buckwheat and seedling, to the
loftiest snow-capped peak, each was given the same thoughtful attention,
and each appears just as impressive within the composition. Fetherolf
explained, "Without detail the emotional impact is lost, and that sense
of ‘being’ disappears." He added, "It is important to reach past the
flatness of the canvas, and pull the planes of perspective forward."
Born in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, in 1925, Fetherolf came
to California after graduating from Syracuse University of Fine Arts, in
1949. After many years of working with Fox Studios and Walt Disney
Studios, as a highly successful matte artist, he left to pursue a career
as a professional artist. The response to his painting was so
overwhelmingly enthusiastic, that within a few years they were hanging
in many of today’s finest art collections, including his former boss
Walt Disney.
When Fetherolf was accepted into the bicentennial
exhibition, with five paintings at the prestigious R.W. Norton Museum in
Shreveport, LA, he was honored with the coveted Gold Medal from the
Franklin Mint Gallery of American Art. He was also distinguished with a
commissioned painting depicting Washington DC. It is now on permanent
display in Philadelphia. James Fetherolf is listed in the American Art
Analog and is considered one of the twentieth century’s true masters of
art.
In passing James Fetherolf has left a legacy in American Landscape Art.
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