Painting of the Day, December 24, 2011

By Donna Poulton

Charles Russell knew how to create a cold winter scene in the Montana mountains he knew so well.  The violets and graduating blues in the mountains, icicles hanging from the roof of a log cabin and the radiant warmth of the interior make this a scene I’d like to walk into.  Titled Christmas Meat, this is one of many Christmas images Russell painted over the years.

Charles Russell, Christmas Meat, 1915, Watercolor on paper, 26 x 34 in. Credit: The Athenaeum.com

Painting of the Day, November 4, 2011

By Donna Poulton

The Lost Art of Letter Writing:

Charles Russell was a natural born storyteller. He painted vignettes on many of the humorous letters (always signed with a buffalo skull) he sent to friends and family over the years. Usually the images depicted an anecdote he was highlighting in his letters. His illustrated letters are coveted by collectors and in some cases cost more than his paintings. In this letter to Guy Weadick, Russell is illustrating the scenic area around Guy’s Alberta, Canada ranch and the tourists who came to visit.

Credit: Amon Carter Museum

Charles M. Russell (1864-1926), Illustrated letter to Russell’s friend Guy Weadick, November 23, 1921, Watercolor, ink, opaque watercolor, and graphite on paper. Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, Texas (1961.300)

Credit: antiquesand the arts.com

The envelope is addressed to “Young Boy,” a Cree Indian who worked for Russell and lived in Havre, Montana.