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John Clymer 1907 - 1989 |
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John
Ford Clymer, renowned
for his historic and
artistic contribution in
documenting the American
frontier, western
history and wildlife,
was born in Ellensburg,
Washington in 1907.
Fascinated by art at a
young age, Clymer began
taking art
correspondence courses
during high school.
Amazed, Clymer sold his
first two paintings to
the Colt Firearms
Company at the age of
16. Shortly after
high school, Clymer
moved to Vancouver,
British Columbia. As a young illustrator in Vancouver, he painted signs and billboards during the day, attended art school in the evening and worked on his own freelance art and illustrations until early hours of the morning. In 1927, Clymer worked on a Yukon River Steamboat and visited gold mines, river trading posts, logging camps, and he created a visual encyclopedia of memories of the changing times and scenery as the landscape was altered by encroaching civilization. Clymer made a move in 1930 to study at the Wilmington Academy in Delaware, where he was strongly influenced by N.C. Wyeth and his other students. In 1932, Clymer married his high school sweetheart Doris, who would conduct the crucial historical research for his later paintings. The Clymers moved to Westport, Connecticut to join a thriving colony for young artists. There, he studied further with the famed Harvey Dunn and later at the Grand Central School of Art in NYC. In these years, Clymer's works were published in a number of newspapers and magazines including , Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, American Magazine, Field and Stream, and numerous covers for the Saturday Evening Post. During World War II, Clymer joined the marines and was stationed in Washington State and spent the war painting illustrations for the Marine Corps Gazette and Leatherneck Magazine. After leaving the Marines in 1945, Clymer reconnected the with the Post magazine and returned to doing covers once again. In all Clymer painted as many as ninety covers for the Post. In 1964, Clymer decided to leave behind the corporate world of illustration. He devoted his time to painting the wildlife and history of the American West. That same year Grand Central Art Galleries hosted his very successful one-man wildlife art exhibition. Clymer achieved much recognition and fame as a chronicler of the North Western Indians. The Clymers made one last move to Teton Village, Wyoming in the late 1960's. There he spent his winters in the studio and his summers traveling to do research and sketch historical sites. Clymer was a member of the Cowboy Artists of American and was honored by them with the first prize in oils at the 1970 and 1972 annual exhibitions. He also received many honors including the National Academy of Western Art's 1976 Prix de West Award and the National Museum of Wildlife Art's Rungius Medal in 1988. |
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