The Covid-19 isolation has taken its toll on everyone, and there have been no posts here for all that time. Will, I am pleased to announce, appears to have gotten through unscathed. Our best wishes to all of you reading this and your families. We hope that you are well, and... vaccinated.

In the past month, the organization of Will's papers has gotten underway, as nests of slides and photos and whatnot around the house and studio have steadily been consolidated and prepped for full-scale reorganization. Many poignant images have emerged of Will and Helen's early years at the Menunketesuck Ironworks Studio in Clinton. 

What I am calling "Stage III" of the reorganization has now been completed. The majority of Will's slides have been located and roughly sorted by chronological order, and "Stage IV" is ready to begin. Stage IV will involve determining the content of the preserved material, and separating rare original images of early work from the many duplicate slides and photos that shuttled back and forth between artist, gallery, and agent for so many decades.

Stage V will be the exciting transfer of the entire catalogue of original slides (and negative and photographs) to high quality digital.

I am hoping to take time out from the process to post new images here. Additionally, Will is finishing work this summer on the Henry Zietlow Memorial Trophy.  I am working to set up that page right now. It is, in some ways, a companion piece to the beautiful Head-of-the-Charles Regatta Championships Doubles rowing trophy that was produced in memory of Olympian Sy Cromwell in the 1970s, but in others--a very new kind of piece. That first was produced in memory of a contemporary. The new piece: Will produces it as the proud grandparent of five. It has been sober work indeed, honoring the dead friend of three of his grandchildren.

--KAR

Amur Tiger
Como Zoo, Saint Paul, MN

Graphite on ivory-toned paper
~16" x 24"

As always, getting a quality photo of a beautiful drawing is the real challenge! --KAR

2020 Prolated Basaltic Ellipsoid, sandblast carved from original drawing. About 5.5 x 7 inches.

​Private Collection, Somerville, MA.

Someone was asking a question about this trophy the other day, and it occurred to me that we had never posted an image of it. Will was commissioned to construct this trophy for the Head of the Charles Regatta (Cambridge, MA) back in the days when participants in crew/sculling regattas were still allowed to take their trophies home with them. The base of the trophy, which was designed for a men's "doubles" race, comes into two pieces (representing the Boston and Cambridge sides of the Charles River).  To the left is the "Stroke" man, stable and strong, who sits in the stern of the boat and keeps a steady rhythm, to the right is the "Bow" man, dynamic and nimble--especially important for steering the Head of the Charles Regatta course, which includes *many* twists and turns, some of them under bridges.

The Sy Cromwell Trophy is presented annually to the winner of the HotRC Men’s Championship Doubles race, in memory of Seymour “Sy” Cromwell, world-renowned sculling champion, Head Of The Charles enthusiast, and highly respected leader of the greater Boston rowing community.

Link to all of the Head of the Charles Regatta Trophies is here.

A special thank you to everyone who came out to see Will in Arlington this past weekend.

As many of you know, Will is a meticulous craftsman, and he has recently become interested in frame construction for his pieces. His preference is for a very slender frame to set off his work. After Arlington Studio Day he (and I) worked to make the final adjustments to his frames--and to take some decent archive photos--before sending them off.

Friday was a very nice work day, getting this task done.

Opening Reception and Kick-off:
Friday, September 28, 6 - 8 pm,
Arlington Town Hall, 2nd floor
730 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA
 
This will be a two hour preview with two pieces each from participating artists.

Open House:
Saturday, October 13, 11 am - 6 pm,
Arlington Town Hall, 1st floor
730 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA

Will presents a collection of ~12 drawings in the East Corridor.