Janet Dodrill's Blog

The Schmitz-Horning Co. Featured in Architect Magazine

June 23, 2019

By Janet Dodrill

Architect Magazine published an article online June 6, 2019, titled Wallpaper Motifs of the 20th Century. In the article, the Building Technology Heritage Library (BTHL) highlights 11 pioneers in the evolution of 20th century wallpaper styles and motifs.

Online viewable catalogs are embedded in the article. A scanned original Schmitz-Horning Co. 1920 San-Kro-Mura Wall Decorations full catalog is included, showing printed wallpaper panels and murals with themes including medieval tapestries, modern tiles, and floral motifs, and more.

It is evident that the diversity and skill of Cleveland’s Schmitz-Horning’s staff artists helped the company to create a beautiful variety of murals and scenic designs produced onto high quality washable and affordable chromolithographs.

Links:

Architect Magazine, Wallpaper Motifs of the 20th Century, June 6, 2019
https://www.architectmagazine.com/practice/wallpaper-motifs-of-the-20th-century_o

Schmitz-Horning Co 1920 San-Kro-Mura Wall Decorations catalog
https://archive.org/details/San-kro-muraWallDecorations

Schmitz-Horning Company’s Chinese Embroidery wall mural pattern from the San-Kro-Mura Wall Decorations catalog.

Schmitz-Horning Company’s Chinese Floral wall decoration pattern from the San-Kro-Mura Wall Decorations catalog.

Schmitz-Horning Company’s The Nymph wall mural pattern from the San-Kro-Mura Wall Decorations catalog.

Carl Fuchs Designed Schmitz-Horning Scenic Wall Pattern

May 23, 2019

By Janet Dodrill

Schmitz-Horning Company's Old South scenic panel detail (Photo: Cooper Hewitt).

Schmitz-Horning Company’s Old South 1930s-1940s scenic panel detail (Photo: Cooper Hewitt).

Carl Fuchs designed the Old South scenic wall paper pattern (1930s-1940s) for the Schmitz-Horning Company of Cleveland, Ohio. The color lithograph (chromolithograph) inks and (washable) paper used were of the highest quality. Old South depicted plantation life in early America, and included a steamboat and fox hunt. There were twelve sections, each approximately 40″ x 80″ in repeat pattern.

The company was co-founded and run by my great-grandfather, Hugo M. Schmitz, and after his death in the late 1930s, run by my grandfather Warren R. Schmitz.

I am almost certain this 1920s Art Deco decorative pattern, Dekorative Vorbilder (Decorative Role Models), which I came across on an auction site, is by the same artist.

Dekorative Vorbilder by Carl Fuchs, 1920s Art Deco decorative pattern (Photo: Liveauctioneers.com).

Carl Fuchs was also hired by my grandparents to paint an oil portrait of my mother, then a girl of eight years.

Oil portrait of Schmitz-Horning president’s daughter (my mother) by artist Carl Fuchs, 1939 (Photo: Schmitz family).

Resources:

Cooper Hewitt, Old South Scenic Panels
https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18431473/
https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18431471/
https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18431469/

Cooper Hewitt, Objects Involving The Schmitz-Horning Co.
https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/people/18046573/objects/

Riverview Estate Auctions, September 27, 2015 Auction, Lot 0008B
https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/41129637_1920s-art-deco-dekorative-vorbilder-print-carl-fuchs

Schmitz-Horning Company’s Old South scenic panel, 1 of 12 sections, each 40″ x 80″, repeat, designed by Carl Fuchs (Photo: Cooper Hewitt).

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Charles Burchfield, Artist, Featured in Cleveland Exhibit

April 30, 2019

By Janet Dodrill

The Cleveland Museum of Art currently has an exhibit by artist Charles Burchfield (1893-1967) in its Focus Gallery through May 5, 2019. The show is titled Charles Burchfield: The Ohio Landscapes, 1915-1920.

The show has numerous drawings and watercolors done in both Cleveland where he attended the Cleveland School of Art (now The Cleveland Institute of Art), and Salem, Ohio, his hometown.

I admire his strength and energy in depicting landscapes. He created his own visual language with almost abstract shapes from nature symbolizing emotions such as fear and sorrow, which are pointed-out in the exhibit.

Links of Interest:

www.clevelandart.org/exhibitions/charles-burchfield-ohio-year-1915-1920

www.artnet.com/artists/charles-ephraim-burchfield/

Below are some images from the show.

Charles Burchfield exhibit at the Cleveland Museum of Art

Charles Burchfield, Inaugural Poster, 1915

Charles Burchfield, Drifting Dandelion Seeds, 1916

Charles Burchfield, Hillside, 1917

Charles Burchfield, New Moon, 1917

Charles Burchfield, New Moon in January, 1918

Charles Burchfield, Church Bells Ringing, Rainy Winter Night, 1917

Charles Burchfield, Church Bells Ringing, Rainy Winter Night, 1917, detail

Charles Burchfield, detail of abstract shapes used to reflect feeling and emotion.

Charles Burchfield, Study No. 1 for Church Bells Ringing, Rainy Winter Night, 1917

Charles Burchfield, Study No. 1 for Church Bells Ringing, Rainy Winter Night, 1917, detail

Charles Burchfield, White Violets and Coal Mine, 1918

Charles Burchfield, Setting Sun through the Catalpas (Late August Sunset), 1916

Charles Burchfield, The Sun through the Trees, 1917

Charles Burchfield, Sunburst after Spring Storm (Sunlight after a Spring Rain), 1917

Charles Burchfield, Spring Sunset in the Woods, 1917

Charles Burchfield, Untitled (Red House), 1916

Charles Burchfield, Untitled (Clump of Purple Trees), 1915

Charles Burchfield, Sulphur Stream in the Woods, 1917

Charles Burchfield, journal entry (one of many on a digital kiosk)

Charles Burchfield, journal entry (one of many on a digital kiosk), detail

Charles Burchfield, Chestnut Trees, 1920

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Cleveland Drawing Group Meets Weekly for Portrait Session

March 31, 2019

By Janet Dodrill

The Pretentious Cleveland Portrait Artists group (formerly The Pretentious Tremont Artists of the Literary Cafe), conceived over 30 years ago by artists Tim Herron and Brian Pierce, meets weekly and attracts artists from all over the greater Cleveland area, giving them a place to practice portrait drawing from a live model.

Open to all artists, I started participating in the group last fall on an occasional basis. The sketch session is three hours with breaks, and the portrait model or ‘sitter’ gets the artwork at the end in exchange for their sitting time. Models are on a waiting list that is full months in advance.

Originally the group met at a tavern in Tremont on Cleveland’s west side, but now they incorporate various east and west side locations.

It is a privilege to draw with such talented and established area artists. The quality and diversity of the art is amazing. The artwork is photographed later that evening and posted in albums on the group’s blog and on Facebook for all to enjoy.

Below are a few of my sketches from the past five months.

Links:

The Pretentious Cleveland Portrait Artists Blog (formerly The Pretentious Tremont Artists of the Literary Cafe)
http://www.literarycafeartists.com/blog

The Pretentious Cleveland Portrait Artists Facebook Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/347696515301192/

Tim Herron
https://www.facebook.com/tim.herron.376

Watercolor by Janet Dodrill

Acrylic painting by Janet Dodrill

Watercolor by Janet Dodrill

Pencil and watercolor by Janet Dodrill

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Paul Meunier, Artist – Yesterday’s New Discoveries

February 28, 2019

By Janet Dodrill

Paul A. Meunier was a Cleveland area artist who enjoyed painted nature and wildlife. He worked on staff as an artist at Schmitz-Horning Company, a wallpaper manufacturing firm, in the 1920s and 1930s. Of interest to me because of my family ties to the company, I published a list o known artists that were employed there.

A couple people contacted me regarding their Paul Meunier artwork.

One had six etched acrylic or plastic panels, two of which have a date (1970) and the artist’s name, acquired locally in Cleveland. (They are available for purchase through my source.)

The other individual purchased a map that Paul Meunier’s created of his family vacation travels from Ohio through parts of the western U.S. (1939). The contact wrote me stated that the lithograph was purchased at a Bay area market.

It’s interesting to see the broad range of work and depth of this artist, and even more interesting to speak to others who have his art work.

Etched or engraved plastic art panels by Paul Meunier, 1970, owned by Charlie Grenier. Panel size is approximately 3x4 to 5x7 inches.

Etched or engraved plastic art panels by Paul Meunier, 1970, owned by Charlie Grenier. Panel size is approximately 3×4 to 5×7 inches.

Name and 1970 date on art panels by Paul Meunier.

Map created by Paul Meunier of his family trip across the country, owned by Peter Bartels.

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Schmitz-Horning Maytime Pattern No. 8015 Uncovered

January 12, 2019

By Janet Dodrill

A couple months ago I was contacted by email to help identify a Schmitz-Horning Co. frieze or wallpaper pattern. The only information available was the manufacturer name “Schmitz-Horning Co., Cleveland, Ohio, Made in U.S.A.,” the pattern name “Maytime,” and the pattern number “8015,” Section A and Section C. The person was renovating an old home and was curious to see what had been under the layers of wallpaper.

Home being renovated by new owners uncover under layers that wallpaper by Schmitz-Horning was used.

Schmitz-Horning Co., Cleveland, Ohio wall frieze border uncovered in home renovation.

Maytime identified as old wallpaper pattern used in old home.

After some time searching the family archives, I was able to locate the pattern in Schmitz-Horning Company’s 1937 Kro-Mura™ Wall Decorations Catalog, pages 14 and 15. It was a beautiful fairy-like scenic color lithograph wall covering design, and send images of it to the contact. It is unclear when the pattern was initially produced.

It was rewarding to uncover some of the history of the old home and share in the discovery of this long lost wallpaper design.

Maytime. This beautiful scenic paper reminds one of fairy-story illustrations. Its unusual charm lies largely in this fairy-lore interest, its dainty handling and refined coloring.