Posted 9 years ago
mikelv85
(1230 items)
I found this charming pastel in the picture stacks at Goodwill today. I can't for the life of me figure out why no one grabbed it. Such a pretty little girl and very nicely drawn. It's hard to believe she's eighty years old. The frame is still sealed and the pastel colors are vibrant. There's a foil label from a Cleveland gallery and the title written on the back along with the little girl's name and age. -Mike-
ADDED : 5/6/2015
Delores Ridings Van Duzer (1916-2012)
Thanks to eye4beauty for finding Delores' obituary from 2012 in the Cleveland Plain Dealer and an article in the Toledo Blade about her career as a portrait artist. Born in 1916 she lived to be 95 ! It also cleared up a few mysteries. She used her married name of Van Duzer on her later works. This one is fairly early. Sketched in her 20's and before she married. So it is signed Ridings. She had been commissioned to do portraits of the Charles Ketterings Jr. children. Kettering and his wife were so impressed with her talent they paid all her expenses to attend the Cleveland School of Art. While there she met her future husband William Van Duzer who was an artist and sculptor She became a prominent pastel artist doing children's portraits in her home town of Toledo Ohio. She had showings at the Toledo Museum of Art in 1949 as well as the Cleveland Art Institute. Delores later moved to Sante Fe New Mexico where she continued to work and occasionally returned to the Toledo area to do commissions. -Mike-
Sweeetie little girl then! Nicely done pastel too :-)
Thanks Kyra :)...She's even prettier in person. The camera puts on 10 pounds...lol
A sweetie! Good find Mike.
I have wondered where all your pictures are Mike. Are your walls covered, or do you migrate them through your house, or are they stored or moved on?
Thanks Karen :)... Well I really could fill the walls and I do hang a few and rotate them occasionally, but the bulk are stacked and stored here and there. I'd need a salon with twelve foot ceilings. Modular homes fall a bit short in that respect...lol.
Sweet Mike ----- Grrrrrreat Find !
Very Pretty !!
Thanks Rose :)
Hi
Mike
My friend, I love those pastel artwork, every time I see one I buy it.
I should have a little time this incoming week end to post few.
But this is nice example, congrat, great investment, she is pretty;D.
Alan
Thank you Alan :)..... can't wait to see them !
Ridings?
http://library.clevelandart.org/taxonomy/term/27342
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19760803&id=KrQyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TQIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3469,4280125&hl=en
Scroll to the top right of spread 11
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19760803&id=KrQyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TQIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3469,4280125&hl=en
http://obits.cleveland.com/obituaries/cleveland/obituary.aspx?pid=157186348
Thanks eye for all the info. The pieces are falling together now :) ..I was wondering about whether or not that was a tail on the "g" or an "s". Seems it is Ridings after all. She exhibited at the Toledo art museum's local artist show in 1949, but she was using Van Duzer. I wonder if she was any relation the sculpter Clarence Van Duzer . Confusing ..is Ridings her married name or Van Duzer ??
She's on this list a ways down:
http://www.artistsoftoledo.com/museumshows.html
If you click here ... a newspaper comes up ... It lands on Cooks Tour ... You want to scroll to the left and top of that to Society ... There is a couple of paragraphs about her and a photo ...
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19760803&id=KrQyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TQIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3469,4280125&hl=en
Sorry ... Scroll to the right and up ....
Ok got this straightened out. Ridings is her maiden name. So she did the drawing I have when she was 20 years old. Not really knowing when she started drawing, it's fairly early in her career.
It would be neat if you could track down the little girl too:)
Thanks for the comment Trey :)....I bet her family or relatives probably donated the picture to Goodwill for what ever reason. She would be 79 years old now if she was still alive. I did search her name but really found nothing specific.
Such a striking intense look Mike! Great find!!
If it is of any importance - this may be the little girl
http://obits.cleveland.com/obituaries/cleveland/obituary.aspx?pid=174021070
Thanks agh :) ...I'm terrible at math. I forgot to add the 3 years from the date of the portrait. She would have indeed been 81. Seems like you found the right person. That may be why the portrait ended up at a Cleveland area Goodwill. The family was probably cleaning out her home and no one wanted the picture. Kind of sad, but she has a good home now.