THE LIFE WORK OF DON SHREVES, ARTICLES, CLIPPINGS, AWARDS
Above picture is the artist paintng in his Silverlake, Los Angeles studio
Sit back and take a stroll through Don Sheves scrap book.
Don Shreve's self-created brochure (send me a note if you want a copy of one).
Cover: Courtesy of Judge J. Pope, Supreme Court Bldg. Austin, Texas. Award winning "Navajo Family"
Interior: (left side) Top "Mexican Village" 1972 Richter Moore Award, Laguna Beach Art Museum, Acrylic 24 x 30. Bottom "The Faithful" Acrylic 30 x 40.
(right side) Top, Left: Abstract "Autumn" Award winner 1975 Long Beach Art Association Oil 30 x 30. Right "Dancer, Resting" Oil 18 x 30. Middle: Left: "Navajo" Oil 20 x 24, Right: "Beach Shacks" Acrylic 9 x 12. Bottom: Left: "Character Study" Oil 16 x 20, Right "Figure Sketch Group" Oil 16 x 20
The March cover (note from Shari: I have yet to find the cover they are talking about) was executed by Corporal Donald Shreves of the 602 Signal Company. In it he has caught the spirit of the Aircraft Warning Service volunteer as she serves her country.
Corporal Shreves, 24, was born in Kearney, Nebraska, where his father (Otis Shreves) taught in the local college. From Kearney he went to Denver, Colo., where he studied at the Denver Art Institute. Following several months of training in Munich, Germany, he studied at the American Art Academy in Chicago.
Prior to his entrance in the Army Shreves, who works solely with pen and ink, did free lance illustration for advertising, and had his work presented in exhibitions in Denver and Chicago.
The Corporal married, last June, Cele Stryska, whom he met while studying in Chicago. She is with him now in Portland. They live at 1716 S. W. 12th.
Besides his art work, Shreves has two hobbies-wrestling (he was captain of his high school wrestling team), and ju jitsu (which he hasn't mastered but is just learning.)
Picture on right is a portrait by Shreves (Otis Donald Shreves was named after his father, Harvard educator Otis Shreves) I don't think it is a self portrait, perhaps it is his father or a friend in the military. I'm open to any clues anyone may have.
Wilshire Blvd. Promotional Exhibit 1950 and Shreves wins First Award January 20, 1976
Shreves with his winning paintings receiving a check and a trophy at two separate exhibitions (see below)
ART EXHIBIT WINNER-Don Shreves, a paraplegic World War II veteran, is shown with his oil painting, "Portrait Study," which won $100 cash prize and grand award at Fifth Annual National Veterans Art Exhibit, now showing in Santa Monica Public Library. Presenting Shreves with sliver loving cup is Councilman Ben Bernard, while Herbert Foxwell (left) and Charles V. Livezey look on in approval. Foxwell and Livezey represented Douglas Aircraft Post No. 523 and Santa Monica Art Association, cosponsors of the exhibit (Outlook Photo.)
From the Wednesday June 6, 1951 edition of the Santa Monica Evening Outlook.
Paraplegic Takes Top Award in National Vet Art Exhibit. Grand Award Winner of the fifth annual National Veterans Art Exhibit, which opened yesterday in the Santa Monica Art Gallery is Don Shreves, a paraplegic World War II Veteran. He lives at 474 South Burlington Ave., Los Angeles. His painting "Portrait Study" is an oil, No. 113, and is a study of a young woman with shoulder-length dark tresses....(note from Shari, it's also nice to see in the clipping on the above right that Elizabeth Taylor was voted overwhelmingly the "favorite desert island companion" of Princeton University's graduating class of 1951.
And from the Women's Club of Hollywood, 1749 North La Brea, Hollywood, CA. Artist brochure for: DON SHREVES, ONE MAN SHOW, ORIGINAL OILS & ACRYLICS THROUGHOUT DECEMBER 1987
From the Sunday Los Angeles Times (1967):
ART AWARD WINNERS-Edward Biberman, left, of Hollywood, (my ebay friend Suzanne Jenkins, her former position as Registrar of the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian from 1974 to 2000 tells me that Biberman has works in the Smithsonian) and Don Shreves were among cash award winners in outdoor sectoin of 16th Annual All-City Art Festival which runs through Sunday at Barnsdall Park.
Don Shreves with celebrated artist Lorser Feitelson
Newspaper and Magazine articles
From TV Guide, March 31-April 6 1962 (cover "Mr. Ed Gets the Last Laugh"), note the artist in the middle of the center picture.
AMANDA SITS FOR HER PORTRAIT
And a Sunday painting group makes the most of the occasion
When Amanda Blake isn't hanging around the Long Branch saloon in CBS's Gunsmoke, she may be found performing the duties of honorary mayor of Reseda, Cal., a Los Angeles suburb. These duties don't amount to much more than attending community functions. And it was at one of these, an art exhibition, that she met a paraplegic who's paintings she admired and was persuaded by him to pose for a group of artists who get together every Sunday. So mayor Blake turned artist model for a day-with the results you see here"
Here is a very old copy of a letter to Shreve's from Amanda Blake for the portrait he made of her when she sat for his art group. The letter reads, "So sorry you had to wait so long for this. Guess Shelley explained what happened. The painting looks beautiful in my house and I am so very happy with it. Many thanks, Amanda Blake.
Amanda Blake's check to Don Shreves for $300.
I BELIEVE by Don Shreves. Shreve's painting was awarded the 1963 Directors' Golden Palette Award in a contest held earlier in the year to select a painting by a local artist for recreation as a living picture.
OJ Simpson with the artist and the painting (of himself running for a touchdown) which he purchased from Shreves.
Don's wrestling (or is this the football team?) teammates liked him so much, they all wore a "D"! (just kidding)
Don with his wrestling team and that's him wrestling on the left.
From May 1980 North Light...A Sourcebook for Artists.
"We receive many communications from our readers inquiring about how selections are made for Member of the Issue. To each we respond with the following criteria: submit photographs, transparencies, prints or tear sheets of art work (no original art, please); include duplicate film negatives of color separations if any are available, and about an 800-word essay covering the artists life, goals and accomplishments, etc. No promises are made. If the work we are sent is considered to e of interest to North Light readers, the material is held on file until it can be appropriately scheduled. As much as possible we try to run the articles in the order in which we accept them.
Based on our large backlog of worthy candidates, it wold appear the system is working. Almost always we are sent suitable pictures and enough information about the artist to make a meaningful feature. Often, with a little editing, the author's essay stands. Sometimes more extensive rewriting is necessary, but this doesn't usually present a problem because sufficient information is available.
Occassionally we have a reticent individual who is reluctant to say much about his personal life. Such as artist is this month's Member of the Issue.
About a year ago a letter arrived which said in part: "My friend, Don Shreves, would make an excellent candidate for an article in your magazine. His enclosed brochure tells most of his story except for the fact that he has been confined to a wheelchair since World War II. Like many artists, Don is not the sort to blow his own horn, so I've made it my personal crusade to help him...
In due course we received a quantity of art work from Mr. Shreves, some of which is displayed on these pages. All were done in acyrlics or oil. No further personal information was forthcoming. Obviously the artist wants his work to speak for itself. All we know about him is stated in his brochure.... (note from Shari: I was wondering, as I was typing that up why they were being so wordy, it seems it was to fill the space that should have been an 800 word essay about Don Shreves)
Thanks so much for your interest in the art of Don Shreves art!
your friend,
Shari Elf
