"MARK WINSLOW POTTER RETROSPECTIVE"
1999-10-02 until 1999-10-24
Washington Art Association
Washington Depot, CT, USA United States of America

The exhibit spans Potters career, offering at look at how he changed and grew as an artist over the years. Included in the show are oil paintings, watercolors, drawings and constructions, most of which are from the body of work he created in Connecticut. In addition, a few of his Adirondack pieces will be on display. Much of the work has never been shown before; some is being shown for the first time in 25 years.

Mark Winslow Potter (1929-1995) is perhaps best known for his brilliantly lit landscapes and scenes of rural life in New England, and in the Adirondacks, where he spent summers throughout his entire life. He received a BA from Yale University in 1952, studying under Joseph Albers. Potter also studied with George Grosz and Bernard Klonis at the Art Students League in New York City, and with Robert Brackman in Noank CT.

His first one-man show, which took place in Kennett Square PA in 1962, was arranged by Andrew Wyeth. He went on to participate in numerous solo and group shows throughout his life, including ones at the Wadsworth Atheneum, the National Academy of Design, the American Watercolor Society, and the Academy of Fine Arts. Retrospectives of his work were mounted at the David Findlay Gallery in New York in 1997 and 1998. Potter was also a masterful portraitist: his portrait of Malcolm Baldridge, former Secretary of Commerce, now hangs in the US Department of Commerce.

Potter taught art and art history at the Taft School in Watertown, CT from 1956 to 1995, achieving an almost legendary status as a teacher. Teaching was always an important part of his life, and long after he might have retired to the studio, he continued to teach. As his wife Bobbie wrote for an exhibition of his work at the Taft School, it was his teaching that kept his painting free and alive. His need to paint was nourished by his testing it and sharing it with his students.

Works by Potter are featured in numerous corporate and public collections, including Yale University, Doris Duke Memorial Collection, and Heublein, Inc.

In 1952, Potter married Barbara (Bobbie) Bruce Baldwin, who continues to live in their house in Woodbury. They moved to Woodbury in 1955, after which Potter divided his time between his studio there, and his Adirondack studio. The Washington Art Association is located in Bryan Plaza, Washington Depot, CT. Gallery hours are Mon-Sat 10-5pm and Sun 2-5pm. The gallery is closed Wed. For information call 860-868-2878

Related Links:

Indepth Arts Resources for the State of Connecticut

Other Important Exhibitions in Connecticut