Ernie thought since Brown County was made famous by the artists, he needed to tell something he observed about the artists here. In all his travels about the country, he had visited most of the art “colonies.” He wrote that the artists here in Brown County seemed to be the hardest working, the least-playing, and the most sincere of any he had ever visited. In fact, it didn’t seem like an art colony at all, except that the artistic spirit had mingled with the natural culture of the local people to form a personality that completely set the town of Nashville apart from any other town in the Midwest.
You don’t see artists trailing around town in arty clothes. They don’t have a favorite bar where they discuss their genius. They simply work hard, and live like normal people, and hope to Heaven somebody buys their stuff. And practically all of them are self-supporting through their art, which speaks for itself.
In 1940, 15 artists actually lived here in Brown County as permanent residents. They are a firm part of the community as the postmaster or the county clerk. Another 15 are active members of the Art Association which operates the local gallery. They come for long visits and paint, although actually living elsewhere. In addition to these there probably are 30 more who come for shorter visits, or whose painting is an avocation, or who just like to dabble. Yes, in many summers, there are at least 60 artists painting in Brown County.
They have rented a huge store building on Nashville’s main street and remodeled it into an art gallery. It is open from late spring until early fall. The exhibitions are changed twice a year. In addition, each artist has a home studio, where visitors are welcome.
Adolph R. Shulz became the dean of the Brown County art colony after the death of Theodore C. Steele. Shulz first visited here in 1900 and has actually lived here since 1907. He came from Wisconsin, and left there because with the growth of dairying, the cows “ate up all of the scenery.” When he first came here, he had to come by horse and buggy. He is a tall man, slender, striking in appearance, youthful-looking despite his years, animated in his conversation, and frank in his expressions.
Next to painting, walking has been his great diversion. In his early days, he would take walking trips through the hills for hundreds of miles, lasting for weeks. He is an amateur geologist, and knows the structure, and why, of this whole country. His art is successful. He has a lovely log cabin at the end of a lane so that it is like living in an estate. A few yards away is his separate studio building. His wife is Alberta Shulz, who is a painter and a sculptress. Often, they went to Florida in the winter.
Close to Shulz in tenure is Will Vawter, probably the most loved by the townspeople of all the artists. He was a big man, heavy, with a large head made even larger by an immense thatch of white hair. He and Shulz both look like artists, and yet Will Vawter also looks just like somebody’s nice grandpa. He, too, has been financially successful and he goes south in the winter.
Will Vawter illustrated one edition of James Whitcomb Riley’s poems. He has a sense of sarcastic humor about himself. He does not smoke; however, he used to smoke cigars. After he stopped smoking he began chewing gum constantly. He says smoking interfered with his art.
Editor’s note: Most of this story appeared in “Images of Brown County” by Ernie Pyle, August 1940.
Submitted by Pauline Hoover, Brown County Historical Society Inc.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Spring Into Art” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
We invite you to attend a special event, Spring Into Art, a local art show at the History Center hosted by the Brown County Historical Society.
The event is Friday, May 25 from 6 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, May 26 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Friday from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., Brown County Winery will have wine tasting. A piano concert will be played from 7 to 8 p.m. featuring Jihjum Kim and Mark DeZwaan.
[sc:pullout-text-end]
