WILCOX, FRANK NELSON

WILCOX, FRANK NELSON (3 Oct. 1887-17 Apr. 1964), painter, printmaker, and teacher, was born in Cleveland, the son of Frank N. and Jessie F. (Snow) Wilcox. He studied at the Cleveland School of Art with HENRY G. KELLER and FREDERICK C. GOTTWALD, graduating in 1910 and going to Europe for more training. In 1913 he began a 40-year teaching career at the CLEVELAND INSTITUTE OF ART. He also taught briefly at JOHN HUNTINGTON POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE and BALDWIN-WALLACE COLLEGE. He was founder and president of the CLEVELAND SOCIETY OF ARTISTS, a member of the American Watercolor Society, and an honorary member of the Artists & Craftsmen Assoc. of Cleveland. Besides garnering 35 awards from the May Show, Wilcox received the 1920 Penton Medal for sustained excellence. His many other medals were awarded for work in etching, industrial paintings, and oil landscapes. His work can be found in the CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART and in museums in Toledo and San Diego. Wilcox was a traditional watercolor painter; his works were a wet blending of restful, romantic moods. He enjoyed working with rural Ohio scenery, the Rocky Mts., and Indian subjects. Wilcox was also a student of Ohio history, writing and illustrating Ohio Indian Trails in 1933. Weather Wisdom, a 1949 limited edition of 24 prints executed by the silk-screen process, was a portfolio illustrating the seasonal moods of nature. He contributed technical notes to Seascapes and Landscapes in Watercolor by Watson Guptill. Wilcox married artist Florence Bard on 24 June 1916; they had a daughter, Mary. Wilcox was buried in BRECKSVILLE.


 

Black, white and red text reading Western Reserve Historical Society

View finding aid for the Out in Brecksville Collection by Frank Wilcox, WRHS. 

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