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ofamechanicalprocessthanaesthetic.Ihadagessopanelinthestudiowhich
presentedapleasingchallenge,thatis,itwasapanelwhichimmediatelyputmy
designinggearsatease.Idon'trecallhavingmuchdifficultyintheprocessofde-
velopingthepaintingbutIdorememberbeingexcitedovertheresultsofatiny
passageoforangepaintthatwasdoingitsbesttorepresentadistantfieldofburned
grass.
"SinceIbeganthequicksketchforthepaintingonahillabovethehighway
theensuingcompositiondemandedmoreinterestintheforegroundthanthehill
itself.Hencetherathertime-worndeviceofgraveyardheadstones.Ofcourse,after
Ihadpaintedtheseintomyover-alldesignIfoundachancetofurtherextollthat
firstfleetingaestheticreasonforpaintingthepicture.ForInowcouldjustsaythat
theseheadstonesrepresented thesocial differencesfrom Colonialdays tothe
buildingofRoute131."
SissonwasborninBoston,Massachusetts,in1928.HestudiedattheSchool
oftheWorcester (Massachusetts)ArtMuseumandtheYaleUniversitysummer
schoolatNorfolk,Connecticut.During 1946 and 1947 hewaswiththearmyof
occupationinJapan.ThecoverdesignfortheMarch,1951,issueofFortunemaga-
zinewasdonebySisson.
TeachingexperienceincludesclassesattheSchooloftheWorcesterArtMuseum
andprivatepupils.AmongawardsareFirstPrizeinanexhibitionatFitchburg,
Massachusetts,in1948;FourthAmericanPrizeintheHallmarkcompetitionof1949;
andFirstPrizeinlandscapeatanoutdoorshowinBostonin1951.
Besidesrepresentationinmanyprivatecollections,Sissonsworkhasalsofound
apermanentplaceintheMuseumofFineArtsinBoston,Massachusetts,andthe
BowdoinCollegeMuseumofFineArtsinBrunswick,Maine.HelivesinBoothbay
Harbor,Maine.
SPENCER,Niles,InFairmont, 42 x65'/2. Illustration—Plate 33
"Paintingisalanguage,"writesNilesSpencer."Apaintingshouldcommunicateitsmeaninginthislanguage—thatis, inthetermsofthe paintingitself.The
evidenceisthereinthecanvas.Ifitneedsexplanationbyspokenorwrittenwords
somethingiswrong:ithasfaileditspurpose.
"Thisisamuchrepeatedtruismwhichisnotcontradictedbythe factthat
bothartistsandcriticstalkandwriteagreatdealaboutpaintinginexplanationof
itsmeaning.Althoughthisisalltothegood,itisafterthefact.Thecriticofcour.se
hasthejobofevaluatingthepicture,butfortheartisttoexplainhispaintingby
talkingorwritingisinterruptinghisownstatementonthewall.
"ThepaintingInFairmontwasmadefromsketchesandstudiesofthebig
ventilatorattheglassworksinFairmont,WestVirginia."
HewasborninPawtucket,RhodeIsland,in1893,studiedattheRhodeIsland
SchoolofDesigninProvidenceandlaterwithGeorgeBellows,RobertHenri,and
attheArtStudentsLeagueofNewYork.During^1921-1922and1928-1929he
traveledinEurope(FranceandItaly).Hisfirstone-manshowwasheldinNew
Yorkin1925;othersfollowedinNewYork,andin 1941 Spencerhadaone-man
exhibitionundertheauspicesoftheCincinnati(Ohio)ModernArtSociety.Other
activitiesincludeamuralforthepostofficeatAliquippa,Pennsylvania.
Honorable MentionwasawardedhisworkattheCarnegieInternationalEx-
hibitionofPaintingsin1939,andaPurchaseprizefollowedattheMetropolitan