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Before Rhode Island School of Design
During Rhode Island School of Design
After Rhode Island School of Design
Audrey Mae Spencer MacDonald’s Recollections and Comments
Audrey Mae Spencer
Born March 19th, 1912
A New England Farmer’s Daughter
Student at the
Rhode Island School of Design (U.S.A.)
During the Great Depression
SECTION I: Student at RISD, registered during the week of 9-14-1931
Description of Art Pieces completed while at RISD
“Putting Stories to the Pictures”:
- Drape, Jug and Paint Can
Oil painting on rolled canvas—22inches by 18 1/2 inches Framed
“This oil painting has depth and makes me feel like I could reach into it. I love to do draperies. This was done at the Rhode Island School of Design. My teacher was a tall, thin man whose name was John Frasier.”
- Drape, Jug, Dish and Apple
Oil painting on rolled canvas—22 inches by 18 1/2 inches Framed
“I was pleased with the drapes, however, I feel the apple should be further down in the left bottom corner, not touching the dish. The apple in this oil is very good…”
- Squash, Peppers on Table Top
(Restoration by Artist Trait Fine Art Gallery, Claremont, CA.)
Oil on canvas—14 ½ inches by 10 ½ inches—unframed
- Drape, Wine Bottle, Pottery and Apple
Oil painting on cardboard material—20 inches by 24 ½ inches—framed
“I’m not pleased with this picture. The teacher made us paint whatever he had set up. I did not like this arrangement.”
- Blue Tea Pot, Red Flower with Green Leaves
Watercolor—16 inches by 13 ½ inches—Framed
“This is a watercolor; Miss Gardner was my teacher. She was the best teacher I ever had in all my life. I had many good teachers but she topped them all. She was a tall elderly lady with white hair pulled back in a bun. She always kept one painting of her pupils. The picture she kept of mine was of uncle Ed’s baby calf curled up asleep at his farm.”
- Matching Set of Two:
1) Violets, Purple and Green Leaves
Watercolor on construction paper—6 ¾ inches by 5 inches
2) Two Carnations and Green Leaves and Stalk
Watercolor on construction paper—7 inches by 5 inches
- Paint Brushes on a Windowsill
Pencil/Charcoal on cardboard paper*—14 ½ inches by 11 inches
“If you are an artist or would like to be one, you will need brushes and a place to put them. This is how I stored my brushes, so be creative and find great jars to put them in.”
- Vase with Flowers on Windowsill
Pencil, black and white, on paper—8 ¼ inches by 6 ¾ inches
- Dog with Orange Frame
Watercolor on irregular shape type of construction paper—6 ½ inches by 7 inches
“This was my brother Ed’s dog. The dog’s name was Peter, he was a big fellow and very smart. He lived on the farm in Connecticut. He was very protective of my children, and would follow them everywhere they went.”
- Plants at Grandma Spencer’s
Charcoal, black and white, on heavy cardboard—11 ¼ by 9 inches
“Drawing in the evening, dark outside… These plants were in my mother’s kitchen. They sat next to my mother’s old fashion open washing machine. As a result, they received a lot of moisture. They were always so green and looked so beautiful.”
- Potted Plants at Grandma Spencer’s House (nearly identical to prior entry)
Plant was in my mother’s kitchen. The plant sat next to my mother’s old fashion open washing machine.
- Apple, Cheese with Knife
Watercolor, black and white, on cardboard—7 ¼ inches by 11 ¼ inches
“This is my own advertisement showing a display of how well cheese goes with apples.”
- Two Apples
Charcoal, black and white, on light, cardboard paper—13 inches by 10 inches
“This is one of my charcoal drawings. Apples are my favorite; eat one everyday for good health.”
- Apples and Oranges and Grandma Spencer’s Dish
Charcoal/Pencil on heavy paper—13 inches by 10 inches
“My mother had this dish always filled with oranges. All were welcome to take one.
- Tea Pot, Pitcher, Pottery and Fruit
Charcoal, black and white, on heavy paper—10 inches by 13 inches
“This is a still life lithograph. Students had to buy their own material. I was always at the school store; it was located in the lower level of one of the buildings. I did not work part time while I was a student; my father paid for all my expenses. In my day students did not work while they were at school.”
- Head of a Roman Boy
Clay sculpture
- Charcoal Drawing
Pencil, black and white, on paper–11 inches by 8 inches
“This is my charcoal drawing of a green pepper and orange squash next to an old beer bottle. As a little boy, my father used to fill these bottles for a penny a bottle.”
- John Williams Co.—Jewelry Diamonds
Ink, black and white, on heavy paper—13 ¼ inches by 10 inches
“Graphic Art was my thing. This is a layout to advertise diamonds. We chose our own topic, and mine was diamonds.”
- Perfume Bottle, Book and Shoes
Black and White on Cardboard Paper–11 ¼ inches by 14 ¼ inches
“These are examples of my advertisement, using different lines in the design. Graphic Art was considered the highest paying profession of all the Arts. Likewise, it was also the most competitive field to go into.”
- Lion Statue at R.I.S.D
Pencil, black and white, on cardboard paper—11 ½ by 9 1/2
- Vase and Animal Statue at R.I.S.D.
Pencil, black and white, on heavy paper—14 inches by 10 inches
- I’ll Get That Flee Yet
Pencil—black and white—on paper*, 6 ¾ inches by 8 1/3 inches
- Matching Set of Two:
1) Red Rose with Green Leaves and Stem
Colored Pencils on Construction Paper—8 ½ inches by 5 inches unframed
2) Yellow Lilies with Green Leaves and Stem
Colored Pencils on Construction Paper—8 ½ inches by 5 inches unframed
- Four Models
Following are “drawing using real live models. They would pose for a while, then rest for a while. Each model had their own specific time of how long they would pose before they rested. The women wore nothing, and the men wore only a G-string. Each class lasted all day. We would start drawing around 9:00 and finish around 2:00 in the afternoon.”
1) Nude Model
Pencil on heavy paper—18 inches by 12 inches
“The model would pose nude. When we finished our drawing the model would dress into an outfit, and we would finish the class by drawing her fully dressed.”
2) Fully Dressed Model, same model and pose
Pencil and water color, black and white, on heavy cardboard—22 inches by 14 inches
3) Male Model
Pencil on thin damaged paper—12 inches by 18 inches
“This is the male model who first posed nude. After we finished the nude drawing he got dressed. Our assignment was to sketch his suit and made it transparent over his nude body, plus his hat.”
4) Female Model
Pencil and watercolors, black and white, on frail paper—19 by 12 ½ inches
“This is a live model dressed in an elegant one piece sheer undergarment. The models were generally very sweet and nice people. During their period they walked around with their robes on and talked to the students. Models were generally between 20 and 30 years old.” This drawing has “Audrey Spencer – Graphics Junior” written on the top right of the page.
- Coquette–Dorothy Pierson’s Legs
Pencil sketch on paper*—8 1/3 inches by 6 ¾ inches
- Matching Set of Two:
1) Hen
Pencil/Charcoal, black and white—5 inches by 5 3/4 inches-Framed
2) Lamp and Shade
Pencil/Charcoal, black and white—5 inches by 5 ¼ inches-Framed
“These are designs we had to make up from our imagination. It was fun to do my own design.”
- Tree on Hill, pink, blue, yellow and white sky
Watercolor on heavy paper—10 inches by 14 inches
- Matching Set of Three:
1) Fruit basket—4 inches by 4 ½ inches
Pencil/Charcoal, black and white
“My own black and white design.”
2) Design—4 ¼ inches by 4 ¾ inches
Pencil/Charcoal, black and white
“My own black and white design.”
3) Bird—4 ¾ inches by 4 ¼ inches
Pencil/Charcoal, black and white
“My own black and white design.”
- Leaves of Changing Colors
Watercolors on paper—11 inches by 17 inches
“While riding the train to the School of Design, I would past by these trees with all that color. Just seeing these trees with leaves of changing colors gave me the idea for my next RISD project which was this colorful autumn scene. ”
- Statue of a Girl at RISD
Charcoal/Pencil, black and white, on heavy paper—13 inches by 9 ¼ inches
- Trees, Fence
Pencil/Charcoal on heavy paper—9 inches by 12 inches
- Audrey’s High Heel Shoes
Charcoal, black and white, on heavy paper—10 inches by 14 inches
“These are the shoes I wore to the School of Design. One day I was walking to the bus and stopped at a dime store; the floor was wet and I slipped and fell. The store clerk was so upset, but I told him I was OK and left.”
- Audrey’s White High Heel Shoes and Pearls in her Jewelry Box
Charcoal/Pencil, black and white, on heavy paper—12 ½ inches by 9 inches
- Baby Cradle in R.I.S.D Antique Department
Sketch, black and white on heavy paper—9 inches by 11 ¾ inches
- Straight Back Chair in Corner of Room
Pencil/Charcoal on heavy paper—14 inches by 10 inches
- Furniture at R.I.S.D
Pencil Sketch, black and white on cardboard paper—14 inches by 10 inches
- Stairs, Hallway, Door
Pencil, black and white, on construction paper—10 inches by 7 inches
“This is my home at 742 Washington Street, Coventry, R.I.”
- Ginnie
Pencil, black and white, on paper*—8 1/3 inches by 6 ¾ inches
“I drew this picture when Ginnie came to Rhode Island.”
- MaryJane Sleeping
Pencil, black and white, on paper*—8 1/3 inches by 6 ¾
“I was always sketching my mother because she was at home with me.
- MaryJane Reading
Pencil, black and white, on paper*—8 ½ inches by 6 ¾ inches
“My mother would read while she was cooking. This is a sketch of my mother reading; she would generally read from her rocking chair in the kitchen. She would read until my father came home. When she heard him coming she would jump up, put her book away and set the table. She got most of her books from the church library. She had beautiful book markers.”
- MaryJane
Pencil sketch
“My mother was my best subject. She was always there when I wanted someone to sketch.”
- MaryJane and AnnaJane
Pencil, black and white
“My mother curled AnnaJane’s hair every day.”
- Child with Curls, Facing Back
Pencil, black and white, on construction paper—10 inches by 7 1/3 inches
- AnnaJane Reading
Pencil, black and white, on heavy paper—14 inches by 10 inches
“This was an easy one. AnnaJane was so interested in her book that she did not know that I was sketching her. This was sketched in my mother’s living room. This window faced the front yard.”
- AnnaJane With Her Hands Behind Her Back
Pencil, black and white, on heavy paper—10 inches by 14 inches
“AnnaJane was very happy to be my model for this pose. She was quite this little actress. For this pose it probably only took me a few minutes to do.”
- Lillie White’s Party
Pencil, black and white, on irregular shaped paper*—5 inches by 6 ¾ inches
“This is a phrase used long ago that my neighbor told me about. When a child falls asleep, you don’t say she is taking a nap; you say she is at “Lillie White’s Party”. To this, I do not really know how this phrase came about….”
- Side View
“This is a picture of AnnaJane, my brother Ed’s daughter. She was about five years old when I sketched this side view. She was a good little kid. Anna had just woken from a nap, so she still looks a little sober, and posing was not the happiest thing she cared to do at that time.”
- Betty on Straight Back Chair
Pencil, black and white, on paper—8 1/3 inches by 6 1/3 inches
“This is Betty our family dog. She was considered a member of the family, just like a sister. My mother bought new sheets for our beds, and when we went to bed, Betty had gotten into both beds. Every time my mother went upstairs, Betty was cuddled in the new sheets with her head on the pillow.
- Matching Set of Four:
1) ANNA
Pencil, black and white, on grainy, paper cloth—10 ¼ inches by 9 inches
This is a sketch of AnnaJane about to become a young lady. She was very happy to pose for this picture because she looked so lovely.”
2) BETTY
Pencil, black and white, on grainy, paper cloth—10 ¼ inches by 9 inches
“This is Betty, our family dog…”
3) WHEETE
Pencil, black and white, on grainy, paper cloth—10 ¼ inches by 9 inches
4) QUEENE
Pencil, black and white, on grainy, paper cloth—10 inches by 8 ½ inches
Horse’s Head
Pencil, black and white, on oval cut out paper—8 inches by 6 ½ inches
(Drawing of Crystal, as a child, is on other side of this cut out paper.)
- Matching Set of Three:
1) Jerry, the Work Horse
Pencil, black and white, on cardboard paper—9 ¾ inches by 8 inches
2) Polly, the Parrot
Pencil, black and white, on cardboard paper—12 inches by 9 inches
3) Billy, the Goat
Pencil, black and white, on cardboard paper—9 inches by 12 inches
- Matching Set of Two:
1) Face of Cat and Two Front Paws on Furniture
&
2) Cat Lying on Side on Furniture
Pencil/charcoal on one sheet of paper* using both sides—6 ¾ by 8 1/3 inches
- Mother Cat and Two Kittens
Black Marker/Pen on yellow construction paper, irregular cut—5 ¾ by 6 inches
- Matching Set of Four:
1) Sketch of W.J.B. Spencer and Milton
Pencil, black and white, on paper*– @ 8 inches by 6 inches
“My father was reading the newspaper, and I do not think he knew I was drawing his picture. I am pretty sure Milton did not know I was drawing him.”
2) Side View Sketch of Milton’s Face
&
3) Milton with Pencil over Ear
Pencil, black and white, on one sheet of paper* using both sides—8 ¼ by 6 ¾ inches
“…reading and studying the papers…”
4) Milton on Couch
Pencil, black and white, on paper*—8 ¼ inches by 6 ¾ inches
“Milton was sitting on my mother’s living room couch getting his wallet in order. I have to chuckle and say, I don’t think it was loaded with money. Milton had enough, he would always take me dancing or to a movie and go out to eat. For 50¢ we could go to the movies and have a hot dog and coffee each.”
- Self Portrait of Audrey, 1932 Pencil, black and white, on thick paper—6 inches by 4 inches
SECTION II: Audrey’s Sketches
Description of Art Pieces
“Putting Stories to the Pictures”:
1) Three Sleeping Cats
&
2) Face of Angry Dog
Pencil, black and white, on one sheet of paper* using both sides—8 1/3 by 6 ¾
3) Cat Drinking and Two Cats Eating from Same Dish
&
4) Dog’s Head Looking back right and Cat Drinking (top of page)
Pencil, black and white, on one sheet of paper* using both sides 8 1/3 by 6 ¾ inches
5) Sketches of Three Dog Faces and Dog Paws
Pencil, black and white, on paper*–8 1/3 inches by 6 ¾ inches
6) Multiple Sketches of Dogs
Pencil, black and white, on paper*–8 1/3 inches by 6 ¾ inches
7) Dog and Cat Face and Dog in Center
Pencil, black and white, on paper*–8 1/3 inches by 6 ¾ inches
8) Cat, House, Hens, Cat sleeping and Chickens
&
9) Wheete, the Cat, and Two Mice
Pencil, black and white, on one sheet of heavy paper using both sides—12 by 9inches
10) Cats Resting on Chair etc.
Pencil, black and white, on heavy paper—12 inches by 9 inches
Three Patterns
Dog–11 inches by 7 inches
Horse–10 ½ by 8 ½ inches
Tree–9 ½ by 8 inches
Five Pages of Birds
Separate Pencil Sketching, averaging 4 inches by 5 inches
SECTION III: Family Life of Audrey and Milton
Description of Art Pieces
“Putting Stories to the Pictures”:
- Milton
Pencil, black and white, on paper with backing—7 inches by 5 inches
“This is Milton practicing his guitar in mother’s living room. Mother always said she really enjoyed listening to him. He would practice for hours in the evenings and weekends.”
- Spencer, as a Child
Pencil, black and white, on thin paper—7 inches by 5 ½ inches
- Spencer, Cap with Ear Muffs
Pencil, black and white, on paper—7 inches by 5 1/3 inches
- School Kid-O-Grams, Spencer and Friend and AnnaJane and Friends
News article, The Evening Bulletin
- Dawn, as a Child
Pencil, black and white, on cardboard—9 inches by 8 inches
“This is a picture of Dawn fast asleep. She fell asleep after playing house and still had my lipstick on. She was a beautiful and good little child. She had to keep up with her brother Spencer. When Spencer got a shot at the doctors, she immediately held out her arm to get hers. The nurses smiled because she did not cry.”
- Dawn and Julio
Pencil, black and white, on paper—10 ¾ inches by 8 inches
- Douglas, as a Child
Pencil, black and white, on thin paper—8 ½ inches by 5 ½ inches
“He was a quiet little boy. He loved to work on puzzles, and when he would finish a puzzle he would walk away. And when he was not looking would undo the puzzle. When he came back, he would start right in and redo the puzzle, without saying a word. This would go on all day.”
- Douglas, surrounded by pictures of his family
“This drawing is not a portrait; it is a cartoon of Douglas….”
- Crystal, as a Child
Pencil, black and white, on paper—8 inches by 6 ½ inches
“Crystal did not have to pose for this; I did this sketch while she was running around. Crystal was a busy body, there was not a drawer or closet that she had not investigated. She never stopped. She always managed to do what she wanted to in one way or another. With Heather and Deardra reluctantly following behind, Crystal led them into all sorts of mischief.
- Heather
Pencil, black and white, on paper—7 inches by 6 inches
(Audrey drew this from memory and photo when Audrey was in her late 80s.)
“Heather was my angelic little girl. Following Crystal was very difficult for her, but being the younger sister, she went hesitantly along. This picture was taken in my East Greenwich Avenue home. The girls were looking up to the leaves I had painted as a border in my living room. I loved the picture of much of Heather that I made this sketch of her.”
- Deardra
Pencil, black and white, on paper—10 inches by 7 inches
(Audrey drew this from memory and photo when Audrey was in her late 80s.)
“Deardra being the little girl, she followed along after Crystal and Heather. However, her mind was always very active concerning the things she wanted to do. She always had a few tricks up her sleeve, and managed to achieve what she wanted without being noticed. Deardra was a little actress; she would pose for every picture that was taken of her.”
- Vaughn
Pencil, black and white, on paper—8 inches by 6 inches
(Audrey drew this form memory and photo when Audrey was in her late 80s.)
“Vaughn the omega of the lot; my last baby. He had four older sisters to put up with, which was not an easy ordeal. He was always on the go with Dick Campbell selling apples, eggs, etc. His favorite outing with Dick was to go quahaughing at the shore. He loved Aunt Jeanie, Dick’s mother, and played over her house a lot. He managed to grow the tallest of the whole bunch.”
- Dawn
Sketched on cloth scarf—9 inches by 7 inches
- Heather
Sketched on cloth scarf—8 ½ by 7 ½
Cartoons of Life on East Greenwich Avenue
Two Pencil, black and white, on white bond paper pasted to black construction paper
9 inches by 12 inches
- Belinda Sleeping
Pencil, paper picture glued to cardboard—8 ½ inches by 11 inches
- Martin
Placemat
“I always made them as beautiful as I could….”
- Lisa
Colored Ink Pencil, 5 inches by 6 inches
- Julie
Colored Ink Pencil, 4 inches by 6 inches
- Holiday Christmas Scenes:
1) Deer, Trees and Snow–Framed
2) Snow Man and Tree
Tri-Chem paints, red, white & green on red cloth placemat, 12 inches by 17 ½ inches
3) Snow Man and Tree – unfinished
Tri-Chem paints, white on green cloth placemat, 12 inches by 17 ½ inches
4) Red Flowers on Blue Backing
Tri-Chem Paints, multi colors on cloth placemat, 13 inches by 18 ½ inches
5) Santa Clause, Sleigh and Reindeers
Tri-Chem paints, multi colors on irregular cut black cloth, 18 inches by 12 ½ inches
6) Snow Man Holding Broom, Trees with Snow
Tri-Chem paints, multi colored, on red cloth, 12 inches by 12 inches
7) Deer, Snow, Trees, Sky
Tri-Chem Paints, multi colors, oval cut of cloth, 9 ½ by 8 inches
8) White Bird and Green Backing–Framed
Red Flower with Green Leaves and Border
Felt Cloth
- Illustration on Cover of “Poems by Alice Firby Rhodes”
Rural Settings of Birds, Trees, Flowers, Rocks, etc.
Pen on green thick cover paper—9 inches by 6 inches
- Impressionistic Painting by Audrey when she was in her 90s
attending a creative arts class in Alpine Nursing Home, Coventry, R.I.
*Denotes sketches drawn from same tablet (notebook)
Compiled by Heather MacDonald, 10-2006
Comments Recorded by Deardra, Heather and Brenda MacDonald