Hey everyone! Welcome back to another thrilling installment of Bec’s Blog! We like to keep with themes here, so let’s talk about another national holiday taking place this September. If you all didn’t know, September 7th is National Grandma Moses Day!
You may think to yourself “Grandma Moses? Like the folk artist?” and you would be correct! September 7th is Grandma Moses’ birthday and the day Nelson Rockefeller proclaimed as Grandma Moses Day in honor of her 100th birthday in 1960. Not only was she honored by Rockefeller, but her birthday was also celebrated with her image on the covers of Time and Life magazines. If anything, we could all learn a thing or two from this woman, and the number one thing to keep in mind is that you’re never too old to start something new!
Grandma Moses began painting in her seventies as a result of arthritis affecting her ability to embroider, so instead of giving up on her creativity, and to keep out of trouble, she picked up a paint brush instead. Born before the Civil War in Greenwich, New York, Moses drew inspiration from her time growing up on a farm and was known to paint “old-timey” things reminiscent of a happy childhood growing up in a rural community away from the city. A vast majority of her work depicts agricultural scenes, farms, and people going about their daily lives in a simplistic, approachable style that appeals to a much larger audience.
Although Moses started painting to keep busy, her career was launched when Otto Kallir, a Viennese refugee and art dealer, displayed her work in an exhibition titled “What a Farm Woman Painted” and her fame only skyrocketed from there. Hallmark ended up purchasing the rights to reproduce her work, making her a household name in the process. These images are still reproduced today on plates, greeting cards, and textiles! You may not realize it, or you’re a younger collector hearing about Grandma Moses for the first time, but chances are you’ve most likely seen her work printed on greeting cards before. Although she has been overlooked greatly in museum settings and her pieces were very commercialized, she and her art are still very important icons of American history. So, check out some of some of her artwork this Grandma Moses Day and enjoy all that feel-good old-timey imagery!
