Thanks to the popularity of the recently published book, "FLASHES IN THE RIVER" by Ed Gray (founder of "Gray's Sporting Journal") featuring the fishing water-colors of Arthur Shilstone, a whole new audience has been created for his work.

These new collectors invariably ask, "Who is Arthur Shilstone and what does he do other than fishing paintings?" Briefly this article is to answer some of these questions, as well as to give the reader a little more insight on this versatile artist.

Arthur Shilstone was born in New Jersey in 1922 and says "As far as I can remember I was always drawing, but it was an art teacher in high school that suggested that I consider a career in Art and recommnended that I apply toThePratt Institute in New York, which I did and was accepted." During his foundation year at Pratt he became acquainted with the different aspects of Art, such as illustration, interior and industrial design, commercial art, etc. He chose pictorial illustration which he has done successfully up to the present day. His work has appeared in over 30 national magazines including SMITHSONIAN, LIFE, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, SPORTS AFIELD, FIELD AND STREAM, SPORTING CLASSICS, GRAY'S SPORTING JOURNAL and a host of other magazines.

Shilstone's assignments have included Annual Reports and special projects for many major U.S. Corporations such as U.S. STEEL, EXXON, AT&T as well as military and government projects which include NASA where he did seven On-Sight pictorial assigrments of the space shuttles as well as the pictorial coverage of blast-offs and landings.

In the 70's the illustration market was turning to a new format using primarily graphics and photographs in lieu of illustrations by artists and so he found himself turning to a new course, supplementing his illustration work with fine art comnissions. Shilstone relates, "My first comnission was for a friend who owned a place overlooking the Yellowstone River. I did two fishing paintings for him and they in turn led to other commissions. I eventually started doing paintings of sporting subjects on my own and sold them through art galleries."

From early childhood he spent a great deal of time at his family's summer home at Lake Mahopac, NY where he hunted and fished extensively so the idea of doing sporting art felt natural and satisfying.

For Shilstone, Art is a continous learning experience and he devotes a portion of his day in the study of the great painters. Probably his favorite group would be the British watercolorists of the 19th Century such as Turner. Some of the American artists high on his list are Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent and Andrew Wyeth. However, the German Expressionist Emil Nolde still remains his favorite. His watercolors are now receiving critical acclaim for their ring of truth that they instill to the viewer. This is achieved throught his mastery of composition, drawing and the spontaneous, but controlled application of the watercolor medium. In fact, so skillful is his technique that he paints the way of the purists without the use of white paint!

To keep his paintings accurate and authentic, he is constantly hiking the woodlands of his local area as well as making frequent treks to the wilderness areas of the United States and Canada.

Arthur Shilstone is represented in art galleries in New York, Wyomingand California. His work can also be found in many private and corporate collections as well as a growing number of museums throughout the United States and Canada. Among these are NASA Air and Space Museum, Cape Canaveral, Florida, Victory Center Museum at Yorktown, Virginia, National Baseball Hall of Fame,Cooperstown, New York; Museum of American Illustration, New York City; The Collection of the Archives of the City of Quebec, Canada. He is a member of the American Watercolor Society.

Arthur Shilstone is one of the special few that has the talent, knowledge and zeal to carry on the tradition of the great watercolorists of the past.

John F. Apgar is the Director of J.N. Bartfield Galleries, N.Y.C.

©The Fine Arts Trader 2009