Artist and Model, Declassified
2006
20 w by 16 in h
Digital Painting
Based on a photo from the "Hanford Historical Photo Declassification Project".
Read the introduction to the Remixing the Hanford Declassified Project paintings
"The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance." - Aristotle
Down in what appears to be some sort of basement, art was pursued at the Hanford Project, and examples are to be found in the Hanford Declassified archives.
Painting the inward significance of things can be dangerous, which is why you put the artist class in a basement room that has holes in the ceiling. Except that what we see below doesn't appear to be radical.
DDRS Record Details for Record Accession Number
"N1D0056477"
Accession Number N1D0056477
Document Number 668-50-NEG-F
Alternate Document Number 668-50-NEG
Title Description ART CLASS - PAINTING, SCULPTURING
Number of Pages 1
Key Word(s) ART CLASSES,HANFORD SITE,PAINTING,RECREATIONAL,SCULPTURE
Author(s)
Company(s)
Document Date 05-Feb-2002
Public Availability Date 14-Jun-2002
DDRS Record Details for Record Accession Number
"N1D0056476"
Accession Number N1D0056476
Document Number 668-50-NEG-E
Alternate Document Number 668-50-NEG
Title Description ART CLASS - PAINTING, SCULPTURING
Number of Pages 1
Key Word(s) ART CLASSES,HANFORD SITE,PAINTING,RECREATIONAL,SCULPTURE
Author(s)
Company(s)
Document Date 05-Feb-2002
Public Availability Date 14-Jun-2002
Another man paints the same model, but I doubt he's done much art, not dressed up in that jacket.
DDRS Record Details for Record Accession Number
"N1D0056473"
Accession Number N1D0056473
Document Number 668-50-NEG-B
Alternate Document Number 668-50-NEG
Title Description ART CLASS - PAINTING, SCULPTURING
Key Word(s) ART CLASSES,HANFORD SITE,PAINTING,RECREATIONAL,SCULPTURE
Document Date 05-Feb-2002
Public Availability Date 14-Jun-2002
Note: Circa 1954.
If you're really painting, you wear crap clothes, like Walter Hook below, circa 1954. The painter in the top two photos is possibly Walter Hook. He has his arms and build. From what is shown of his work in the archive he concentrated on uninspiring Washington state landscapes.
DDRS Record Details for Record Accession Number
"N1D0028365"
Accession Number N1D0028365
Document Number 8932-1-NEG-F
Alternate Document Number 8932-1-NEG
Title Description WALT HOOK ARTIST
Document Date 17-Mar-1954
Public Availability Date 14-Feb-2002
DDRS Record Details for Record Accession Number
"N1D0028366"
Accession Number N1D0028366
Document Number 8932-1-NEG-D
Alternate Document Number 8932-1-NEG
Title Description WALT HOOK ARTIST
Document Date 17-Mar-1954
Public Availability Date 14-Feb-2002
Except that Walter Hook turns out to have been a well-known artist, not a hobbyist, and, interestingly, the above isn't representative of his work, not from the few paintings I've seen on line including post-war surrealist canvases of cattle partnered with big eggs.
A bio on him reads in part:
Walter Hook was born and raised near Missoula, Montana in 1919 of Finnish immigrant parents...Hook graduated from the University of Montana with degrees in math, art, and physics. He served in the Navy during WWII, and then worked for the Atomic Energy Commission in Albuquerque, New Mexico where he pursued a Master's Degree in Art. He and his wife Margaret raised chickens, inspiring scores of egg paintings. Hook painted eggs until 1986 and received awards for almost every piece. They returned to Missoula when a teaching position opened in University of Montana's Art Department. Hook taught painting, drawing and calligraphy from 1955-1977 and was a guest artist at several northwestern and Canadian universities and galleries. As Chairman of the UM Art Department, he proved an excellent administrator and beloved colleague...Hook attributed his art business success to earlier work and study in mathematics, design and physics. He diligently entered juried shows and competitions, recognizing that "people look at art differently after it has received an award or other form of public recognition." He held more than 100 one-man shows nationwide and received more than 100 national awards...Hook's daughter remembers his sense of humor, love of art, delight in children and broad range of interests and talents. Their household was painted in turquoise, green, yellow and orange. Paintings went up and came down from walls in the style of a busy art gallery...
artbrokerage.com
Hanford employee, Esther Parker, was a sculptor.
DDRS Record Details for Record Accession Number
"N1D0054217"
Accession Number N1D0054217
Document Number 1334A-50-NEG-E
Alternate Document Number 1334A-50-NEG
Title Description ESTHER PARKER SCULPTURES
Key Word(s) ESTHER PARKER,HANFORD SITE PERSONNEL,HOBBIES,SCULPTURES
Document Date 21-Sep-1950
Public Availability Date 14-Jun-2002
Here's another gentleman sculpting, and due the room's condition I believe he's in the same area in which the painting class at top was held.
DDRS Record Details for Record Accession Number
"N1D0056474"
Accession Number N1D0056474
Document Number 668-50-NEG-C
Alternate Document Number 668-50-NEG
Title Description ART CLASS - PAINTING, SCULPTURING
Key Word(s) ART CLASSES,HANFORD SITE,PAINTING,RECREATIONAL,SCULPTURE
Document Date 05-Feb-2002
Public Availability Date 14-Jun-2002
Note: Circa 1954.
Mr. Laird enjoyed doing copper work.
DDRS Record Details for Record Accession Number
"N1D0040882"
Accession Number N1D0040882
Document Number 3022-1-NEG-A
Alternate Document Number 3022-1-NEG
Title Description HOBBIES - MR. LAIRD DOING COPPER WORK
Document Date 18-Feb-1952
Public Availability Date 14-Feb-2002
A professional illustrator, Ken Staly, is shown with a model.
DDRS Record Details for Record Accession Number
"N1D0011503"
Accession Number N1D0011503
Document Number 5773-1-NEG
Alternate Document Number 5773-1-NEG
Title Description KEN STALY PAINTING A GIRL - PORTRAIT
Document Date 24-Dec-1952
Public Availability Date 14-Feb-2002
We see in the background of the below photo a graphic for the two different types of air raid sirens.
DDRS Record Details for Record Accession Number
"N1D0011507"
Accession Number N1D0011507
Document Number 5773-1-NEG-E
Alternate Document Number 5773-1-NEG
Title Description KEN STALY PAINTING A GIRL - PORTRAIT
Document Date 24-Dec-1952
Public Availability Date 14-Feb-2002
Kenneth Staly was a commercial artist who began his career in 1948 at Hanford, working for General Electric's Employee and Public Releations section. He transferred out in 1962.
Kenneth T. Staley, of Niskayuna, New York, died suddenly of a stroke on March 31, 2011 while at his winter home, which he shared with his beloved wife, Elizabeth K. Staley, on Ft. Myers Beach, FL. Ken was born in 1920 in Kennewick, Washington, son of Oden and Georgia Staley. In 1939 Ken enrolled at Art Center School in Los Angeles, CA. After a wartime interruption, he returned to Art Center School for his final two years of commercial art and advertising illustration classes. While in the Army, Ken served as a rifleman with the 96th Infantry Division during most of the 82 day battle on Okinawa. After the Japanese surrender, Ken spent a year on the Philippine Islands of Mindoro and Luzon. He soon left the rifle company to join the information and Education office at Division Headquarters as an artist for the Deadeye Dispatch, the daily Army newspaper. On his time off he did ink sketches and colored pencil drawings of camp scenes - one of which won first prize in the Armed Forces Pacific Art Contest. Ken began his professional art career in 1948 as artist for General Electric's Employee and Public Relations section at GE's Hanford Atomic Products Operation in Richland Washington. In 1962, Ken transferred to GE's Research Laboratory (now known as GE Global Research) in Schenectady where he became a senior artist. Ken illustrated projects of the scientists and engineers. During the 1970s, Ken was involved with the selection of artists to exhibit their paintings in the Schenectady County Public Library. Ken retired from GE in 1980. Ken was first married in 1949 to Mona Chapman of Ellsworth, Kansas, and Los Angeles, California. The marriage lasted 41 years until Mona tragically died of cancer. On October 28, 1992, Ken married Elizabeth K. Chinoy, (f/k/a Elizabeth Kurz), a Niskayuna resident who was originally from Switzerland. Ken joined a family with six grown children and, at the time of his death, ten grandchildren. Ken continued his art work in retirement. Soon after retiring from GE, Ken and his first wife, Mona joined the First Unitarian Society of Schenectady. Ken was soon appointed Chairman of the Visual Arts Committee, a committee of one, and did various art projects for the church until 2001. Besides painting, Ken's other hobbies included photography, and wood sculpture. In 1993, Ken began attending the annual reunions of the 96th Division and, in 1995, returned with other vets to Okinawa to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the end of the battle. Officially, it was to celebrate 50 years of peace and friendship with Japan.
- Legacy.com
There were youthful artists such as George Pierce, who presumably painted on tip-toe, leaping to reach the top of his canvas.
GEORGE PIERCE, BOY ARTIST, ATOMIC FRONTIER DAYS
DDRS Record Details for Record Accession Number
"N1D0014295"
Accession Number N1D0014295
Document Number 7025-1-NEG-D
Alternate Document Number 7025-1-NEG
Title Description GEORGE PIERCE, BOY ARTIST, ATOMIC FRONTIER DAYS
Document Date 20-Jul-1953
There were youthful girl artists who painted centaurs and horned devils.
DDRS Record Details for Record Accession Number
"N1D0028935"
Accession Number N1D0028935
Document Number D-283-NEG
Alternate Document Number D-283-NEG
Title Description WOMAN REVIEWING ARTWORK
Document Date 06-Apr-1944
Public Availability Date 14-Feb-2002
One of the more curious artists in the archive is an unnamed woman who did fantasy, sci-fi like illustrations. Who she was is something I would really like to discover.
DDRS Record Details for Record Accession Number
"N1D0028707"
Accession Number N1D0028707
Document Number D-2079-NEG
Alternate Document Number D-2079-NEG
Title Description WOMAN WITH ARTWORK
Number of Pages 1
Document Date 10-Mar-1944
Public Availability Date 14-Feb-2002
And there was other art, such as Joe Hoage who won prizes for his flowers.
DDRS Record Details for Record Accession Number
"N1D0042108"
Accession Number N1D0042108
Document Number 4066-1-NEG-A
Alternate Document Number 4066-1-NEG
Title Description FLOWER SHOW WINNER - MR. JOE HOAGE
Document Date 20-May-1952
Public Availability Date 14-Feb-2002
Another Hanford artist was Jess Collins. A radio-chemist with the Army Corps of Engineers, he worked on the Manhattan Project, and after he left the military in 1946 he was employeed at Hanford.
But two years later, in 1948, he had a apocalyptic nightmare and became disillusioned with science. He left his job for the California School of Fine Arts (now the San Francisco Art Institute). After a falling-out with his family, he began to paint under the name "Jess."
- io9.com
Links on Jess Collins:
Jess Collins -- S.F. painter, collage artist
Jess Collins article at brooklynrail.org
"The Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office (RL) has aggressively implemented the commitments made by the Federal Government to openness in Government which was stated as a 'Fundamental principle that an informed citizenry is essential to the democratic process and that the more the American people know about their Government, the better they will be governed. Openness in government is essential to accountability . . .' RL is committed to responsible openness. The Hanford Declassification Project (HDP) was initiated by RL to declassify to the maximum possible extent all previously classified Hanford operations information (documents and photographs). There are over 77,000 declassified photographs of early Hanford (1943 - 1960) available... These World War II and Cold War era photographs depict early Hanford construction and the employees/families who lived and build/operated the site."
The plutonium for the bomb dropped on Nagasaki was manufactured at Hanford.
Originally posted on my blog Jan 6 2006.
