An artist, a teacher, a lover of all things beautiful...
Eliot O'Hara
While studying under Eliot O'Hara, Nona expanded her knowledge and technique in the area of watercolors. Eliot O'Hara was a well known watercolorist who imparted his wisdom on "Making Watercolors Behave."
​
The painting at left was painted by Nona as part of her course work while at Goose Rock during the summer of 1938. See below for more information on Eliot O'Hara.
Nona's longest documented relationship was with Eliot O'Hara, with whom she studied and painted extensively under his instruction. The first documented study under Eliot O'Hara was during the summer of 1938 where she attended his school at Goose Rock Beach in Maine. Over the course of the next 30 years until his death in 1969, Nona studied and painted with Eliot.
​
Eliot O'Hara was widely known for his work in watercolor and more specifically his innovative techniques in this medium. "Winning awards from the American Watercolor Society as early as 1930, he embarked on a career that combined teaching his craft in his studio and on the road." Source: Harmon-Meek Gallery. Harmon-Meek Gallery represents the estate of Eliot O'Hara and many of his works are available for purchase thru the Gallery.
During his lifetime, Eliot was one of America's most widely respected watercolorists and teachers. In addition to an extensive exhibition record, O'Hara wrote many books, produced more than twenty films on watercolor technique, and taught classes all over the country. From 1930 to 1947 he ran the successful O'Hara Watercolor School at Goose Rocks Beach in Kennebunkport, Maine, the first such school in the United States. The school, however, burned down in 1947 and was never reopended. In 1924, several of Eliot's European-inspired watercolors were accepted into the Philadelphia Watercolor Club Annual exhibition. The following year, his first solo exhibition in Boston sold out and by 1927, O'Hara had become a successful artist. He would go on to receive many honors during his long career, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, a life membership in the American Watercolor Society, and was one of the first watercolorists elected to the National Academy of Design.
"Painting on-site or in plein air, O'Hara worked without an easel, sitting or kneeling directly over his watercolor paper with his paints and brushes to one side. While he did not have significant "formal" training, O'Hara taught himself to paint and created his own personal style. Hoping to provide other beginning watercolor students with the painting techniques, he went on to author his first book in 1932, Making Watercolors Behave. Eight subsequent books followed along with twenty-four color films commissioned by the Encyclopedia Britannica Company.
​
His impressionist watercolors are described by solid compositions painted with traditional washes, and economic brushstrokes that convey details with startling simplicity. An avid traveler who painted all over the world, he was a master at conveying the distinctive color and light that characterized each place he visited."
​
Among the more than sixty public collections that include O'Hara's work are: Anchorage Museum of Art and Science, Art Institue of Chicago, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Hirshhorn Museum and Scuplture Garden, the Library of Congress, the Museum of Fine Art Boston, the National Academy of Design, the National Museum of American Art, the Toledo Art Museum, the Worcester Art Museum, and the Ogunquit Museum of American Art.
