Connecticut WPA Art

Marinko, George J. (1908-1989) George Marinko was one of the founders of the surrealist style in the United States. He was born in Derby, Connecticut in 1908. His father was a brass worker. From 1925 to 1929, Marinko attended the Waterbury Art School, coming under the influence of Lewis York, a visiting art professor from Yale. Funded by wealthy persons in Waterbury, he was ab...

Monson, Edith Dale (1875-1977) Edith Dale Monson was born on August 26, 1875, in New Haven, Connecticut. She was descended from Dr. Aeneas Monson, a Revolutionary surgeon who removed musket balls from wounded soldiers on the patriot side and participated in the Battle of Yorktown. She attended public schools in New Haven and two years at Miss Johnstone’s Private School. She ta...

Paddock, Willard D. (1873-1956) Willard Paddock was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1873. He attended public grammar schools and a year and a half of high school. He studied art at the School of Fine Arts at Pratt Institute, and at the Ecole de Beaux Arts and the Academy Collarossi, both in Paris. At various times in his life Paddock studied in Florence, Rome, and Naples. In 190...

Gregg, Laicita Warburton Worden (1892-1975) For most of her life, this artist was Laicita Warburton Worden. After her marriage to Kenneth Gregg in 1919, she became Laicita Worden Gregg. She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1892 and attended the city’s public schools. She graduated from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and later was elected to a Fellowship. Du...

Russo, Michele (1909-2004) Michele Russo was born in Waterbury, Connecticut in 1909. He grew up in the Italian American section of the city and later in life stated that he stood out as being different because he was interested in art and literature. Several tutors throughout his youth encouraged him to continue his interest in both. When he was five, he went to Italy with h...

Rackliffe, Howard E. (1917-1987) Howard Rackliffe was born in New Britain, Connecticut in 1917. He attended public schools there but left in his junior year in high school in order to “devote full time to his self-development as a painter.” From 1933 to 1940 he resided in New Britain and followed interests in painting, poetry, piano, and “improvisational musical composition an...

Stavola, S. Jerome (1904-1984) Jerome Stavola was born in Hartford, Connecticut 1904. Little is known about his family, education, or when his interest in art started. In the fall of 1924 he left Hartford for New York City to study art at the New York School of Design. He also studied at the Norwich Art School. By 1934 he was known for “his portraits and other easel work.” In ...

Townsend, Harry Everett (1879-1941) Harry Townsend was born in 1879 on a farm in Wyoming, Illinois. Early in life he earned a living working with a sign painter. He completed high school and went to the University of Wisconsin. He was interested in art and transferred to the Art Institute of Chicago where he studied painting under Frederick Freer and Frank Duveneck and sculpti...

Thorsen, Lars (1876-1952) Lars Thorsen was born in Norway on November 20, 1876. He worked various maritime jobs throughout his life including mess-boy, sail-maker, rigger, and Grand Banks fisherman. He had no formal art training but taught himself to paint while at sea. He became famous for his marine paintings and won the Bunce Prize from the Connecticut of Academy of Fine Ar...

Parys, Alfred (1913-1969) Alfred Parys was born in Rockville, Connecticut in 1913. He lived for over forty years in New Britain and the last fifteen years of his life in Newington. For the WPA Federal Arts Project, he was assigned to the Index of American Design under the supervision of John Matulis. In 1941 Matulis, Martha Elliot, and Parys gained some national renown when Fr...