Rollin Pickford Exhibit Continues Through May 31st

The Library has been honored this month to display sketches and ephemera from the collection of Rollin Pickford.

Pickford has been painting watercolors for over 60 years, and his mastery is evident in every stroke.

He has painted thousands of watercolors; the majority in Fresno, where he has lived most of his life. Their evocative chronicle of a vanishing rural landscape has earned him the title of “painter laureate of the San Joaquin Valley.”

The Monterey Bay Peninsula also figures prominently in his work. Beginning in the late 1960s, he painted here every summer.

Several Pagrovians recall seeing him around town. He spent hours walking about, absorbing a scene before painting it. As he explained:

"It takes a long time to study a landscape and absorb all the facets of it. You don't get that immediately, and walking around is the best way to let it come into your consciousness."

"The Chinese are famous for walking through a landscape sometimes for two days or three, not making any image. Then they go back to their studio to make the paintings of what they have absorbed."

We invite you to come in and enjoy "the poetry" of Pickford's paintings. And if you're interested in learning more about this amazing artist, check out California Light, The Watercolors of Rollin Pickford, or the inspiring documentary, Master of Light: the Life and Watercolors of Rollin Pickford.

To view more images of Rollin Pickford, visit his son's website, Pickford Pictures.

Our thanks to Melissa Pickford Smith for the loan of all items in the exhibit.
And our best wishes to Rollin Pickford, as he celebrates his 98th birthday this month!