An extensive selection of the works of William (Bill) Patton Brown will be on display at the Shaw Public Library, 1 S. Front St., Clearfield from March 4 through April 4.
Hundreds of paintings will be available for view and purchase. Brown was born in 1904 in Clearfield and lived most of his life here. In his early years, he went to design school in New York City.
He had two brothers, Nick and Lew. Lew got a job as a clown with the Ringling Bros. Circus, and shortly thereafter, Brown joined his brother in Florida.
Brown painted many Florida landscapes and scenery and when Ringling Bros. saw his talent, they sent him to illustration school, where he became proficient in making signs, posters, banners and backdrops for the circus. Many of his paintings in this show depict circus animals and performers.
Moving back to Clearfield in the late 1930’s, he continued to paint signs and local scenery. He also earned a living distributing pamphlets and advertising for area business.
As you will see in this collection, Brown thoroughly enjoyed painting horses, especially Arabians. He liked visiting the Fink and Mapes farms as well as sites throughout Pennsylvania, taking photos for reference in his works.
There are several paintings depicting scenes from the Clearfield County Fair. He was supervisor of the Fair Art Show for many years.
Susquehanna River Art Center would to thank Lee Lanager for donating this collection to the SRAC. These paintings have been in storage for more than 30 years and are ready for framing. They are of high quality utilizing many different materials. Creating artwork up until his death in 1980 at the age of 76, Brown signed and documented every painting on the back with the location, date and subject.
These paintings are all priced to sell and will only increase in value making a wonderful addition to any collection and a good investment.
The SRAC hopes these paintings will be appreciated and enjoyed in homes and galleries for years to come.
Proceeds from this sale will benefit SRAC and the Shaw Public Library. After the library show is over, the remaining works will be for sale at the newly formed Market Street Gallery in downtown Clearfield.
