James Aumonier, R.I.
THE LANDSCAPE PAINTINGS done from an engraving with paints supplied by
OF JAMES AUMONIER, R.I. tne village carriage painter, and it has consider-
BY WALTER BAYES a^e decorative quality, and is in admirable con-
dition in spite of the fact that more than one of
A friendship between two families persisting the pigments used are such as chemists frown
now into the second generation makes it so upon. His earlier manhood was spent in doing
difficult to assume the position of complete designs for calico-printing, his spare time only
impartiality proper to a critic that I propose in being available for painting, and this continued
writing of Mr. Aumonier to discuss not so much to be the case until the American War, by
the stature as the build of the man, and to give its bad effect on the cotton industry, made it
within a necessarily narrow compass some idea of possible for the wily, designer to offer (apparently
the qualities I find in his work. And this not as a kindness to his employer) to put himself on
of course for the benefit of painters, for each of 'half-time.' The offer was gratefully accepted,
the several factions which respectively claim at and the designer never went back, for, in the
the present day a monopoly of artistic merit will first place, he had acquired great facility in
be found to have a certain respect for his work, producing the realistic floral designs (then the
but as a hint for the conscientious layman sole fashion in cotton printing), and could turn
for whom painting, and landscape painting in out as many as were wanted in a short space of
particular, is often a sore puzzle. time ; and, in the second place, he had even while
Mr. Aumonier's development would seem to at work as a designer begun to establish for himself
have run on somewhat traditional lines. That is a position as a painter. Without friends among
to say, he passed through a period of careful London artists, he went, as everyone did in those
study, from which he emerged gradually into a days, to " Heatherley's" to study, and it was a
freer manner. His first attempts at painting were landscape shown there which brought him an
self-taught. I have seen actually the first picture invitation from Mr. Wyllie (the father of Mr. W. L.
he ever did—an oil-painting of primitive character, Wyllie and Mr. Charles Wyllie) to bring round to
gilsland,
XXXIX.
northumberland"
No. 155.—January,
1910.
by james aumonier
T75
THE LANDSCAPE PAINTINGS done from an engraving with paints supplied by
OF JAMES AUMONIER, R.I. tne village carriage painter, and it has consider-
BY WALTER BAYES a^e decorative quality, and is in admirable con-
dition in spite of the fact that more than one of
A friendship between two families persisting the pigments used are such as chemists frown
now into the second generation makes it so upon. His earlier manhood was spent in doing
difficult to assume the position of complete designs for calico-printing, his spare time only
impartiality proper to a critic that I propose in being available for painting, and this continued
writing of Mr. Aumonier to discuss not so much to be the case until the American War, by
the stature as the build of the man, and to give its bad effect on the cotton industry, made it
within a necessarily narrow compass some idea of possible for the wily, designer to offer (apparently
the qualities I find in his work. And this not as a kindness to his employer) to put himself on
of course for the benefit of painters, for each of 'half-time.' The offer was gratefully accepted,
the several factions which respectively claim at and the designer never went back, for, in the
the present day a monopoly of artistic merit will first place, he had acquired great facility in
be found to have a certain respect for his work, producing the realistic floral designs (then the
but as a hint for the conscientious layman sole fashion in cotton printing), and could turn
for whom painting, and landscape painting in out as many as were wanted in a short space of
particular, is often a sore puzzle. time ; and, in the second place, he had even while
Mr. Aumonier's development would seem to at work as a designer begun to establish for himself
have run on somewhat traditional lines. That is a position as a painter. Without friends among
to say, he passed through a period of careful London artists, he went, as everyone did in those
study, from which he emerged gradually into a days, to " Heatherley's" to study, and it was a
freer manner. His first attempts at painting were landscape shown there which brought him an
self-taught. I have seen actually the first picture invitation from Mr. Wyllie (the father of Mr. W. L.
he ever did—an oil-painting of primitive character, Wyllie and Mr. Charles Wyllie) to bring round to
gilsland,
XXXIX.
northumberland"
No. 155.—January,
1910.
by james aumonier
T75