The following story appears in Volume IV, No. 1 of Taos Lightnin', the quarterly newsletter of Kit Carson Historic Museums. Those interested in receiving the newsletter will find information under MEMBERSHIP.

The first part of this article appeared in Volume I, no. 3 (Tourist Season) 1996 issue of Taos Lighnin'. Writer and humorist, Ellis Parker Butler was both friend and patron to Ernest L. Blumenschein. Through a remarkable exchange of letters for nearly forty years, "Blumy" and "Bute" shared in each others lives, families and artistic development.

The Ellis Parker Butler family continued to be both friends and patrons of Blumenschein throughout much of his career. In 1935, Elsie Butler Waller, Ellis Parker Butler's daughter who had been only six years old when Blumenschein painted her families portrait, commissioned Blumy to paint a portrait of herself (age 33) and her two children, Nancy, age 6, and Harold Everett Waller Jr. age 2 (called Hal by the family). Again, in 1948, the Butler/Waller Family asked Blumy about purchasing another of his paintings, one that they had seen illustrated in a book on the artists of Taos by Mable Dodge Luhan.

Through the daily diary entries of 1935 and the later reminiscences (written in 1974) of Elsie Butler Waller, some extraordinary insights into Blumenschein's character, thought processes (as viewed by others) and his actual working methods are revealed. These kinds of personal records are an invaluable resource for art historians. The Kit Carson Historic Museums are truly fortunate that Helen Blumenschein took both the interest and the time to request this material from the Butler family and to have made it part of the Blumenschein Family Archives.

Having first been painted by Blumy when she was about six years old, Elsie Waller though it would be wonderful to have him do a portrait of herself and her children as her daughter was then also just six. At the time, the Waller family were living in Wennetka , Illinois, just north of Chicago. Mrs. Waller noted in her 1974 reminiscences that the portrait was to be a companion piece to the earlier one and that the two "were, ideally, to hang at opposite ends of the library. They never have."

The painting process was initiated with a preliminary visit of just one hour on February 27, 1935, when Blumenschein came to see the Waller children. After Blumy's brief visit, he returned on April 15 to begin the actual painting.

While working on the portrait, Blumy stayed at the Orrington Hotel in Evanston, Illinois. Mrs. Waller said that "Blumy worked mostly mornings, as any time the Cubs played at Wrigley Field, he was off to the ballpark." She goes on:

The amount of energy expended was amazing. Blumy worked so hard getting up and down and paying such constant attention to his work that he ate tremendous amounts at the first few lunches we served him with the family. So we changed our dinner menus to lunch in order to satisfy his appetite.

The painting took Blumy 17 days, working seven days a week, to complete. Following is Elsie Butler Waller's day by day account of Blumenschein and the creation of the family portrait. This remarkable document logs the entire 64 hours of concentration and dedication Blumy put into the creation of this portrait. It also reveals the interaction of the artist and model/patron in the execution of a commissioned work.

Arrived to do picture. April 15th. Came out to house.

Tuesday, April 16, at 3:00 p.m. Sketched until 5:15. Red lace evening dress for me. Yellow linen suit for Hal. Nancy's white wedding dress she had for Aunt Jean's wedding. Both very good. Hal played with match boxes and buttons. Nancy ...at left of me, sitting on Grandma Waller hassock with Hal on [my] lap. Nancy said she would not be in the picture if her whole face wasn't in it. She thought she would be hidden as Bopo is in ELB picture. (Bopo is her Grandfather, Ellis Parker Butler.)

Wed. April 17, 9:40 to 12 o'clock. Mr. B. worked on the composition using me all of the time and the children alternating. Nancy not so very good. Hal very good. Mr. B. commutes the Northshore Line to Orrington Hotel in Evanston where he stays.

Thursday, April 18 Blumy arrived at 9:15. Drew Hal and me, particularly Hal's legs. Said they were like no other legs he had seen--so chubby. Hal sat like an angel playing with a button and in a matchbox (both usually verboten) and an engine from the toy train set. Then Nancy posed with me, mostly as to her left hand on chair. She is more restless than Hal. [Elsie Waller noted in a later letter that "Blumy took an immediate dislike to Nancy. It was mutual. I think it influenced his picture of her."] She planned her Easter Party and did mental arithmetic at which she is very good. Harold came at 11:00 with the big 30 x 40 canvas. Blumy first had a small one made, 20 x 30, in error. Thereafter, Blumy plotted the canvas in squares and we went our ways. Blumy and Harold had lunch.

Friday, April 19, 9:15-12:15--Blumy began to place on canvas until 11:00. Then he drew me on small paper until 12:15. Blumy wants some of their furnishings in so the picture will be placed someplace. There is one of our floor lamps, the master chair of the dinging room set, and the hassock Applesauce gave us. (Applesauce is Nancy's paternal Grandmother.) He is going to have Hall Hold one of the ammusing Bali animals Applesauce brought back this year from India.

Sat. April 20, 9:00-12:00--Blumy worked on drawing on the canvas with no models.

Sun. Apr. 21, 9:00-12:00--Blumy drew on canvas to 10:00. I posed from 10:00-11:30. He drew my face with charcoal on the canvas. 11:30-12:00 he worked on Hal.

Mon. April 22, 9:30-12:30 & 2:30-4:30. 9:30-11:00 on me, Hal and Nancy, finishing drawing on canvas. 11:00-12:30 on putting paint on for background using all three for a half hour. 2:30-4:30 Blumy painted on the background while I sat for color. He said that Nancy was very emotional. He could tell because she got interested the minute the color was introduced. Said she might be a great artist in some of many lines. Said da Vinci said "Genius is a talent for work." Blumy said only occasionally is a talented person born. Takes a hundred years to get anyone as talented as he and said genius took emotional bend--not shoddy or cheap emotion but selective. But that composition was only the beginning. You have to have a lot of work. Said there were few women artist because the hard work was too much for them. You have to concentrate every minute. I can see how great a job it is when watching Blumy. Constant concentration.

Tues. Apr. 23 - 9:15-12:15 - Cut up rags into squares for paint rags for Blumy. Can't tear them as the ravelings get caught in the paint. 9:15-12:15 Blumy use Nancy & me with a half-hour work on background. After lunch he played the piano some. During lunch he told me about Walter Ufer, who was financed by Chicago people for 2 years in Taos. Made a success took to drinking during the 6 months of each year he spent in selling his pictures in the East. Reformed and is now painting again. P.M. 2-5 - I posed from 2:30 -5 for my hair and background. Blumy said this painting part was fun because the color made it emotional. Said the drawing was no fun. He said the canyon picture at the World's Fair last year "Black and Gold" [Canyon Red and Black, 1934] or some such name--he saw the effect one evening. Next a.m. made a color memory [sketch] of it. Later drew the cliffs and put in color as drawn. Said many of his best pictures had been done that way. Museum at Dayton, Ohio, is considering that one or another for purchase. Said he sold one picture to Toronto Museum for $3,300. I asked him about the picture in the National Academy at N.Y. one year. A broken-down taxi on a cloud with a horse on the running board. He said he destroyed it last year with 50 others in a fire. Said he had had 3 fires of his work on purpose.

Wed. Apr. 24--9:15-12:15 Constant work on my head. I think there will be a socket [a depression in the canvas] in my neck where the face is.

Thurs. April 25. 9:00-1:30. I sat for my face to 12:00. Had a two minute rest and then to 1:30 on my neck. I think sitting for a portrait must be good training for being in prison. But prison must be easier, because you can move about and talk, to yourself at least. But I really enjoy it.

Fri. April 26 - 8:30-12:00 Nancy posed for 2 1/2 hours, 8:30-11:00 and was a model child. We looked at photographs and played the radio.

Sat, April 27 - 8:45-11:45 For three hours Nancy posed. Very good, considering Blumy did her hair and dress. We read "Story of Food" & "Story of Transportation" and "Story of Oil." She did not like the latter. Also played Victrola. Hal posed for the last half-hour with us. Harold watched.

Sun. April 28 -9:00-12:00, 1:45-4:30 Nancy posed for her arm in the a.m. Entertained her with record of "Good ship Lollipop" and funny papers. Also new record "Wooden Soldiers." Blumy did the dance of the wooden soldiers for us. In the p.m. I posed for my dress. Blumy said when he was done he wanted the 3 heads to be the center and the rest to be noticed afterwards.

Mon. Apr. 29 - 9-12 Hal's hair and face. Hal played with small things. Was an angel.

Tues. Apr. 30 9-12:30, 2:15-5:50 9-12 - Hal on his arm and suit in a.m. He was not so good as yesterday. Blumy said: "God, he is the most beautiful baby I ever saw." For p.m. Nancy on her leg from 2:15-3. She was not good. Played records. Did my right arm till 5. I have a terribly swollen eye and hives today from a facial yesterday. Heard Blumy say to himself: "If it's good, it's right" or vice versa.

Wed. May 1, 10-12, 2-6 on Hal's legs and collar. Hal very bad. Blumy showed picture to Applesauce. 2-3:30 I sat for left hand with Hal's suit on pillow. After that Blumy varnished the dark parts.

Thurs. May 2 - 9:30-12:30, 2:15-4:15 A.M. used Hal for my left hand for 15 minutes. Nancy until 12 for her hand. Me to 12:30 on dress and me in p.m. for dress and red chair. Harold came home at 4 and saw picture signed at 4:15.

In a letter to Helen, many years later, Elsie Waller summed up Blumenschein's final remarks on completion of the commission for which he was paid one thousand dollars:

After the picture was done, Blumy said to me: "Anyone who says the likeness of everyone in the picture is good, is a liar." The reason being, no two people see everyone the same. Blumy was very proud of the number of legs and arms and hands and knees in the picture without their being too conspicuous (noticeable). Blumy said he would never paint children again and certainly never again paint anyone except in his own studio--after our portrait.

In 1948, the Butler/Waller family wrote Blumenschein asking about purchasing one of his recent paintings. Apparently they had seen an image published in Mable Dodge Luhan's book on Taos artists called Sheepherder. The following excerpt, again, demonstrates some interesting aspects of Blumenschein's character as well as his entrepreneurial attitude toward his own work--he was willing to make changes to make a sale!

January 20, 1948

Dear Harold: Yours of Jan. 14 at hand regarding pictures. Very happy to know you fellows like my "Sheepherder," printed in Mable Luhan's book. I would much rather friends like yourself and Elsie own this canvas, than the International Business Machine Co. (Mr.Watson), but am sorry to say they paid me fifteen hundred for it about five years or six years ago, and the last news I had of the "Sheepherder" it was on exhibition at Buenes Aires. But I have another painted from the identical spot in the canyon. It is also the same shape and size, 30 1/2 in. high by 50 in. wide, including a narrow band of frame, that is 1 3/4 in. wide. This painting of which I will send you a photo in a couple of days is one of my personal favorites and very handsome as you will see. It has no sheep, but if you and Elsie want it, I will put a band of sheep and sheepherder on the foreground ledge, and possibly a few stragglers back further, had thought of doing this very thing, to give a little animal life to the great big landscape. I have been holding this canvas at $1,5000 but you can have it for $1,000.00 Am also including a photo of a much traveled painting called "Homeward Bound." It was invited to England for a year with 150 selected Amer. paintings. This painting is 30 x 40 in. not including frame *(which is a good one) about four (possibly 3 1/2 in.) wide. Price is $2000.00 but you can have it for 1/4 off. (It has a sunset sky that is important.)

As of this writing, we do not know if the Waller family purchased one of the options Blumy offered them. However, a few years later, Harold Waller was querying Blumenschein about the value of the two portraits he had done for the family. Blumy's reply is quite candid about how he viewed his own work:

Regarding value of portraits: that is beyond my field of knowledge. It seems to me the commercial value is vague but the sentimental value very high. They can't stand as purely works of art (in my opinion) altho they are as good as I could do at the periods painted. I rec'd $500 for the Paris group and $1,000.00 for Elsie and children.

These few letters and diary entries clearly show Ernest Blumenschein's creative intensity and dedication to his art. They also reveal the respect and continued support the Butler/Waller Family placed in Blumy throughout his long and active career.

Written by Skip Keith Miller.