STILL LIFE WITH GREEN BOTTLE Studio Study, Ringling School of Art Sarasota, Florida circa 1953

“I served in the US Navy for the duration of World War II, so I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to attend the Ringling School of Art on the GI Bill. When I was enrolled, the school was still young. The classrooms were converted storefronts, which made fabulous loft-style studios, with added skylights to provide the necessary ‘north light’ for our studies.”

“There were separate studios for each of the major disciplines: commercial art, fashion, life drawing, landscape, and still life. Many of the studios were adorned with John Ringling’s ‘left overs’: artifacts he had imported from Italy but had not used in his home or museum. I often used them as props for my studio studies, but on this day, a simple green bottle drew my attention.”

“My mother loved the painting, so I framed it for her, and she displayed it over her china cabinet. I retired back to our family home in 1987, and the picture still hangs in its same place.”

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George Fox in the studio at Ringling School of Art, circa 1953.