THE FIRST WAVE:
May 22, 2020

Mudhead by Charles Webster Hawthorne

This is the quintessential mudhead by Charles Webster Hawthorne. The work has served as the mascot for the Julie Heller Gallery for decades.

At last the musketeer of the brush has invaded the picturesque old fishing settlement of Provincetown, situated at the extreme end of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and the white umbrella can be seen everywhere this summer; along the water front, among the old wharves and shipping, in this or that old-fashioned garden, and far out upon the broad sand dunes. Mr. Charles W. Hawthorne is there with a class of about fifteen. He has converted one of the old sail lofts into a studio and criticizes the work of his pupils every Saturday, and it is remarkable to note how these infants of art are being influenced by Mr. Hawthorne's method of pallet knife painting. - The Collector and Art Critic, Vol. 1, No. 6 (Aug., 1899)

May 22, 2020

The Motherlode Profile:
Charles Webster Hawthorne

Rooftops by Charles Hawthorne

As both an artist and as a teacher, Charles Hawthorne was single-handedly responsible for putting Provincetown on the map as not only one of the original American art colonies but also as a destination for world-class learning institutions.