Vernon Smith & the WPA
August 7, 2020

Charles Heinz - Boat At Low Tide

This is Charles Heinz's Boat At Low Tide.

His studio probably started life as a washhouse.  Windows have been let into the north side – a painter must have a north light – and Heinz has lettered ‘Charles L. Heinz Studio’ on the whitewashed planks. It stands out in the pasture, and the chickens peck at the ground around it. No picture-book artist, with Van Dyke beard, smock, and beret, comes to meet you. The man who appears is dressed like a farm hand. His trousers have been innocent of creases for months, and the bottoms are muddy. He peers out at you a little uncertainly from under an old brown cap; then, if he recognizes you, his shrewd eyes lighten and he smiles.   -January 5, 1936, Shelbyville Union