| Lawrence Blazey | ||
| Birth Date: 1902 |
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| Death Date: 1999 Artist Gallery |
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| One of Ohio’s most important contributions to the history of American art is its distinguished tradition of watercolor painting. In 1919 the Cleveland Museum of Art established a special category for watercolor painting, enhanced by three cash prizes, in the annual “May Show” for contemporary, regional artists. Since 1924 the race in watercolor painting in Cleveland has been unwavering, until it became the most important feature of the May Show. Watercolorists of Cleveland have achieved an enviable reputation in the country at large, making that city one of the leading cities in this medium in America. Watercolor’s growing importance throughout the state led to the formation of the Ohio Watercolor Society in 1925.
Blazey was a graduate of the Cleveland School of Art in 1924 and supported himself as an advertising artist, product development engineer and designer. He also furthered his studies at American Designers Institute, Cranbrook Academy of Art and the Slade School of Art in London. When he returned to Cleveland he taught night classes the Cleveland School of Art.
Not only were we able to purchase a watercolor from a Cleveland artist – the image is also of Cleveland and it is titled “Water Tower – Cleveland Flats”. He captured the mood of this era through the stark images, often uncompromising in the depiction of the world immediately around him.
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