FROM THE ESTATE OF DR. EDMUND P. PILLSBURY.. STUART GENTLING (American, 1942-2006) and. SCOTT GENTLING (American, 1942-2...

Description

FROM THE ESTATE OF DR. EDMUND P. PILLSBURY.

STUART GENTLING (American, 1942-2006) and
SCOTT GENTLING (American, 1942-2011)
Of Birds and Texas Portfolio, 1986
Lithographs
25-1/2 x 19-1/2 inches (64.8 x 49.5 cm)
Each signed in plate
Title page dedication from the artists: For the Pillsburys with affection and regard, Christmas 1986 / Stuart Gentling and Scott Gentling

PROVENANCE:
Gift of the artists

Accompanied by a letter from the artists which reads:

22 December 1986
Dear Mireille and Ted-
Scott and I hope that you will accept this Artist's Copy of our book OF BIRDS AND TEXAS in the spirit in which it was given. This gift is our way of thanking you both for the support you have given living Texas artists through the Artist's Eye program and your belief that work of merit does indeed come out of the Southwest. We wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and holiday season and we hope that you have a prosperous and successful New Year.
Best wishes-
Stuart and Scott
p.s. Read the enclosed instructions before you go through the book.

NOTE:
It is not surprising that twins Stuart and Scott Gentling became friends with Ted not long after he arrived in Fort Worth. As modern day Renaissance men, their varied interests, which included, but were far from limited to, taxidermy, publishing studies of art and history, composing classical music, and painting, fascinated Ted. They never ran out of things to talk about together. The artists presented this edition of their Of Birds and Texas portfolio to Ted and Mireille as a gift.

Scott and Stuart Gentling's Of Birds and Texas is the culmination of their travels across the state and was published just in time for the 150th anniversary of the founding of The Republic of Texas. A limited edition of their forty exquisitely detailed bird portraits and ten Texas landscapes, with commentary and an essay by Texas author John Graves, received immediate praise and comparisons to John James Audubon's Birds of America. Indeed, the brothers were inspired early in their lives by the paintings of Audubon and spent more than eight years creating the life-size illustrations for their book. The birds are set against landscape backgrounds portraying the geographical regions of Texas. Texas historian A. C. Greene has praised Of Birds and Texas as "the most stunning and prodigious book in Texas history."

"With these dry-brush watercolors, we have combined our personal vision of the birds and the land of Texas with our own sense of composition, line, and color to bring you a testament of our love of the people, the history, and the wildlife of Texas."-Stuart Gentling

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