MY HISTORY
WELCOME TO MY PAINTED WINDOW SCREEN HOME PAGE. I BEGAN PAINTING WINDOW SCREENS A YOUNG BOY AGE 10 IN 1945. AFTER OBSERVING ONE OF THE MANY INTERENT SCREEN PAINTERS THAT TRAVELLED THROUGHOUT BALTIMORE AND THE NEIGHBORHOODS OF CANTON, HIGHLANDTOWN ND FELLS POINT, AREAS POPULATED BY IMMIGRANTS FROM POLAND, GERMANY, ITALY, IRELAND AND OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES.
HAVING A LITTLE UNTRAINED TALENT I ASKED MY PARENTS FOR SOME SUPPLY MONEY TO BEGIN MY IDEA OF A WAY TO HAVE A LITTLE SUMMERTIME SPENDING MONEY. ALTHOUGH EXTRA MONEY WAS NOT EASY COMMODITYTO COME BY FOR THEM AS WELL AS MOST IN THESE POOR BUT HARD WORKING AREAS OF BALTIMORE, I'M SURE THAT THE EXPENSE
THAT GOT ME STARTED WAS MORE THAN JUSTIFIED BY THEIR WISE IDEA TO KEEP ME OUT OF TROUBLE AND MAJOR MISCHIEF WHILE THEY WERE AT WORK AND ME BEING A LATCH KEY KID.
AFTER PAINTING MY HOME SCREENS, MY OLDER SISTERS THEN A NEIGHBORS IT SOON DEVELOPED INTO THE LITTLE SUMMER JOB I ENVISIONED AND CARRIED ME THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL AND DATE MONEY UNTIL MILITARY SERVICE CALLED IN 1954. ALTHOUGH I NEVER MET HIM PERSONALLY, I WAS HONORED IN 1953 TO BE PICTURED IN THESUNDAY NEWS SUPPLEMENT WITH WILLAIM OKTAVEC, THE ORIGINATOR OF PAINTED WINDOW SCREENS IN 1912 AS THE "OLD AND NEW BREED OF BALTIMORE SCREEN PAINTERS".
AFTER RETURNING FROM MILITARY SERVICE IN 1958 IFOUND SCREEN PAINTING HAD FALLEN ON HARD TIMES. THE OLDER GERERATION AND THE SCREEN PAINTERS THAT HAD SO ENDEARED THE ART WERE PASSING AWAY WHILE THEIR KIDS RETURNING FROM THE WARS WERE MOVING TO THE COUNTIES AND THE NEW WINDOW AIR CONDITIONERS WERE SUPPLANTING THE NEED FOR SCREENS. SCREEN PAINTING WAS NEVER A TRADE IN WHICH TO MAKE A LIVING FOR ANYONE OTHER THAN THE OKTAVEC'S WHO HAD THEIR OWN ART STORE AND DID OTHER WORK BUT ONLY A MEANS OFA LITTLE EXTRA INCOME.
OF COURSE I NEEDED A REAL JOB WITH REASONABLE INCOME TO SUPPORT A FUTURE FAMILY AS MARRIAGE WAS SOON ON THE HORIZON AND OUT OF STATE TRAVEL FOR GLEN L MARTIN DELAYED MY SCREEN PAINTING. THEN CHILDREN (5) NECESSARY OVERTIME WITH THE BALTIMORE CITY DEPARTMENT OF TRANSIT AND TRAFFIC AND LITTLE LEAGUE DUTIES FARTHER INHIBITED MY TIME TO PAINT AND MY FREE TIME WAS A PREMIUM.
I DID SOME BUT ONLY AS NECESSARY FOR FRIENDS, RELATIVES AND OCCASIONALLY FOR THOSE THAT DID FIND ME. SCREEN PAINTING HAD BEEN CALLED A DIEING ART BUT IT WAS THE SCREEN PAINTERS WHO WERE DIEING, SO WHEN FOLKS FOUND ONE STILL KICKING THEY BEGGED I HELP. SOME I DID AND OTHERS DECLINED ASTIME WAS STILL A PROBLEM.
ELAINE EFF WRITING HER COLLEGE THESIS ON FOLK ART IN 1978 MANAGED TO LOCATE ALL THE REMAINING SCREEN PAINTERS AND ORGANIZED "THE PAINTED SCREEN SOCIETY OF BALTIMORE" TO PRESERVE THIS ORIGINAL ART FORM. IN 1988 ELAINE RECEIVED A GRANT AND PRODUCED A 28 MINUTE HISTORICAL VIDEO "THE SCREEN PAINTERS" SHOWN NATIONALLY ON PBS.
RETIRING IN 1996 I HAD FINALLY FULFILLED A PROMISE TO MY WIFE TO PAINT EVERY SCREEN ON MY HOME. OF COURSE WHEN I MADE THAT PROMISE MY HOUSE HAD ONLY 8 WINDOWS, NOW THIS ONE HAD 18. JUST AS ALL HAD BEEN PAINTED, A LOCAL TV STATION HAD CALLED AND PRODUCED A SHORT SUPPLEMENT FOR THEIR "MARYLAND BY GEORGE"
PROGRAM PRIOR TO THE LOCAL NEWS. BEFORE THE THING HAD FINISHED MY PHONE WAS RINGING OFF THE HOOK. WELLTHERE WENT MY RETIREMENT FROM MY REAL JOB AND BACK TO SCREEN PAINTING. HOWEVER SINCETHEN , OTHER LOCAL AND STATE SUPPORT, MY SCREEN PAINTING CLASSES AND ELAINE EFF, THIS ORIGINAL AND UNIQUE BALTIMORE FOLK ART IS IN REVIVAL NOT ONLY HERE BUT BLOSSOMING NATIONWIDE AND IN CANADA. |
