It’s been quite some time now since I have written about my progress and I have good things to report. Although COVID has slowed and/or postponed many of my efforts, I have made significant advances in spite of the pandemic impacts.
Right off the bat, I would like to start by thanking my good friend Doug Weisman for all the help he has provided me. He is a very talented photographer and his skills are indispensable in this effort to accurately capture images of my grandfather’s paintings. Besides his amazing talent, he is a great travel companion! Thank you Doug! https://www.douglasweismanphotography.com
And now, on to the progress report:
First of all, I’d like to report on the effectiveness of this website. I have received 6 communications from Clifford Ashley enthusiasts and this has led to the photographing and inclusion of 5 more paintings into my work! I want to thank each of you who have reached out to me! It has been such a pleasure sharing information and stories. For me, this is one of the most enjoyable aspects of my project!
I would like my website to see more traffic and I have been told that I need to enhance my website’s visibility and searchability. Thankfully, I have a very talented daughter who will help me with this, so -- look for changes in this area in the next few months….
I have continued to work with the New Bedford Whaling Museum (whalingmuseum.org). If you haven’t had the opportunity to visit them, you should …. They have an amazing facility and collection, and a visit should be on your bucket list! They also have the largest Clifford Ashley painting collection in the world!
In 1973, the NBWM, in conjunction with The Brandywine River Museum (brandywine.org), put together an exhibition of paintings by Clifford W. Ashley, which they named “Whalers, Wharves, and Waterways.” The catalog that accompanied this exhibit includes the 69 paintings in the exhibit, four in color and 65 in black & white. One of the talented staff at the museum took on the task of locating the color slides taken of Ashley paintings by Elton Hall who, in 1973, tracked down many of the privately owned paintings used in the exhibition. We have now digitized these slides and processed them with professional color correction/restoration software and have added roughly 40 hi-resolution images to our effort from this source. This has been a huge success! Thank you NBWM!!
Over the past year plus Doug and I have traveled far and wide throughout New England and photographed numerous Ashley paintings. I am fortunate to pilot a small airplane and we have journeyed to Maine, Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, Cuttyhunk Island (cuttyhunkhistoricalsociety.org), the South Shore of Massachusetts, the Greater Boston area, and Vermont to meet Ashley painting owners and to photograph those works.
I have also developed a much clearer picture of my grandfather’s work efforts as well as insights into his personal life. I have spent many wonderful hours chatting with my mother (his daughter) about Clifford Ashley as a father, as an illustrator, as a painter, as a writer, and as a knot expert. I have spent countless hours reading books that he illustrated, reading books that he wrote, and sifting through personal papers and family owned pen & inks, watercolors, and charcoal sketches. Soon I will need to start assembling all this information in an organized fashion and figure out the best way to make it accessible to those who are interested!
Once again, a heartfelt thanks to all of you who have been so welcoming and helpful, making this journey of mine possible and so special!