“CHAPLIN’S MEADOWS” This watercolor by Harry Leith-Ross (1886-1973) is featured in “Harry Leith-Ross: Scenes from Country Life,” on view at the Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Pa., through February 2020. The works in the exhibit depict locations in Holland, Scotland, Nova Scotia, New Hope, and Doylestown, among others.

The Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Pa., presents “Harry Leith-Ross: Scenes from Country Life,” on view in the Pfundt Gallery through February 2020.

Featuring drawings and watercolors primarily from the Museum’s permanent collection, the exhibition illuminates the artistic process and skilled draftsmanship of the painter Harry Leith-Ross (1886-1973). Born in the former British colony of Mauritius, Leith-Ross grew up in Scotland and England before moving to the United States in 1903. After working as a commercial artist and studying painting in Paris, he enrolled in the Art Students League’s summer school at Woodstock, N.Y., in 1913 and began exhibiting in New York and Philadelphia.

He settled permanently in New Hope, Pa., in 1935 and became an integral part of the local community. He won awards from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Phillips’ Mill, National Academy of Design, American Watercolor Society, and the Salmagundi Club, among others.

Leith-Ross made drawings as finished works and used them as studies for his larger oil paintings. He manipulated black conté crayon to achieve a variety of textures, dramatic contrasts, and bright highlights. A few drawings even include the artist’s handwritten color notes to guide him when executing paintings in his studio.

Leith-Ross also excelled in the watercolor medium, and his vibrant compositions were admired by critics and sought by collectors. Depicting Holland, Scotland, Nova Scotia, New Hope, and Doylestown, among other locations, the works in this exhibition map his extensive travels and encapsulate an intimate vision of everyday life in rural and small town settings.

The Michener Art Museum is located at 138 South Pine Street, Doylestown, Pa. For more information, call (215) 340-9800 or visit www.
michenerartmuseum.org.