biography of Walter FARNDON (c.1876-1964)

Birth place: Coventry, England

Death place: Valley Stream, L.I., NY

Addresses: Yonkers, NY (1887); NYC, Flushing (1906-19); Douglaston, NY (1921-47); Valley Stream, NY (1966)

Profession: Painter

Studied: designer at a carpet company, painting floral motifs, early 1890s; NAD with Edgar M. Ward, 1898; Mechanic's Inst., 1900 (degree in arch. drafting, 1912)

Exhibited: AIC; Boston AC, 1903; PAFA, 1904-30; Corcoran Gal, 1907, 1910, 1914, 1930; Pan-Pac. Expo, 1915; Soc. Indp. A., 1917; Brooklyn Mus., 1921; NAD; Fort Worth AM, 1933; MacDowell Cl., NYC, 1914-16; Grand Central AG, NYC, 1926, 1928, 1945-46; Nassau AL, 1929 (2nd prize); NAD, annually, 1902-on, with prizes in 1930, 1942 (1st prize), 1944 (silver med), 1959 (2nd prize); NJ Fed. Women's Clubs, 1930 (1st prize); New Rochelle AA; NYWCC & AWCS, prizes in 1925, 1962; NY Soc. Painters, 1936-37; Orlando AA; Municipal Gal., NYC, 1939; AAPL, 1944, 1948; SC, prizes in 1919, 1925-29, 1940, 1944; TMA; NAC, prizes in 1930, 1939, 1942, 1952, 1957, 1959, 1962; All.A.Am., 1940 (prize), 1944 (prize); Westchester AA, 1952, 1958 (special exh., citation & gold medal); Hudson Valley AA, 1951 (gold medal for 50 years of art contribution); Hofstra College, 1955; Audubon Artists, 1958; Royal Academy, 1962 (prize); Vose Gal; Boston 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996 (solos)

Member: Country Sketch Cl., 1897; ANA, 1928; NA, 1937; NYWCC, 1927; NYSP; Artists Fellowhip; NA; AWCS (Treas., 1928-30, Life Mem., 1961); NAC (Life Mem., 1930); Allied A. Am.; SC; AAPL; Audubon Artists; Westchester Artists; Nassau County Art Lg; Grand Central Art Gal.; NY Soc. Painters, 1927

Work: BM; NAC; SC; Hickory Mus. Art (NC); MMA; NAD

Comments: A prolific plein-air landscape painter, he painted in New Jersey and New York in his early years; later throughout New England, including Monhegan Island, ME. During the late 1890s he carved most of his own frames.

Sources: WW66; WW47; Vose Gal., Boston, exhib. cat., 1991; Curtis, Curtis, and Lieberman, 182; Falk, Exh. Record Series.