Janet Lippincott New Mexico (1918 - 2007) Small Watercolor Series, 1991 watercolor and ink Signed lower left. Exhibited: Fletcher Gallery, Santa Fe, NM. Biography from the Archives of askART: Janet Lippincott was born in 1918 to a family of privilege in New York City. Her Aunt Gertrude Lippincott, a modern dancer, took her to museums, and when Lippincott saw her first Picasso she was turned on to modern art. Her family lived in Paris during her childhood which was another influence on her art. When Lippincott was age 15, her mother, on the suggestion of a friend, enrolled her at the Art Students League in a life drawing class. Thinking it was a course in nature drawing, Lippincott was taken back when a male nude entered the class. She left the room and sat in the park but did return to the class when a female nude was the subject. The artist graduated from the Todhunter School, a private school in New York where Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt was principal. After high school, Lippincott returned to the Art Students League full time. During World War II, the artist enlisted in the Women's Army Corps and was attached to Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower's staff. Lippincott tells a story of Gen. George Patton storming into Eisenhower's office in London demanding to see him. She told Patton flatly that Eisenhower was busy and that he would have to take a seat and wait and that he should keep his mouth shut, too. In 1949 Lippincott drove from New York to Taos, New Mexico to attend the Emil Bisttram School of Art on the G.I. Bill. Bisttram did not appreciate Lippincott's talent and told her that she was wasting her time. She responded that the G.I. Bill was paying him and that she would remain. In 1972 when Lippincott was exhibiting at the Jamison Gallery in Santa Fe, Bisttram gave her a glowing review. Janet Lippincott attended the Colorado Springs Arts Center and the San Francisco Art Institute on fellowships. In 1957 the artist settled in Santa Fe. She bought property on Canyon Road and built an adobe house and studio. It took time for Lippincott's art to be accepted by critics in Santa Fe. Lippincott herself explains that, "After The war, I came out here, and NO ONE was doing any modern painting. Here I came with my screwball ideas and shook everybody up." Eventually Lippincott won over the critics in Santa Fe. She has had numerous show around the country and internationally. Lippincott works with a wide range of media. She was one of the first artists to create lithographs at the Tamarind Institute. In 2002, Lippincott is still painting and winning awards. She recently won the New Mexico Governor's Award as Artist of the Year. Source: Art-Talk, November 2002 20 1/2"H x 16 1/2"W (Sight), 14 1/2"H x 13 1/4"W (Frame)