Painting from a family brush

Paul Clinton

Long Beach may be home, but it has been Newport Beach, at least of

late, that has helped me better understand an important element of my

family heritage.

On May 17, the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum premiered an exhibit

about maritime painter Joe Duncan Gleason.

Gleason, who is called a “true renaissance man” on the exhibit’s

opening placard for his painting, musical gifts and athletic

accomplishments, is my great-grandfather.

I can say, somewhat uncomfortably, that before this exhibit, only

splinters of light had entered the dark cave of my understanding --

to borrow from Plato -- of this man. I had only seen a handful of his

ship paintings on the walls of my grandmother’s home.

Museum curator Marcus De Chevrieux teases the exhibit -- called

“Joe Duncan Gleason, Rediscovering California’s Marine Art Master” --

by placing a few of Gleason’s paintings on the rounded wall leading

up to the museum’s upstairs hall. They’re only nuggets of the gold

mine to come.

A trip through the exhibit bears out the hefty opening billing, as

Gleason’s multiple skills are revealed. One display case, toward the

back, holds his 11 national titles on the Flying Rings, photos of

Gleason and other athletic memorabilia.

A second case shows his commercial paintings, on the sides of old

orange and lemon crates, in which he incorporated his wife, Dorothy

(with various hair colors) as a romantic gesture.

Up front, a long case shows Gleason’s maritime sketches for a

number of national magazines. On a far wall, Gleason’s work in

Hollywood, as a storyboard and sketch artist, shows that he worked in

some 20 films.

But the exhibit’s crowning achievement is the range of ship

paintings on display.

Gleason clearly saw romance in those old clipper ships; he

captures them in loving detail and rich colors -- experimenting with

impressionistic and realistic styles.

The heavy brush strokes of “The Argosies of Yesterday,” from 1930,

reminds me of some of Monet’s garden paintings. The colors are

different, though.

“Schooner Malabarl,” also from 1930, is Winslow Homer as painted

by David Hockney.

“The Homeward Bounder,” painted in 1951 and based on several

earlier paintings, highlights Gleason’s eye for nautical detail.

Overall, the paintings give a glimpse into an earlier time, when

sailing ships were used for work (to transport cargo) as well as

pleasure (to go out for a sail).

It’s an exhibit that’s perfect for the boating community in

Newport Beach and should draw solid crowds until it closes in

September.

For more information, call the museum at (949) 675-8915.

* PAUL CLINTON covers the environment, business and politics. He

may be reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail at

[email protected].