Bay honors artist who was inspired by Escanaba | News, sports, jobs

Noah Johnson Daily Press visitors admire several works painted by Robert Addison at Bay College.

ESCANABA — Bay College hosted a celebration of a renowned artist who drew inspiration from the city of Escanaba.

Robert William Addison is considered by art historians to be the greatest realist of the 20th century, and Bay proudly owns the most extensive collection of his original work.

“This late realist painter, Robert Addison, would have been 100 years old this year, and we wanted to celebrate that,” said Kristine Granger, Bay College arts and visual arts faculty coordinator.

Granger and Matt Shaughnessy, representatives of the Robert Addison Gallery, provided insight into Addison’s history, life and work.

Addison originally made plans to become an architect, but things changed when he joined the military. Unfortunately, Addison suffered an injury that forced him into a lengthy recovery.

“During his recovery he took up painting, and the Red Cross sponsored an exhibition of his work, and every painting was sold, and he decided to pursue a career in art,” Granger explained.

This began Addison’s journey towards a career as an illustrator, as he now possessed the confidence to pursue art.

Addison took his talents to the School of the Art Institute in Chicago, where he further honed his skills.

The school is also where he met the love of his life, Betsy Wickman Addison, who introduced him to a new source of inspiration, Escanaba.

Betsy lived in Escanaba, where Addison eventually moved after they married in 1950.

Addison enjoyed painting pictures of different buildings, streets and even trees in Escanaba.

He took what he saw on a particular street and turned it into masterpieces. He painted images of what the area looked like at the time, including South 9th and 5th Avenue South, the corners of South 7th Street and 4th Avenue South, and the corners of 6th Avenue South and 9th South Street, among others.

Addison used multiple mediums during his career, but oil, egg tempura and acrylic were his best.

Granger said Addison was a master of his craft and excelled at demonstrating the use of light and shadow.

“He shows us these incredibly beautiful buildings filled with the filigree of light, but to show us beauty in something that is broken is also something very amazing that we can achieve from him,” she said.

Originally from Boise, Idaho, Addison found solace in the small town aesthetic of Escanaba after spending time in the big city of Chicago.

‘He missed that a bit, the simplicity of home. And I think you can see that in his paintings, kind of taking a break to see the beauty of light and shadow. Granger said.

After the presentation, two reproductions of Addison’s work were auctioned, with proceeds going to a trip to Chicago for Bay art club students.

Guests were then treated to a reception with food and a birthday cake in honor of Addison’s 100th birthday. They were also allowed to view various pieces of his work in the gallery.

Those who want to view Addison’s work but cannot make it to the Bay can visit robertaddisongallery.com.

Shaughnessy curated the site and it contains a digital collection of Addison’s work, biographical works and other relevant information.

“I want to thank the community for coming to this event and then (I’m) grateful to Matt Shaughnessy for coming to Escanaba today to participate in this celebration and be here (to) tell stories to the community members and then to thank those who purchased our work that we auctioned for the art club students,” Granger said.