More Fun with Pleissner

A few months ago, I wrote about a new Pleissner exhibition I’ve been working on, which would feature his watercolor landscapes. 

Burnside, undated, watercolor on paper. ©Ogden M. Pleissner

Pebble Beach Golf Course, ca. 1950-1965, watercolor on paper.
©Ogden M. Pleissner

These are two of the paintings I decided to include in my exhibit.

A lot has happened since I first looked at these paintings, so today I’d like to catch up with you about it.  

Once I had finalized the selection, I needed to come up with a title for the show. After trying out a few different combinations, I settled on Ogden Pleissner, Landscape Painter. I liked it because it was simple yet descriptive, telling visitors what they can expect to see without giving everything away.

With the title taken care of, I then turned my attention to getting the pictures ready for hanging. Since a lot of the watercolors I had picked were unframed, I needed to have new frames built for them.  Suzy, one of our exhibits preparators, set up a frame shop in the middle of the gallery so that she could hang and frame in the same convenient location. 

Suzy's framing tables

While the pieces were being framed, I created the actual layout of the show. Pleissner rarely dated his works, so I organized the paintings thematically rather than chronologically. One wall focused on water scenes, for instance, while another highlighted forested landscapes. Once I was happy with the layout, I had Suzy hang the show for me.

The west wall of the gallery features rivers, lakes, and other water-oriented scenes.

The south wall focuses on trees.

While the show was being hung, I finished writing my labels, and had them proofread by our librarian and archivist, Polly. Once I was satisfied with the labels, Suzy had them printed and installed them next to their respective pieces.

The completed show

There you have it! With the help of Suzy, Polly, and the rest of the curatorial staff, I’ve been able to take my admiration for Pleissner’s watercolors and turn it into a new exhibition for the Museum.

Ogden Pleissner, Landscape Painter opens May 12, 2013 and runs through October, 27 in Pleissner Gallery. So be sure to check it out if you get a chance to visit this summer.