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Famous Artist Course

Posted on August 12, 2012December 13, 2015 By Ann Thompson

There are four Geezers, that I know of, who completed the (orig­inal) Famous Artist Course. Norm Nicholson, Dick Moore, Gregory Atwood and myself (Ann Thompson). There may be more of us…who took advan­tage of this corre­spon­dence course…maybe we will hear from them.

This from Norm, first refer­ring to ADASF and then the Famous Artist Course: Now this may give my age away. Yes, I remember the Art Direc­tors and Artists Club on Clay St. I was just discharged from the Navy in 1954 as the Korean War wound down. Max Land­phere bless his soul hired me as a starting illus­trator in 1954. I only had my Navy uniform as I showed up for an inter­view, with a batch of draw­ings, prob­ably pictures of Navy ships and sailors. Max asked me on a couple of occa­sions to tend bar at the ADASF club during several evening events. Better than swabing decks or chip­ping paint on a Destroyer.

The other memory of the club was in the winter of 1956. I was awarded the Famous Artists Course from West­port Connecticut in a state wide compe­ti­tion. The presen­ta­tion was made by noted illus­trator Al Parker who had just recently relo­cated to Carmel Valley from Connecticut. The summer of ​’56, I was accepted into the illus­tra­tion program at Art Center College. I used that much appre­ci­ated award from the club as those books and course became back up mate­rial for me at Art Center until I graduated.
Ah! memo­ries / Norm Nicholson

I started FA when I was still in the navy, also on a destroyer, for my first two years, also discharged in ​’54. Continued FA during a two year stay in Okla­homa and a 2 1⁄2 year stint in Albu­querque. Then onto SF. Hired on with Patterson and Hall in 1959 for a two week stay till the summer slump hit and then it was hit the pave­ment until Fred Meinke and I met and it’s all history after that. I gave my FA books away during my hippie days.

Dick Moore


When I was a Junior at Santa Rosa High School
…I took the drawing test, when you answered FA maga­zine ad. When the salesman visited the house, I figured that I was on my way to a big career. Mom, my sister (one year older)…and I enjoyed the pitch and thought the corre­spon­dence school a great idea.

My sister, then, became more interested…(we had always competed in our art…she concen­trating on drawing pretty girls and fashion…and I had the corner on cartoons). I don’t remember how the oppor­tu­nity for the course…slipped away from me, but my sister got signed up for it. I guessed that since my sister was then a Senior about to leave school, my mother thought that she should have ​“first choice”. It had been my idea, but she got it.

As time would tell… we moved to West­lake, Daly City that summer and my sister signed up with San Fran­cisco State College. She had completed a couple of the FA lessons and began losing interest or was deep into her college studies. I had seen all of the books…and I still wanted to go through the assign­ments. Finally, with an addi­tional fee.…I got it all in my name. I took the lessons while in my senior year, a great advan­tage in that high school offered only one class of painting and sculpture…nothing in the graphic arts.

I still have the books!

Here are my books, and photos, of we three FA Alumni. Norm’s photo…pre 1954…(FA student from 1956). Dick and I as FA students…1951 and 1959.

Ann

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