MR. OTIS APPRECIATION DAY and ART SALE SWAP
Featured on March 21, 2004
WHO IS MR. OTIS AND WHY IS HE BEING APPRECIATED?
Mr. Otis, also known as Stewart H. Holbrook, lived from 1893 to 1964, much of it in Portland, Oregon. Holbrook was a lumberjack, writer, and a self-proclaimed "low-brow" historian. His writings focused on the railroads, timber industry, and eccentric people of Washington, Oregon and Idaho. He wrote for the Portland Oregonian for over thirty years, and authored dozens of books. His first, written in 1938, was "Holy Old Mackinaw: A Natural History of the American Lumberjack." He wrote an average of one book each year, with his last, "The Columbia River," published in 1965. During his heyday, Stewart Holbrook was the best-known personality in the Pacific Northwest.
Mr. Holbrook also produced a number of rather "unique" paintings under different pseudonyms, the most infamous being "Mr. Otis." Random House published a color-plate collection of his paintings titled "Mr. Otis," which included irreverent and doubtful background information about the artist and a fawning critique of each painting. The author of the book was Mr. Holbrook, who else?
"There could be some pretty bad art," says Rose Jade, host of the event. "So buyers and viewers should beware. We suggest you bring sunglasses and a sense of humor."
Additional information about Stewart Holbrook can be found at www.intangible.org/Features/otis
http://www.ochcom.org/holbrook.html.