FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Re: Coronado Museum Exhibit
Contact: Joe Ditler
619.435.7242

GENERATIONS:
A FAMILY'S LEGACY THROUGH ART
New Exhibit at Coronado Museum

CORONADO -- She painted portraits of Admirals, Medal of Honor winners, and other personalities of her era. Her paintings received international acclaim. But Mary McCartin is best known for painting portraits of service children as gifts for their parents during WWII.

The Coronado Museum of History & Art held a major exhibit, "Generations: A Family's Legacy Through Art," that ran from January 18, 2006 through Feb. 23, 2006. The exhibit was based on the work of Mary McCartin and William Dana Parish.

"Generations" was presented in French Salon-style, with portraits, landscape paintings, and pencil sketches gathered together to illustrate the profound degree of talent demonstrated by this unusual Coronado family.

A graduate of Rhode Island School of Design (class of 1917), Mary McCartin attributed much of her talent to the teachings of her father, who became a San Diego resident in his later years.

Parish, a fine classical painter, studied in New York at the Arts Students League and at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. He was a pupil of John Singer Sargent and William Chase, and spent two years in Paris working under Benjamin Constant.

"This exhibit was very special in that you can see the world through their eyes," said Ann Patterson, who still resides in her mother's house on Coronado. "My mother and grandfather had a very wonderful relationship, and their love for each other is evident throughout their paintings."

A featured painting on view in the exhibit was an early portrait Mary did of her father, alongside a self-painted portrait of Parish. Both paintings were entered in the National Museum in Washington, D.C., where they received special awards and critical acclaim in 1937.

Mary spent two years in Annapolis, and during this time painted numerous personalities which included the Ambassador of Argentina's wife, a hero of the American Indian wars, and two Congressional Medal of Honor winners (many of these were featured in the show)."

Her 1935 portrait of Admiral Ernest J. King, then Commanding Officer of North Island Naval Air Station, launched her career when he became Chief of Naval Operations during WWII. Once the Admiral had his painting crated and shipped from Washington D.C. to Coronado so that Mary could add his new stripes and medals.

At Christmas time Mary worked night and day to paint portraits of service children to send to their parents. Her vivacious personality and youthful charm kept children at ease during the often-long sittings, and brought out the best of their youthfulness and innocence.

"Generations" captures a friendlier time, a slower time. The father-daughter painters created scenes of people and places that stirred their emotions, and their work will have no less effect on today's audience.

An exhibit opening for "Generations" was held Friday, January 27. The McCartin-Patterson family were present to talk about the stories behind the paintings.

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