Eric Bransby

Eric Bransby (born October 25, 1916)[1] is an artist and muralist born in Auburn, New York. He studied and made murals in Colorado Springs, Colorado, including several at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center.

Bransby taught at Yale University, Brigham Young University and University of Missouri-Kansas City. His wife, Mary Ann, was an accomplished artist and educator.

Early years and personal life

Eric James Bransby was born in 1916[2] in Auburn, New York to Lillian Holland Dowsett Bransby and Charles Carson Bransby. His father was born in Manchester, England, raised in Scotland and was a preacher. His mother was born in New Zealand and raised in London, England.[3]

Eric Bransby was raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and then in Council Bluffs, Iowa.[3]

Bransby was married for nearly 70 years to Mary Ann, until her death in August, 2011.[4][5] Mary Ann Hemmie, daughter of Joe and Lillian Hemmie was an artist and educator. Mary Ann attended the Kansas City Art Institute on a scholarship and studied silversmithing. She studied and mastered watercolor painting under Thomas Hart Benton. Two weeks before the Pearl Harbor Attack in December 1941, Mary Ann married Eric Bransby, who was a fellow student. Their daughter, Fredericka was born in June, 1943. Their daughter developed asthma and the family returned to Colorado Springs for a more favorable climate for Fredericka.[6][nb 1]

Education

During the Great Depression, Bransby studied under Thomas Hart Benton in Kansas City.[2][4] He created his first mural for the Works Progress Administration in Kansas City, Kansas. After World War II, Bransby continued his studies on the G.I. Bill. He studied at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center School.[4][5][nb 2] His wife also studied at the school. Both of them were students of Boardman Robinson.[2][4][4][5][6] and then Eric was a studen of Jean Charlot, who helped him finish the thesis for Colorado College and paint the college's Cossitt Hall domed ceiling in 1947.[5] Aside from his teachers and himself, other key muralists at Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center the during the New Deal era included Archie Musick, Ethel Magafan, Randall Davey, George Biddle, and Edgar Britton.[4]

In 1952 he studied at Yale under abstract colorist Josef Albers.[2]

World War II

Bransby served as a soldier in the Army during World War II.[4][6] His wife designed parts and die forms for B-52 bombers.[6]

Career

Bransby taught at Yale University and at Brigham Young University beginning 1956. His wife also taught at Brigham Young University. Eric taught at the University of Missouri in Kansas City, starting in 1965.[6] He has been a teacher to Trevor Thomas, who is creating a mural for the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center.[5]

Works

Publications

The following are publications by or about Bransby:

Notes

  1. Mary Ann also studied at Yale University and the University of Illinois at Urbana. She completed her bachelor's and master's degree at University of Missouri in Kansas City. She taught at Donnelly College and University of Missouri at Kansas City, where she taught at the graduate level. She "initiated" a program called "Choreographing the Object" that was a fusion of music, dance and art. Performances were conducted in the Midwest, an annual meeting of the College Art Association, and on the television program Good Morning America. In Colorado Springs, following retirement, Mary Ann founded the Chromatic Edge and The Pikes Peak Watercolor Society.[6]
  2. A Press Release issued by the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center stated that Bransby studied at the center from 1938-1940,[5] but he studied in Kansas during this time period.[6]

References

  1. "Sedalia". katytrail.net. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 "Eric Bransby: The History of Navigation". Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  3. 3.0 3.1 William Underwood Eiland. "Eric Bransby: Draftsman and Muralist". Resource Library Magazine, Traditional Fine Arts Organization, Inc. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 "Eric Bransby Mural - Resilience". Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 "Press Release - Update on the 75 th Anniversary mural created by local art legend". Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 "Mary Ann Bransby Obituary". The Gazette. August 28, 2011. Retrieved June 1, 2013.