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Welcome to the Weather Hill Farm Blog, an informal space for discussions related to many of the aspects of the life and work of Eric Sloane. I have posted a series of videos first because they serve to provide an overview of some general topics related to the life and work of Eric Sloane. Scroll down past the list of links to the videos and you’ll find posts and articles related the life and work of Eric Sloane, his art, his writing, as well as updates on happenings at the Eric Sloane Museum, work performed by The Friends of the Eric Sloane Museum, and even life as it unfolds at Weather Hill Farm.

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Eric Sloane – A Video Introduction – an introduction to the artist

Eric Sloane – His Early Years – a video covering Eric’s childhood and adolescence

Eric Sloane Frames – A video introduction to the types of frames Eric Sloane used over the course of his career

Did Eric Sloane Paint on Canvas? Eric Sloane is noted for his use of Masonite, but the artist did use canvas board and even canvas early in his career.

The Friends of the Eric Sloane Museum – See what the friends are doing to help fulfill their mission to “…assist in the preservation and interpretation of the Eric Sloane Museum and its collections, to encourage and promote visitation, and to enhance public appreciation for the legacy of artist and author Eric Sloane”.

The latest from our friends at the Eric Sloane Appreciation Society

Eric Sloane (1905-1985) was an American fine artist, illustrator, and author. He is perhaps best known for his lavishly illustrated books on early American life and culture as much as for his paintings of rural America. No matter the subject matter – airplanes, the barns and stone fences of his beloved New England countryside, or the pueblos of New Mexico (for Eric painted them all) – it was always the sky and clouds that were the real subject matter for this self-taught artist. Sloane’s earliest years read like a Horatio Alger piece – born in New York City to wealthy parents who both died when Eric was young, leaving him with a million-dollar inheritance lost subsequently in the Great Depression. He flew with Wiley Post, sold his first “cloudscape” (a term he coined) to Amelia Earhart, created the Hall of Atmosphere for the American Museum of Natural History, and (at age of 71) was asked to paint a 58’ x 75’ mural for the entrance of the soon-to-be-unveiled Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. He worked incredibly hard, becoming an internationally recognized fine artist and best-selling author, all within his lifetime – much of his work devoted to encouraging people to look at the sky.

Very grateful that the state of Connecticut’s Department of Economic and Community Development saw fit to hire Andrew Rowand to be the literal face and spirit of the Eric Sloane Museum. Andrew has worked tirelessly to make the museum a premier destination for visitors to the Kent and Northwestern Connecticut areas. I was able to experience first-hand Andrew’s engagement with museum visitors – his knowledge and enthusiasm makes him an incredible asset to the state.

Also happy to donate a printing block of one of Eric Sloane’s pen and ink illustrations – the one I had was one that the museum did not. With my gratitude to Randy Castellini, a true gentleman and Sloane fan who helped to make this all possible.

Looking forward to the weeks, months, and years to come at the Eric Sloane Museum under Andrew’s leadership. I have no doubt that the visitor experience will be better than ever!

Eric Sloane and ‘Silver City’ of Meriden, Connecticut

Over the course of his career, Eric Sloane painted many murals. Quite a few were in private homes, many others were in corporate settings. This photograph was taken by Wil Mauch in 1999/2000 of a Sloane mural in the headquarters of the now defunct International Silver Company in Meriden, Connecticut. Photos from Wil Mauch’s Aware: A Retrospective of the Life and Work of Eric Sloane.

Eric Sloane and the Noah Blake cabin fundraiser

This interesting item was printed with the wrong street location for the event, we are sure much to the ire of Eric Sloane. A detail that it revealed, unknown by most, was that the money raised for the construction of the cabin was as a direct result of Eric Sloane having donated many pieces from his personal collection of antiques and tools, as well as at least one painting.