C. Carey Cloud » Articles » Cloud's Paintings Jump At Viewer

Cloud's Paintings Jump At Viewer      by Wayne Guthrie      Indianapolis News      September ?, 1975 Folks who view the fourth annual one-man show at the Brown County Art Gallery in Nashville Sept. 1 through 21 by C. Carey Cloud of that art colony are in for a treat. The gallery is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week. Because of their near-microscopic detail and sharpness, Cloud's works fairly jump out at the viewer with what he terms a "realism In depth" that produces almost a third dimension. Painted in acrylic and then glazed, the 17 paintings he will show depict a wide range of subjects, chiefly rural scenery that is restful, quiet, calm and folksy, yet precise. For example, one of the 17 works takes an ordinary breaking plow and almost breathes life into it, reflecting the fact that America's development was due in part to the efforts of ordinary people who conquered the sod with that common turning implement, thus assisting this nation to take root and grow along with the first crops of wheat and corn. Speaking of Cloud's works, Dr. Karl Bookwalter of Indiana University once put it thus: "He breathes humanity in seemingly unimportant detail and makes his subjects come alive. He has the rare ability to raise humble scenes to heights of grandeur. He approaches his subjects in an extremely personal way; he thoroughly explores everything that enters his pictures, whether it's a broken weed or a bent and rusted nail. "He paints a feeling of dimension through his talent for wood carving which be has abandoned for his painting. He is identified with no school of painting. He is self taught. He pays little attention to the 'isms' in art or the popular forms and accepted concepts; he paints entirely to please himself and has found the public receptive to his way." It is no wonder Cloud gets inspiration daily and constantly. It is only natural — he couldn't escape it if he wished. From his log cabin studio, nestled in the woods atop what the natives have called Town Hill for as long as the oldest can recall, he has an unmatched view of Peaceful Valley below and the little town of Nashville to the north. The artist himself is almost as fascinating as his work. Born on a Wells County farm 4 miles south of Warren, Huntington County, he taught himself art. Following World War I he was a Cleveland newspaperman. Then he moved to Chicago where through the years he designed greeting cards and children's books, did some illustrating for magazines and worked as art director for a publisher. Then came a period that was to have a lasting impact on his life ai career. In the 1940s he patented children's toys that were sold by the millions throughout the United States, including almost every chain store. Before moving to Brown County in 1948 for permanent residence and to get more time for painting, he spent a quarter of a century designing and producing millions of toys that were contained in boxes of Cracker Jack. Even his removal to Brown County did not stop that because he continued that designing and production until 1964 when he turned his full time and attention to painting.