Landacre, Paul, 1893-1963

Landacre was born in Columbus, OH in 1893; attended Ohio State Univ.; became an artist resident in Los Angeles, CA, in the 1920s; illustrated many books with his wood engravings, and he became known for his engravings of CA landscapes; instructor of wood engraving, Otis Art Institute; died in 1963.

Biography

Paul Hambleton Landacre was born in Columbus, OH, on 9 July 1893. He attended Ohio State University as a horticulture major, but a mysterious infection left him partly crippled and cut short his academic career. He moved to Southern California with his widowed father in 1916 and took work as a commercial illustrator. From 1923 to 1925 he attended Otis Art Institute, and in the latter year married Margaret McCreery. His increasing skill at wood engraving and linocut, particularly of natural and landscape subjects, was first recognized by the bookseller Jake Zeitlin. During the 30s he produced editions of single prints, and illustrations for books published mostly by local fine presses. Consistently short of money, Landacre was nevertheless able in 1932 to purchase a home on El Moran Street in Los Angeles, where he and his wife lived for the rest of their lives. He derived some income from the Landacre Association, a subscription scheme organized by his friends. Increasing commissions for book illustrations from about 1942 drew his attention away from art prints. The most notable books containing his work are California Hills (1931), The Boar and Shibboleth (1933), five books by Donald Culross Peattie (1939-53), Tales of Soldiers and Civilians (1943), De Rerum Natura (1957), and On the Origin of Species (1963; the latter three titles from the Limited Editions Club). From 1953 until his death he taught a course at Otis Art Institute. In 1963 his wife died. Four weeks later he committed suicide.

Born in Columbus, OH on July 9, 1893, Paul Landacre,while a student at Ohio State University, contracted a streptococcus infection which left him crippled for life. Upon graduation in 1916, he relocated to the milder climate of southern California. He soon began his career in a San Diego advertising agency and about 1922 settled in Los Angeles where he remained. Landacre studied at the Otis Art Institute in 1923-26, but he taught himself the demanding art of wood engraving. He soon developed a very individual refined style of fine white lines, delicate cross hatching and flecking in contrast with large dark areas. Inspired by the California landscape, he created sensual interpretations of plant and animal life in increasingly abstract designs. With the exception of a few published prints, the artist printed all of his own wood engravings. He died in 1963 in Los Angeles, CA. Landacre's finest prints are now very rare.

Biographical Source: http://www.catherineburns.com/landacre.html, 2008 and http://www.askart.com/AskART/L/paul_hambleton_landacre/paul_hambleton_landacre.aspx, 2008