Sea Gull Figure
c. 1937
Medium
watercolor, graphite, and gouache on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 22.3 x 27.9 cm (8 3/4 x 11 in.) Original IAD Object: 8 3/4" high; 14 1/4" wide
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.8720
Art Historical Context
Mina Lowry's *Sea Gull Figure* (c. 1937) is a delicate yet vivid rendering of an American folk art carving, in watercolor, graphite, andache on paperboard. 22.3 x 27.9 cm, this intimate work showcases a whimsical sea gull, likely a wooden nautical motif popular in coastal American decorative traditions. Lowry's skilled use of mixed media brings the figure to life: soft watercolors evoke the bird's feathered texture and seaside hues, graphite provides precise line work for anatomical details, and gouache adds bold, opaque highlights for dimension and vibrancy. Created as part of the Index of A...
About the Artist
Mina Lowry
Mina Lowry (1894–1942), an American artist born in Canada, emerged as a prominent portrait painter whose career bridged traditional portraiture and the documentation of American folk art. Immigrating to Buffalo, New York, with her family around 1901, she honed her skills early on, winning first prize for modeling at the Albright Art School and studying under the esteemed Florence J. Bach. Lowry fu...