287760065

Some of Pablo's Art:
Artist, Paul “Pablo” Edwards, was Chairman of the Art
Department of Washington & Jefferson College for 31 years,
a local cultural champion, and author of: The Life and Work
of Malcolm Parcell.
Edwards was born in Moulton, Iowa, on February 18, 1934,
the ninth of ten children of Elsie Burgess and Otis Edwards.
Otis was a taylor who bought the local pool hall.
As soon as he could walk, Pablo was taught to shoot pool,
and worked at the hall, standing on a crate to play any
customers who came in alone. His skills sharpened quickly,
since he had to shoot a challenging enough game to entertain
the customers, or they'd lose business and he'd be in trouble
with his father.
Intensely interested in art, and having an off-beat sense of
humor, young Edwards considered a career as a cartoonist,
his style being similar to The Far Side. After graduating
from Moulton High School, Edwards went on to study at
Iowa Wesleyan College. However, to his dismay, he was
informed upon entrance that an error had been made: he was not qualified to be a college student.
On academic probation, a fiercely determined Edwards, had to
hustle to read all the required books just to catch up to
college levels. After sifting through volume upon volume, he
managed to fulfill the requirements, and was allowed to stay
in school. He graduated, and went on to study at the
University of Iowa, and Wichita State University, where he
earned his Master’s Degree in Art, graduating in 1958.
He then taught in Wichita Public Schools and evening classes
at Wichita State University.
In Wichita, Edwards was a founding member of the acclaimed
IndeX gallery, the Bottega, and Gallery 319, where he had his studio. He was also elected to serve as president and Vice President of the Wichita Artists Guild.
Around 1959, Pablo was introduced to Carlana Sue Rhoten,
an intelligent, excentric young beauty, who snuck Chekov
and Dosteyevsky novels into her school books. A traffic
stopper on any day, she was known for walking a giant,
flop-eared, white rabbit down the street on a leash.
When she was not waitressing at the greek diner, or
on rollerskates at the burger-hop, she posed as a
photographers model.
Edwards and his fellow artists would take Carlana's brother,
Roger Rhoten, on their trips to Mexico, where he was dubbed
"El Niño." Around Wichita, Pablo and El Niño, would hustle
pool to earn extra cash. They would go into bars separately,
pretending not know each other, but team up to shoot. On
occasion, they won large enough takes that they had to beat
a hasty retreat.
Pablo married Carlana in 1961, and had they three children.
Carlana later earned her Master's Degree in Playwriting at
Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
Edwards and family, left Wichita in 1963 to move to West
Virginia, where he had accepted a job teaching at West
Liberty State College.
In 1966, Edwards moved his family again, to Washington, Pa.,
where he served for the next thirty-one years as a professor
and chairman of the Art Department at Washington & Jefferson
College. There, Edwards created W & J College’s prestigious
National Painting Show, which brought in entries from artists
across the U.S.
A founding member of the notorious Washington Art Club; Pablo
was elected President of the Arts Council of Washington
County; a Charter Member of the Malcolm Parcell Foundation
Board of Directors; and a member of various other
associations, including the American Association of
University Professors; the American Institute of
Conservation and Restoration; the Artist’s Co-op;
and the Washington County Historical Society.
Known affectionately by friends as a “Walking Encyclopedia,”
Edwards’ eclecticism was displayed in publication by his
listing in the International Directory of Naturalists, Who’s
Who in the East, and Who’s Who in American Art.
Known primarily for abstract painting, Edwards style shifted
in the '70's to pop, where he combined two favorite themes:
nudes and pool tables. His art won awards in numerous
shows as he held over 17 one-man shows spanning five
decades. His work also become part of several permanent
gallery collections.
In addition to creating his own art, Edwards was an art
restorationist and conservator of art for three decades.
[This was a dramatic departure for a man who once told
students that all art over 50 years old, should be burned!]
After divorcing Carlana in 1972, Pablo second married Marcia
Lois Smith, in 1976, with whom he had his fourth child.
Marcia was a graduate of W & J College, with a degree
in Art Education. They divorced in 1980.
At W & J College, Edwards was instrumental in planning the
Olin Fine Arts Center in 1982, and served as its gallery
curator, from its opening to his retirement in 1997, when
the college awarded him an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts.
In addition to being a pool shark, Pablo was a bug collector,
and an avid fisherman, as well as a family genealogist and
Civil War buff.
He spent over ten years researching, writing, and cataloging:
The Life and Work of Malcolm Parcell, A Catalogue Raisonne,
which was published by the Washington County Historical
Society in 2002. The book was a tribute his friend Malcolm.
Paul “Pablo” Edwards, passed away in Washington, Pa., four
days after being diagnosed with advanced lung cancer, on
July 9, 2005.
The Life and Work of Malcolm Parcell,
by Paul Burgess Edwards, 2002
Available for sale at:
The Washington County Historical Society

http://www.wchspa.org/html/house.htm
and
Countryside Prints

http://www.countrysideprints.com/