Frederick William Lawrence
Encyclopedia
Frederick William Lawrence (1890-??) was a Canadian
/American
airbrush
painter
, and probably the father of realistic spray painting
.
Formerly an officer of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
(RCMP), he served with the Canadian Army in World War I
, where he was severely wounded. After months of hospitalisation, he was shipped home to Canada. Once he fully recovered, he moved to Michigan
, where he worked for Pontiac Motor Company, where he learned to finish cars and to operate a Duco
spray gun.
Around 1930, he moved to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
, where he worked as an auto body refinisher, and began to experiment with painting pictures using the spray gun during breaks.
As he honed his skills, he was featured in various science magazines and on Ripley's Believe It Or Not. Lawrence began giving performances at automobile shows, spray painting realistic portrait
s and landscape
s in less than an hour. As more airbrush artists began copying his techniques, however, the novelty of his work began to fade, and by World War II
, Lawrence was one of thousands of commercial airbrush artists, and died in relative obscurity.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
/American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
airbrush
Airbrush
An airbrush is a small, air-operated tool that sprays various media including ink and dye, but most often paint by a process of nebulization. Spray guns developed from the airbrush and are still considered a type of airbrush.-History:...
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, and probably the father of realistic spray painting
Spray painting
Spray painting is a painting technique where a device sprays a coating through the air onto a surface. The most common types employ compressed gas—usually air—to atomize and direct the paint particles. Spray guns evolved from airbrushes, and the two are usually distinguished by their size and the...
.
Formerly an officer of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
(RCMP), he served with the Canadian Army in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, where he was severely wounded. After months of hospitalisation, he was shipped home to Canada. Once he fully recovered, he moved to Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, where he worked for Pontiac Motor Company, where he learned to finish cars and to operate a Duco
Duco
Duco was a trade name assigned to a product line of automotive lacquer developed by the DuPont Company in the 1920s. Under the Duco brand, DuPont introduced the first quick drying multi-color line of nitrocellulose lacquers made especially for the automotive industry...
spray gun.
Around 1930, he moved to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
, where he worked as an auto body refinisher, and began to experiment with painting pictures using the spray gun during breaks.
As he honed his skills, he was featured in various science magazines and on Ripley's Believe It Or Not. Lawrence began giving performances at automobile shows, spray painting realistic portrait
Portrait
thumb|250px|right|Portrait of [[Thomas Jefferson]] by [[Rembrandt Peale]], 1805. [[New-York Historical Society]].A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness,...
s and landscape
Landscape art
Landscape art is a term that covers the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, and especially art where the main subject is a wide view, with its elements arranged into a coherent composition. In other works landscape backgrounds for figures can still...
s in less than an hour. As more airbrush artists began copying his techniques, however, the novelty of his work began to fade, and by World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Lawrence was one of thousands of commercial airbrush artists, and died in relative obscurity.