ERNEST W. SPRING (1919-1985)

Ernest W. Spring, a native of Zanesville, Ohio, attended the Cincinnati Art Academy and the Cranbrook Art Academy, Bloomfield, Michigan. In 1955 he studied with nationally known watercolorist Eliot O'Hara in Maine and since then has continued with such well known watercolorists as Rex Brandt, George Post and Robert E. Wood, all on the West Coast.

Mr. Spring was director of the Art Department at Macomber High School when it opened in 1938 until he retired in 1968. He conducts classes at Toledo Artists' Club and on location during the summer and fall. He has been exhibiting in area and regional shows for some forty years. He is the recipient of numerous awards and medals which includes: Purchase Award, Toledo Area Artists Exhibition, 1969, Gold Medal, Gold Medal Show, 1971. He received the Toledo Federation of Art Societies Special Award for Outstanding Service at the 53rd Toledo Area Artists Exhibition, 1971, and Gold Medal in 1973 and 1976.

He has had two one-man shows at the Toledo Museum of Art and his work has been exhibited in the U.S. foreign embassies. Many of his paintings are in public and private collections.

Mr. Spring was past president of the Federation of Art Societies and Northwestern Ohio Watercolor Society. He is a charter and life member of the Toledo Artists' Club.