The Chromatic Weave of Nature
- tatedecaro
- 4 hours ago
- 7 min read
This past year our family donated about 250 of my grandfather David Mudgett's paintings, drawings, sketches, and sketchbooks to the Dyer Arts Center at RIT/NTID - for display and study by RIT/NTID students, faculty, and the general public. We then worked with the Dyer team to curate an exhibit of his work. The show, called The Chromatic Weave of Nature, displays over 85 paintings, and will be up until mid-March.
For those that are unable to travel to Rochester to see it, I've compiled photos from the exhibit, along with the stories that go alongside some of the paintings (click on individual photos for a closer look!).
Curatorial Statement:
David Elmer Mudgett (1909-1991) was born to a hearing family in Wisconsin; at 7 years old he lost his hearing due to spinal meningitis. While in the hospital he read a full encyclopedia set and, after recovering, he transferred to the Illinois School for the Deaf (ISD), where he would graduate at age 15. David went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from Gallaudet University in 1929, followed by a master’s degree from the University of Illinois. He then returned to ISD where he taught math, science, and reading for 45 years, alongside his wife, Grace L. Davis. David was an active part of the Deaf community, serving in leadership roles on many committees for special and Deaf education, locally and at Gallaudet. He received many accolades for his service to the community and was elected into ISD’s Alumni Hall of Fame.
While the exact moment David took up painting is unknown, his artistic output flourished from the mid-1940s through the 1960s. Largely self-taught, he primarily worked with watercolors, but also explored oils, pen and ink, pastels, and charcoal. His work was exhibited in Washington, D.C. and Rochester, NY, and was prominently featured in NTID’s 2022 exhibition Shaped by the American Dream: Deaf History through Deaf Art.
An enthusiastic traveler, David visited almost every state - on his own or with his family - from Maine to Hawaii, and beyond, into Canada, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and further abroad. Ever the artist, he brought along his paints, brushes, and portfolio, capturing the beauty he encountered along the way. This exhibit highlights the chromatic visions David was able to reproduce while on these travels; featuring bewitching bodies of water, exquisite homes, alluring mountains, magnificent forests, picturesque cityscapes, delicate still lifes, and intimate portraits.
The Mudgett-DeCaro family – David & Grace’s daughter, Patricia Mudgett-DeCaro (NTID retiree, 46 years), her husband James J. DeCaro (NTID retiree, 47 years), and their children Jason and Tate DeCaro – have gifted over 200 individual paintings, sketches, and sketchbooks of David Mudgett’s to the Dyer Arts Center for display and study.
Waterways
Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada:
My parents and I rented a boat on Lake Louise, rowed across the lake, and moored along the shore so we could go hiking. After a long hike, we returned to find our boat missing. We started the long trek to walk back around the lake, but after a little while we saw a man rowing towards us - in our boat! Turns out his friend had broken a leg while hiking, and he used the boat to bring the friend back. Thankfully, he returned to find us and return it. - Pat DeCaro
Trunk Bay, Virgin Islands:
My family and I visited the Virgin Islands together in 1962 - one of our many summer trips abroad. Once, when we were swimming in one of the bays, my parents began to drift too far out, near the coral reefs. My father wasn't the strongest swimmer, so he was really panicking. Having been a life guard, I swam out and hauled him back to shore. When we got close enough to touch the bottom he jumped up and ran to the shore - stepping on painful sea urchins the whole way! - Pat DeCaro
Camping along the St. Lawrence River:
My family spent many summers camping all across the U.S. When we arrived at a camp site, my job, as the CODA, was to go around to all the other campers and find out where they were from, what news they had to share, etc. I would also go find the park ranger and talk with him, before reporting back to my parents. (I believe this was the start of what would become my job as a qualitative researcher!) - Pat DeCaro
Mountainous Water:
David was exacting when it came to what paintings he would sign his name to. If he was not satisfied with the painting, he refused to sign it. He also sometimes wrote notes for himself so he could attempt the painting again. Here, he wrote on the back, "concave mountain, bad square tree, distant trees too detailed." (Of course, we disagree.) - Pat & Tate DeCaro
Mountains & Forests
Grand Teton National Park, WY:
I love seeing these two drastically different paintings of the Grand Tetons side-by-side. David did mostly true-to-life nature watercolors, but he sometimes dabbled in the abstract. This is his only signed abstract painting. - Tate DeCaro
Cade's Cove, Smokey Mountains, TN:
I no longer remember where this story occurred, so let's say it was in Cade's Cove! My parents and I were on a trip, and my dad was painting the scene in front of him. My mom and I were up on a ridge, looking down from behind. Slowly, a bear lumbered into view, right behind my dad. What could we do? We couldn't yell to my dad, since he wouldn't have heard us! The bear walked by, briefly looked at my dad and his painting, and continued on his way. We wondered later if maybe the bear was unimpressed by the painting! - Pat DeCaro
Homes & Cities
Ancestral Davis Home, Austin, TX:
This is the home where my mother, Grace Davis Mudgett, grew up. She came from a long line of Deaf family members, all the way back to the Civil War. If you grew up in Deaf culture, you may have heard the story of J.J. Davis, the Deaf man in Georgia who Union soldiers thought was a spy because he would not speak to them. His life was saved by a passing officer who knew some sign. Well, that was my great grandfather! - Pat DeCaro
Wood Shop, Mudgett Home, IL:
My dad was an amateur woodworker, and spent time making all kinds of things in his wood shop, including making chairs and teaching himself how to cane (weaving chair seats with a bamboo-like vine). - Pat DeCaro
One of my fondest memories of this backyard was the time my grandfather David gave my brother Jason and I a painting lesson. We set up chairs and easels and each pained a branch with a bird perched atop it. He was well into his Alzheimer's years by then, and yet he was able to articulate the techniques he used, and his painting was beautiful. - Tate DeCaro
Ancestral Mudgett Home, NH:
The Mudgett side of my family is related to an infamous 1890's serial killer name Herman Mudgett, a.k.a. H.H. Holmes. His crimes were detailed in Erik Larson's 2003 bestseller, Devil in the White City. This is the home where Herman Mudgett grew up, in Gilmanton, NH. My husband, Jim, always used to joke that he needed to keep the sharp knives away from me, since I'm a blood relation to Herman! But don't worry, it's a very distant relationship. Herman is my 4th counsin 3x removed. - Pat DeCaro
Mudgett House, Jacksonville, IL:
This is the house where I grew up, in Jacksonville, IL. My parents built the house, with help from my mother's father, William Davis. It was a magical place, with hidden compartments in the walls, and a crawlspace in my bedroom with built-in bookshelves. Here, my dad played with colors to help decide how to paint the house. - Pat DeCaro
Nevis, MN:
My dad, along with some other Illinois School for the Deaf teacher friends, went to Nevis, MN almost every summer for a fishing trip at a friend's cabin - pictured here. - Pat DeCaro
Ferris Wheel, Jacksonville, IL:
In 1893, W.E. Sullivan visited the Chicago World's Fair (yes, also where my distant relative Herman Mudgett was committing his crimes!), where he marveled at the original Ferris Wheel. This is Sullivan’s “Big Eli” Wheel, which debuted in my hometown of Jacksonville, IL in 1900. It is still standing, and visitors can still take a ride in the summer and autumn months. - Pat DeCaro
Gallaudet - View from High Hill, MD:
This is the view from the home of my aunt and uncle, Ruth Davis Phillips (my mother Grace's sister) and Dr. Richard (Dick) Phillips. Both attended Gallaudet University, and Dick went on to serve as Dean of Students and Student Affairs. He was also the first Deaf Gallaudet alumnis to earn a doctorate in education. My parents and I spent many holidays with their family in the D.C. area. - Pat DeCaro
Portraits / Still Life / Animals
"That Cat":
This was the neighbor's cat at our home in Jacksonville, IL. My mother, Grace, hated this cat because it would sneak onto the property and chase away all the birds! When she would see it she would sign, angrily and emphatically, "That cat!" - Pat DeCaro
Vase sketches:
These three vase paintings are amongst my favorites. Of course, my grandfather would never have approved of framing and displaying these "drafts," but to me they are beautiful. I love being able to see his thought process, as he played with placement and color. - Tate DeCaro
Chemistry set:
David was a high school math teacher at the Illinois School for the Deaf, but also taught science and reading, served as scoutmaster, and founded the Drama Club. Perhaps this was a chemistry set he used at the school! - Pat & Tate DeCaro
David's Father, Ernest Mudgett:
David didn't do very many portraits, but in his sketchbooks there are many pencil drawings of his father, Ernest. He clearly wanted to get this one right. Ernest was a gardener and landscaper, who planted the trees, still standing today, that lead to the church in Zion, IL. - Pat & Tate DeCaro