Paul Crostwaite

Paul Crosthwaite was a modernist painter who first studied at the Art Students League in New York. While there, he met painter John Sharp, who became his life-long companion. Attracted by the area's reputation of painting, the two moved to New Hope in 1934. Both men soon found success capturing the area's historic buildings in their paintings. These works, simple renderings infused with rich color, earned Crosthwaite wide recognition including a Hallmark prize, a Saturday Evening Post cover, and excellent reviews. His oil paintings, rendered with great detail and attention to composition and design, often have a romantic, surreal quality. A thread of mysticism runs through them, whether the subject is a landscape, floral composition, or still life. Crosthwaite also played a role in the founding of the Bucks County Playhouse.

Education and Training
Art Students League, New York, New York

Teachers and Influences
Studied with Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Raphael Soyer, Morris Kantor, John Sloan

Connection to Bucks County
Paul Crosthwaite lived in New Hope from 1934 to 1954, where he taught, painted, and exhibited. He shared an apartment in the Solebury Bank Building with John Sharp, whom he had met when they were both students at the Art Students League in New York. Their apartment and a summer house located north of Lumberville was a mecca for those interested in the arts. Crosthwaite and Sharp moved to Florida in the mid 1950s but continued to exhibit in Bucks County.

Colleagues and Affiliations
Crosthwaite was affiliated with John Sharp, his lifetime companion, and William Cotton. Crosthwaite was active in founding the Bucks County Playhouse.

Major Solo Exhibitions
Crosthwaite exhibited at Milch Galleries in New York, as well as in New Hope, Pennsylvania; Princeton, New Jersey; and Ardmore, Pennsylvania.

Major Group Exhibitions
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1953
The Late Years: Paintings of Paul Crosthwaite and John Sharp, Richard Stuart Gallery, Pipersville, Pennsylvania, 1982

Teaching and Professional Appointments
Art Instructor, New Hope, Pennsylvania

Major Awards
Four Arts Gallery Palm Beach Award, 1956