Sarah Blakeslee

Sarah Blakeslee was a painter who worked primarily in oils and occasionally in watercolors. Trained in impressionism and realism, Blakeslee took a painterly approach to everyday scenes and objects, using a broad and vibrant palette, yet retaining a high degree of naturalism. Her early landscapes, which employ strong forms and impasto-like brush strokes, attest to her European study and are heavily influenced by Cezanne. Her later landscapes, still lifes, and portraits bear witness to her life in Pennsylvania and the influence of local artists like Daniel Garber. Sarah Blakeslee studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, which awarded her its traveling scholarship, enabling her to paint in Europe from 1933-1934. During her studies at the Academy, she met and married her instructor, painter Francis Speight. Blakeslee's work has been exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and Philadelphia Museum of Art, and was featured internationally at the 1939 World's Fair and Golden Gate Exhibitions.

Education and Training
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, 1926
Corcoran School of Art, Washington, D.C., 1929-1931
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1931-1934
Self-study in Europe, 1933-1934
Barnes Foundation, Merion, Pennsylvania, 1950s

Teachers and Influences
Catharine Critcher, Miss Critcher's School, Washington, D.C.
Mathilde Leisenring
Francis Speight (husband), Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Paul Cezanne

Connection to Bucks County
Sarah Blakeslee moved to Bucks County with her husband, artist Francis Speight. They resided in New Hope and on Almshouse Road in Doylestown between 1943 and 1961, continuing to teach art in Philadelphia and exhibit locally and nationally. They were close friends of the Garber family. The Speights were involved in area art events, even after moving away from Bucks County. Sarah Blakeslee now resides in Greenville, North Carolina.

Major Solo Exhibitions
Greenville Museum of Art, Greenville, North Carolina, 1937
Greenville Museum of Art, Greenville, North Carolina, 1963
Art Center, Kinston, 1965
Erdahl-Clyoyd Union, North Carolina State University, 1965
Retrospective Exhibition, Horace Williams House, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 1983
Gilliam and Peden Gallery, Raleigh, North Carolina, 1985
Peden Gallery II, Raleigh, North Carolina, 1991
Greenville Museum of Art, Greenville, North Carolina, 1993
Landscapes and Still Lifes by Sarah Blakeslee, A Retrospective Exhibition of Portraits, The Hobson Pittman Memorial Gallery, Tarboro, North Carolina, 1998

Major Group Exhibitions
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1931, 1932, 1938, 1939, 1941- 43, 1948, 1958, 1964
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, 1937
Biennial Exhibition, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1937
Golden Gate International Exhibition, San Francisco, California, 1939
New York World's Fair, 1939
National Academy of Design, New York, New York, 1941, 1944, 1948, 1958, 1963
North Carolina State Art Gallery (with Francis Speight), 1949
Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 1951
The Woodmere Art Museum, Chesnut Hill, Pennsylvania, 1956
Third Philadelphia Arts Festival, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1962
Art Center, Kinston, North Carolina, 1965
Horace Williams House, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 1983
Gilliam & Peden Gallery, Raleigh, North Carolina, 1985
Community Council for the Arts, Kinston, 1992

Major Collections
Post Office Mural, Strasburg, Virginia, 1937
National Academy of Design, New York, New York
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Hackley Art Gallery, Muskegon, Michigan
North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, North Carolina

Teaching and Professional Appointments
Art Instructor, the Lankenau School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1952
Art Instructor, Greenville, Rocky Mount and Kinston, North Carolina Art Centers
Art Instructor, Washington, D.C., Art Center

Major Awards
Cresson Traveling Scholarship, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, 1933, 1934
Mary Smith Prize, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, 1941
Charles K. Smith Award, Woodmere Art Gallery, Philadelphia, 1956
Gold Medal, Pennational Artists, Annual, Ligonier, Pennsylvania, 1960