A Painter’s Playful Side

The Brinton Museum showcases the children’s books of Theodore Waddell in its 18th Annual Illustrator Show.

Accomplished painter and sculptor Theodore Waddell is celebrated for his commanding impressionistic Western landscapes dotted with ranch animals and wildlife. What many might not know is that Waddell has another, more playful artistic outlet on the side—illustrating children’s books. Berner V Dr. #16, 2022, oil, graphite on paper, 20 x 26”

A collaboration with his wife, writer Lynn Campion, three of his books—and a fourth on the way—were inspired by on the couple’s beloved Bernese mountain dogs and their favorite pastimes. Another, Memories of Childhood, draws from Waddell’s experiences as a boy growing up in rural Montana during much simpler times.

Nearly 30 of Waddell’s original illustrations for these books are the subject of the Brinton Museum’s 18th annual Illustrator Show which opens February 10 and runs through April 23, in the S. K. Johnston Jr. Family Gallery. Berner III Dr. #1, 2015, oil, encaustic, graphite on paper, 20 x 26”

Waddell’s Tucker the Bernese Mountain Dog series debuted in 2006 with Tucker Gets Tuckered, which chronicles the fun-filled adventures of one playful pooch. Tucker came out of retirement in 2015 for Tucker’s Seasonal Words of Wisdom, followed by Tucker Tees Off the following year. His latest, Tucker Plays the Back Nine, is slated for release this year.

“They’re such wonderfully goofy and silly characters,” Waddell says of his dogs. “We’ve always had four and we’ve always loved them full measure. I started making drawings of them and they just morphed and expanded into these children’s books.”

But these aren’t your typical children’s books. In his latest, Waddell addresses the ironies and realities of aging both on the course and off, in humorous snippets augmented with poetry and stories by friends such as former U.S. Poet Laureate, Billy Collins and golf pro Stoney Brown.

“These books are called children’s books but adults buy them,” says Waddell, adding that he didn’t pointedly create them with young readers in mind. “I don’t distinguish between who I’m writing for. I don’t write for a particular audience. I don’t paint for a particular audience. It’s not possible for me. I just do what’s important to me and if it’s not important to me I don’t do it.”Berner V Dr. #17, 2022, oil, graphite on paper, 22 x 30”

As Waddell points out there are a lot of similarities between drawing a buffalo and a Bernese Mountain dog and there are echoes of his loose painterly style in the oil and graphite illustrations, albeit with quite a bit more color and a whole lot more dry humor.

“Theodore Waddell is one of the most important contemporary artists to come out of Montana within the last 50 years,” says Brinton Museum curator of exhibitions, Barbara McNab. “His approach to painting the West is born out of his strong ties to the land and the diverse experiences garnered from his career in ranching which strongly influenced his subject matter.”

Waddell was the featured artist for the museum’s illustrator show in 2020, but the pandemic limited the exhibition’s reach. “We believe that Theodore’s art deserves another opportunity to be showcased to our patrons, especially to schools who bring tours to see these exhibits,” adds McNab.Memories of Childhood Dr. #1, 1994, oil, encaustic graphite on paper, 22 x 30”Waddell will be in residence at the Brinton Museum for several days during the time period of his show to conduct tours and talk with students about art, illustration and the process of creating and publishing children’s books. These educational programs have been successful in reaching out to thousands of students in the Sheridan County area, and beyond. —