Join Forest & Found to Discover Mid-century Artist Barbara Maynard:Fearless Portraits and Landscapes Friday July 25

Discover the extraordinary works of a 1900s Midwestern artist when Forest & Found presents Barbara Maynard: Fearless Portraits and Landscapes. The exhibit and sale will open with a reception from 6 to 9 pm on July 25 and run through August 2 at Forest & Found, 1363 N. Western Avenue in Lake Forest. The show will follow Maynard’s work as a 1920 student at the Art Institute of Chicago, through her life as a young professional in Lincoln Park, to a mature artist who depicted Michigan landscapes with a spare and graceful palette.

Barbara Maynard was born in 1900 on a Michigan farm. After her studies at the Art Institute, she worked professionally as an illustrator for Compton’s Encyclopedia. Through her friendship with a children’s book author, she illustrated classic picture books in the 40s and 50s. Her private works recently came to light from the basement of a Lake Forest home.

“We did some research, which led to finding two of Maynard’s photo albums. These tell the story of a modern, independent woman of her times. Her work shows us how fearless she was in experimenting with different styles of painting,“ said Michaele Ann McDonnell, Forest & Found board member. “Be sure to see her series of tongue-in-cheek art history illustrations. We can see Maynard also had a sharp sense of humor,” McDonnell added.

Forest & Found will exhibit Maynard’s paintings on loan from her great niece, Helen Maynard, who lives in the Chicago area. To raise money to benefit the charities that Forest & Found supports, high quality prints of these works will be available for order. These reprints are made possible through the permission of the Maynard family and the generous donation of time and technology skills of Lake Forest resident, Rich Foss.

Barbara Maynard: Fearless Portraits and Landscapes is the third in a series of events at Forest & Found to promote the creative reuse of existing products and design. Forest & Found is a charitable thrift store that benefits a growing community of donors, shoppers and two beneficiaries – Bernie’s Book Bank and A Safe Place. For more information visit www.forestandfound.com.