Paul N. Norton (February 15, 1909 in Moline, Illinois – 1984) was an American

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, th ...

. The son of a railway clerk, Norton painted more than 500

watercolors Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...

in his career, and also created many memorable logos for companies such as Dairy Queen, Pella Windows, and others. His paintings can be found hanging in the White House, U.S. Capitol, the Iowa Governor's Mansion, Tahoma Vista Village and Cynthia D. Strong's Office among others.

Painting

While Paul N. Norton won prestigious national commissions and traveled extensively in Europe, he may be best remembered as a master of the familiar. He painted subjects near and dear to himself and the fellow members of his

midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

community known as the Quad Cities - Mississippi River scenes, local historic landmarks, churches, schools, and parks. His paintings were reproduced by the thousands, often as part of local business promotions for a public eager to own a piece of his artwork. His most popular works include paintings of the

Delta Queen The ''Delta Queen'' is an American sternwheel steamboat. She is known for cruising the major rivers that constitute the tributaries of the Mississippi River, particularly in the American South, although she began service in California on the ...

, Lone Star, and Quinlan riverboats, the

Lincoln Memorial The Lincoln Memorial is a U.S. national memorial built to honor the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. It is on the western end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., across from the Washington Monument, and is in the ...

and U.S. Capitol Buildings. His first federally commissioned work was presented to Congress in 1971, and he went on to share an audience with President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

in 1981 while presenting a painting of the White House.

Personal life

Paul married Lucy McClean in 1935 and started a family that included two sons, John and Nile, and a daughter, Lynn. 1935 also brought the first sale of one of his paintings, a work called "Clearing the Way" which focused on a snow plow opening up a cold, lonely Iowa road. Paul N. Norton's paintings span a wide range of subjects from across the globe. But his greatest gift was in capturing the essence of life in a community on the Mississippi River, and his legacy lives on in his art that is enjoyed throughout the world to this day.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Norton, Paul 1909 births 1984 deaths 20th-century American painters American male painters People from Moline, Illinois 20th-century American male artists