Kay Whitcomb Decorative Art

A great enamel by Kay Whitcomb, framed, signed and dated 1966. Titled" Where your Treasure is, there will your Heart be also" A note about the artist: " Whitcomb was born in 1921 in Arlington, Massachusetts, to a long line of New England metalsmiths, the Carr family. In a way, it was almost preordained that her life would be devoted to the crafts. While she hoped to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, financial conditions prevented it. With financial assistance from relatives and friends, she began her art studies at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in 1939. Whitcomb recalls that in her third year, in 1941, she took an enameling class. Her instructor taught the cloisonné technique. Ruth Raemisch also used the same facilities, working on her enamels while regular courses were offered. Whitcomb recalls being intrigued by Raemisch’s techniques and wanting to emulate the distinguished German-born artist, whose style was based on the Limoges school of enamel painting. She completed her course work at RISD in 1942 while taking additional classes at the Cambridge School of Art. In 1944 she joined the United States Marine Corps Women’s Reserve at Camp Pendleton...