The scope of N. C. Wyeth's talent is tremendous - from his classic illustrative art to his exploration and interpretation of the land and people of  the Brandywine Valley, or the coast of Maine, and the American West.  He left a body of work that has become a national treasure and a pinnacle of American illustration.   Tragically, N. C. Wyeth and a grandson were killed by a freight train at a railroad crossing near his home in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania on October 19, 1945.

PETER HURD (1904-1984) arrived in Chadds Ford in 1923, with a click of his heels and a salute.  He had recently left West Point after struggling through a personal conflict of interests: the military or painting.  Hurd's respect for the work of N. C. Wyeth, and his own perseverance, gave him the an opportunity to meet Wyeth at his home in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania.  The meeting went well, and soon Hurd moved to Chadds Ford, and became a student of the renowned illustrator.  Peter Hurd later commented that West Point was tough on its students, but N. C. Wyeth was tougher.  For the next ten years, he lived and painted under the strict guidance of his teacher.   All of the Wyeths were quite taken by this handsome, energetic young man in cowboy boots and hat, but none so much as N. C.’s eldest daughter, Henriette, who married Peter Hurd in 1929. 

Peter Hurd was born in Roswell, New Mexico, and his longing to return to New Mexico determined the course of his life and his art.  Peter Hurd is best known for his watercolors, luminous egg temperas and  lithographs depicting the New Mexican landscape he loved.  Hurd was an early pioneer of  the Italian renaissance medium  of egg tempera  in the U.S.  In 1932, he introduced his young brother-in-law, Andrew Wyeth, to egg tempera.  Eventually, N. C. Wyeth was introduced to the medium, as well as John W. McCoy.  During World War II, Peter Hurd worked as a war correspondent for Life Magazine and was stationed with they Eighth Air Force in England.  His many well-known portrait subjects include President Lyndon Johnson.  In 1967, Hurd was commissioned to paint the official White House portrait of  President Johnson.  The finished  portrait  was rejected by the president (with a great deal of media attention) and now hangs in the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. 
 
 

HENRIETTE WYETH (1907-1997) N. C. Wyeth's first child, is considered by many art scholars to be one of the great women painters of the 20th century.  She began studying with her father, N. C. Wyeth, at the age of eleven.  A childhood bout with polio crippled her right hand.  Even so, as a teenager, holding a paint brush between her first and second fingers, she developed into a fine portraitist .  Until 1938, her direct, sparkling  personality and eloquence charmed the best of Wilmington society. At that time, against her father's wishes, she left her family and the Brandywine Valley to move to a distant valley in New Mexico with her husband, Peter Hurd. 

Henriette Wyeth's love for New Mexico was instantaneous and profound.  The landscape and simple architecture reminded her of places she had seen in Europe.  She immediately settled in to make the best of her relatively primitive, dusty surroundings.  Her family and friends were far away, and she missed them, but she loved Peter Hurd and was fascinated by his harsh, arid land.  In her new home, she created her own rich oasis of  beauty and culture.   The couple worked daily in their respective studios, constantly commenting and advising each other on their work.  Famous authors, movie stars and other artists were constant guests at the Hurd ranch, sitting for portraits, playing polo or just relishing the vital, creative atmosphere that that the Hurds generated. 

Henriette Wyeth's paintings reflect the deep appreciation she felt for the brief  bloom of a flower or  the fleeting expression on a child's face - all an integral part of what she termed "the deliciousness of life". She appreciated beauty on a very deep level and detested sentimentality and sweetness.  These feelings were expressed in the powerful still life paintings she created.  Her distinguished career as a portraitist includes such well-known subjects as First Lady Pat Nixon, actress Helen Hayes and author Paul Horgan.

CAROLYN WYETH (1909-1994) the second daughter of N. C. Wyeth demonstrated a talent for drawing at an early age.  She studied with her father for nineteen years - longer than any of his other students.  She lived in the family home in Chadds Ford until her death in 1994. 

Carolyn painted the world she knew best - the eighteen acres of land that surrounded her home.  Her brooding, introspective work displays a raw power seldom seen in contemporary painting.  In spite of her avoidance of publicity, many critics and collectors have discovered her talents.  She has been called by some, “the best painter in the family” and “the strongest woman artist in America today.”

JOHN W. McCOY (1910-1989) was a student of N. C. Wyeth who married daughter Ann Wyeth.  He lived and painted in Chadds Ford until his death in 1989.  His unique introspective interpretations of the Brandywine Valley and the coast of  Maine have established him as a top New England painter.  McCoy taught at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts from 1946-1961. 

“What I'm trying to do is report what I see and feel about people and nature - and we are part of the same scheme.  I know that…you may hate your neighbor or you may love your neighbor, but there is a tension between people and there is always a tension between things in nature.  That is what makes painting interesting.  That's what my painting is about - that’s what I try to make it about.”

ANN WYETH McCOY (1915-) grew up immersed in music.  A musician and composer, she married artist John W. McCoy and had three children, two daughters who became painters and a son who is a film-maker.  Ann began painting seriously after her children were grown. “I never studied with anyone.  My work is completely personal.  I paint things in my house that I love - views through my windows; I paint my own life, that's all.”

ANDREW NEWELL WYETH (1917-), the youngest son of N. C. Wyeth, is the best known artist in the family.  He has been recognized internationally as America's foremost realist.  Andrew was particularly close to his father and began studying with him at an early age.  He never attended school - although he had a tutor.  N. C.  felt that the years most children spent in school were the most critical time for an artist to perfect his craft, to absorb and learn, to “see” as an artist.  As a child, Andy spent a great deal of time alone in the woods surrounding his family's home in Chadds Ford, wandering and exploring. 

Andrew Wyeth still lives in Chadds Ford, and his studio is very near the house he grew up in.  He spends his summers in Maine, painting a world he has known since childhood.  In order to avoid distraction from his work from enthusiastic fans or the media, Andy keeps his life as private as he can.  His work is his singular focus. 

The essence of Andrew Wyeth’s art is best expressed in his own words, "I search for the realness, the real feeling of a subject, all the texture around it...I always want to see the third dimension of something...I want to come alive with the object."

Andrew Wyeth’s most famous painting “Christina's World”,  hangs in the Museum of Modern Art in New York.  His “Helga” collection received national publicity and traveled to major cities throughout the U.S.  Most Americans feel a deep connection to his work on a very profound level.   To date, his exhibitions continue to shatter museum attendance records.

His book, “A Painter’s Quest - Art as a Way of Revelation” has helped him to establish a large following.  He lives and paints on the family ranch in southern New Mexico.

 ANN CAROL HURD (1935-)  is the only daughter of Henriette and Peter Hurd.  Horses were an important part of her childhood on the Hurd Ranch.  She began drawing them at the age of five.  The horse continues to be an important image for her, so much so that a horse appears in every one of  Carol’s paintings. 

“A horse is a beautiful expressive shape; it can be drawn realistically, or formalized and abstracted.  It lends itself well to all of these forms.  I think, among other things, it means freedom, intuition, spontaneity and power.  It is an image that has an immediate impact on almost everyone.” 

Carol lives and paints on the Hurd Ranch with her husband, Peter Rogers.  Highly stylized, her paintings reflect a dreamlike quality, rich in mystery and movement.

Anna B., as she is affectionately called in the family, has developed unique styles in watercolor and oil.  Her portraits and landscapes are in great demand.  She has established a following, and shows in major galleries in the Brandywine

area, and in Rockland, Maine.

“I want to leave open ends, nuances, even ambiguities for the

viewer to resolve.  I have a conviction about the viewer being an integral part of the painting’s working function and don't want to define meanings so tightly they are inescapable.”

“...It's not all inspiration...You’ve got to push yourself and do it every day.  Once in a while, things take off – that's the kind of opiate of painting.  That's what makes you work every day.  Then, when it clicks, it's really fantastic, but those days are really few and far between.  So it's about driving yourself.  I think when you're self-employed, so to speak, as I am, you have to drive yourself harder because there is nobody telling  you to get out there and do it.”

Andy’s meticulous watercolor landscapes, architectural works and still life paintings often reflect his keen interest in the historical background of his subject matter.

PETER GREGORY DE LA FUENTE  (1959- ),  the son of Carol Hurd Rogers, is a fourth generation painter in the family.  His father was Rafael de la Fuente, a noted philosopher and writer, who lived in Spain where Peter was born. 

Peter grew up on the Hurd Ranch in the Rio Ruidoso  valley and moved to Santa Fe in 1975.  He worked as an art dealer through his teens, before committing himself fully to painting.  Like his grandfather, Peter Hurd, de La Fuente is drawn to the rural life and landscape of New Mexico.   

"I feel extremely fortunate to have grown up around the people in my family.  The early influences and encouragement I got as a child made a big difference.  I am  fortunate to live in such a remarkable place as New Mexico and to be able to spend my life observing its diverse landscape and cultures.  
Painting well is never easy.  Being related to remarkable painters does not make it any easier.  I have found that it is dangerous to feel very satisfied with one's work.   There are no shortcuts.  As my great grandfather, N. C. Wyeth, insisted of his students,  a painter has to learn to draw and understand perspective and basic anatomy.  Painting is a very humbling process if you are really pushing yourself."