Noted City Artist Ruth Augur Dies

Ruth Monro Augur, 80, of 1219 Military Court, a longtime city portrait and commercial artist who painted panels depicting the history of the Episcopal church in St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral, died Friday at St. Anthony Hospital.

Services will be at 1 pm Monday in the chapel of St. Paul's Cathedral, with burial at Rose Hill Cemetery under direction of Guardian Funeral Home.

Born in Austin, she grew up in. Denver, and studied at the New York School of Art, before moving to Oklahoma City about .5 years ago to head the art school of the Oklahoma Art Center.

Two years later, she the left that position to become staff artist for Harlow Publishing Co., where she was employed until she retired in 1965. She was well known for her murals in the Garfield County Court House and her portraits in the collection of the Oklahoma Historical Society.

She belonged to Oklahoma League for Conservative Art and was a lifetime member of the Episcopal church. She left no known survivors.

from Auction House Records.
Mural Study for San Antonio Post Office
Artwork images are copyright of the artist or assignee [07-30-2010]

This biography from the Archives of AskART:
http://www.askart.com/askart/a/ruth_monro_augur/ruth_monro_augur.aspx

Born in Austin, Texas and raised in Denver, Colorado where she studied at the Student School of Art, Ruth Auger became an artist of the West, with her most recognized achievement being six murals, completed in 1937 and covering 1136 square feet, of the history of the Cherokee Strip Run for the courthouse in Enid, Oklahoma. "The cattle portrayed in the mural bear registered Texas brands selected by the University of Texas, Austin". (Powers 18).

As a painted, she also depicted army officer and other portraits, horse studies, mountain landscapes, and cowboy figures.

In 1905 she won a scholarship to the New York School of Art, where she was a student of Robert Henri and William Merritt Chase. About ten years later, she studied in California at Carmel for summer school, the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco, and the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles.

She spent many years in the newspaper business, with art being a secondary activity. From 1917 to 1929, she was registrar at the Texas College of Mines and Metallurgy and was also a society editor for the "El Paso Herald" and the "El Paso Times".

Then she won the WPA commission to paint the murals in Enid, and in 1937 settled permanently in that town. For 25 years, she served as staff artist for the Harlow Publishing Company, and many of her illustrations had western themes. She also taught at the Municipal Art Gallery. Much of her fine art painting was completed in her spare time from her professional jobs. On some of her paintings, she signed her last name "Auger." [In 1934 she was commissioned by the Works Progress Administration WPA to paint historical murals in the Garfield County Courthouse in Enid, Oklahoma. She painted a total of five murals. With Native American scenes, she painted accurate dress and accoutrements.

Source:

"An Encyclopedia of Women Artists of the American West" by Phil Kovinick and Marian Yoshiki-Kovinick

"Texas Painters, Sculptors & Graphic Artists" by John and Deborah Powers
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At age 19, Ruth won an art scholarship to the New York School of Art where she studied under William Merritt Chase. Although she loved fine art, she never pursued it full time. She held many jobs in publishing and in 1937 won the commission to paint murals in Enid, Oklahoma. In 1937 Augur had completed a 1136 square foot mural of the history of the Cherokee strip run for the Enid Courthouse.

Courtesy: Best of the West Auction, Colorado Springs, CO

... Complied and transcribed by Marti Graham, 2009.