(Asheville, North Carolina/Pennsylvania, 1914-2007) Steel Workers, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, signed lower right "Shryock", oil on canvas, 40 x 34-7/8 in.; modern frame,. Condition: slight grime; frame with abrasions. Notes: Born in Frostburg, Maryland, December 31, 1914. He began painting very early and by the age of 20 was studying at the Art Students League in New York City under Thomas Hart Benton, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Harry Sternberg, George Grosz and Alexander Abels. His early prints and drawing, circa 1935, often depicted scenes in New York City. These works exhibit the influence of Benton and Sternberg in particular, but they also reflect the regionalist qualities of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) artists. After the Art Students League, Shryock returned to Maryland until the unset of World War II. He served five years as an infantryman in the 45th Infantry Division in Europe rising to the rank of Captain and continuing to draw, focusing on the men and scenes around him. Ironically his mother had written in his baby book – When we would ask you what you wanted to be when you grew up you would say “Soldier Boy.” Daddy said he didn’t raise his boy to be a target. Upon his return from service Shryock settled in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1946. He loved the toughness of the city, its rivers, its factories, and its mountain setting. He said: I’m crazy about the rivers and the river traffic and the industrial buildings in Pittsburgh. I love the blues, the grays and the browns of the city and the subtle light. Shryock made his living in Pittsburgh as a freelance commercial artist working for banks, churches and for such companies as US Steel, Westinghouse, Heinz, Pittsburgh Coal, Peoples Gas Company and Weirton Steel. In 1955 US Steel commissioned him to paint a mural depicting the steel industry for their executive dining room. In general he produced advertisements, annual reports, development campaign materials, newsletters, calendars and more. During these years Shryock also produced non-commercial paintings and prints of Pittsburgh and of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. These works were exhibited in galleries throughout the Pittsburgh region. He also visited the Great Smoky Mountains National Park which he said was one of his favorite places and in 1986, after the death of his wife, Shryock moved to Asheville, North Carolina where he continued to paint. In 2003 an Asheville collector and philanthropist purchased several of Shryock’s paintings. He then donated them to the Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area in Pittsburgh, returning some of Shryock’s prized pictures to a city he treasured. John Carter Shryock died in Asheville, NC on May 1, 2007 at the age of 92. A retrospective of his work was held in June of 2007 at the Merrimon Avenue Galleries in Asheville. slight grime; frame with abrasions