Adine Stix began her journey into Abstract Expressionism while living in Greenwich Village in the 1940's where she was influenced by Willem de Kooning, Robert Motherwell and Franz Kline. During this period, Adine, a 1931 graduate with an art degree from Skidmore College, worked with her husband Hugh Stix to develop the Artist's Gallery, which he founded in Manhattan in 1935. (Time Magazine featured this gallery, which helped launch the careers of many important American artists including Adolph Gottlieb and Ad Reinhard.)
In 1950, Adine, divorced from Stix, married Les Sanborn, a cowboy, and bought Quail Canyon Ranch in the remote high desert of Nevada. It was on this ranch that she painted the pieces in the Lost Art Collection. This location in Nevada, which includes Pyramid Lake, is one of the most remarkable and beautiful locations in the West. The influence of the ever-changing colors of the Lake was an integral part of Adine's paintings. While living in this unique environment she reached the peak of her creativity, capturing on canvas her love of nature and the outdoors.
The movie, "The Misfits", directed by John Huston and starring Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable and Elli Wallach was filmed on the Ranch in 1959. Part of the rental agreement with the film company included the building of a studio for Adine upon completion of the filming of the movie. Thanks to "The Misfits" she finally had a place to realize her painting dreams.
The subjects of her art show her inner emotions and her reactions to the places and events she experienced. Like others in the Abstract Expressionist movement, she used gesture, form, color and texture for expression and symbolism. She was dedicated to the act of describing what she felt on canvas and the resulting paintings are vivid, intense, rhythmic and direct.
Over the years Adine Stix and her art were profiled in the Reno Evening Gazette and the Nevada State Journal. She had shows at the Park Lane, Pinon and the University of Nevada Art Galleries in Reno. While she had this recognition she continued to dedicate her time to painting, raising her children and overseeing the day to day running of the ranch. All consuming, she did not have the time to promote her artwork.
Lisa Graeber, Adine's daughter, described her Mother to us as an independent, enthusiastic risk taker. According to Lisa, Adine was never boring, was always a "doer" with boundless energy and was direct in her relationships with others. When painting she would start early in the morning and work diligently through the day. If she was unhappy with a completed painting, she would simply paint over the canvas and start over.
Adine was born in East Orange, New Jersey on March 17th, 1909 and died in Ross, California on November 8, 1987. In addition to her daughter Lisa, she has a son, David, and two grandchildren, David Jr. and Deena.
We would like to thank, Lisa for introducing us to this spectacular collection and sharing her insights of her mother.
