Space Planes - scarce Mid Century proof, inscribed to Walter and Emily Shaw Reese - signed twice, ca. 1950

Space Planes - scarce Mid Century proof, inscribed to Walter and Emily Shaw Reese - signed twice, ca. 1950

Color silkscreen on wove paper with full margins
Pencil signed, titled "Space Planes", annotated "Proof", inscribed "Best to Walt + Emily", and then signed again on the front
A unique proof, aside from the regular edition of 35
A fine impression of this early abstract print with full margins: . as this was a 'proof' - it is the strongest silkscren impression.
Unframed
Morris A. Blackburn (1902- 1979)
Morris Blackburn began studying art in 1922 at the Graphic Sketch Club and the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art, eventually continuing his education at The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
Blackburn was ingenious with his use of materials, exploring traditional and new painting and printmaking techniques. He was one of the first to use silkscreen (screenprint) for fine art prints in the early 1940’s.
As a faculty member at The Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art and at The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Blackburn was legendary. He was honored in 1928 and 1929 with two Cresson Traveling Scholarships and with The John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship in 1952. His work was included in almost every Annual Exhibition at The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts from 1930 to 1968.
Morris Blackburn died in Philadelphia in 1979 leaving a legacy to benefit The Scholarship Fund of The School of The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
An exhibition exploring Blackburn’s approach to printmaking and painting was organized by the Palmer Museum of Art in the Spring of 2017.

Blackburn was one of the first artists to use silkscreen (serigraphs) for fine art prints in the early 1940s, a printmaking technique he learned in WWII doing war posters and camouflage.
Known for exploring traditional and new printmaking techniques, Blackburn’s early prints were compositions of flat, bright color, moving towards abstraction. In fact, Blackburn experimented with all different media, including pottery, murals, furniture construction, and painting. He also wrote extensive and highly descriptive diaries, which offer great insights into his life as an instructor at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, new techniques he had learned, and records of his art sales and exhibitions.
Walter and Emily Shaw Reese
Commonly known in the art world as "The Reeses," this husband-and-wife duo worked closely as a team producing prominent illustrations, advertising imagery, and magazine covers throughout the 1910s, 20s, and 30s

Blackburn was heavily integrated into the mid-century Philadelphia and regional East Coast art scenes. Before teaching fine art and printmaking at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), he taught at the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art. This school was a major hub for training commercial illustrators and designers, the exact professional sphere where Walter and Emily Shaw Reese built their legacy. [1, 2, 3]

n intimate inscription like "Walt and Emily" from Blackburn captures a piece of history from a collaborative era when fine printmakers and legendary commercial illustrators frequently shared studios, exhibitions, and deep personal friendships.