Sydney K Eaton Artist

Sydney K. Eaton was born in Bellingham Washington, on may 1st, 1919.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Whitworth college in 1941, where he was famously remembered as the prankster behind the "Whitworth Rock Hoax" of 1942. The prank perfectly foreshadowed the hints of amateur archeology, and humor, that would be later staples of his work. Details of the event can be read about at the link below:

 

Sydney Eaton Whitworh Rock Hoax

 

Sydney K Eaton Whitworth Hoax, Whitworth stone
Sydney K Eaton Whitworth Hoax, Whitworth stone
Sydney K Eaton Whitworth Hoax, Whitworth stone

Shortly after, between 1942 and 1945, Sydney found himself in the midst of World War II, stationed in the North and South Pacific islands, where the Navy believed that his experience in music would make him more adept at foreign language and communications.

 

But it was during the time spent living on these islands, and in particular, Papua New Guinea, that he became enchanted with indigenous art and spirituality.

 

Sydney traded whatever he could for masks and other artifacts from locals, Once notoriously arriving back to his camp naked, carrying nothing but his belt, and a new drum. He wrote fantastical wandering parables, cartoons about revolt, penned stacks of poems for his wife Harriet, And for a moment, he befriended a Monkey named Sen-sen.

 

The animism and abstractions from this region forever transformed his perspectives on art, and became a pillar of his curriculum as an instructor.

He wrote

 

"The first Axe must have been such a turnaround of power that surely it was created in the image of god. Tools live of course, not the ajax drill or bench saw, but the carefully and lovingly crafted stone tool, which, except for changes in the material, has not become drastically different. they LIVE, can be talked to, can do the work of nine men, and in ceremony, can take any form they choose. can be sent out, and are a repository, for all the mythics who would be a part of them"

from 1945 to 1958 Sydney taught Art at the Chehalis High School

Sydney K Eaton Chehalis High School Art

A note at one of his backyard showings reads "let us not give grave labels to demonstration, but recognize it as a ceremony, oh yes! I know what I have done! I have had a one man march, each picture is a ceremony, an inserted message, and you are trapped here!"

Sydney K. Eaton Artist at Chehalis home

While Living and teaching in Chehalis, Syd and Harrriet had two daughters, Judy and Trudy, and he continued to Show art regionally, winning numerous awards.

Sydney K Eaton Chehalis Artist newspaper
Sydney K Eaton Painting, Chehalis WA Sydney K Eaton Artist Mid Century art Sydney Eaton Artist Chehalis WA Sydney Eaton Artist Sydney Eaton, Artist, Chehalis WA, Chehalis High school Art Sydney Eaton, Artist, Chehalis WA Sydney Eaton, Harriet Eaton, Artist, Chehalis WA

Sydney received his Master of Arts in 1955 from Washington State University. and in 1959, he founded the Art Department at Skagit Valley College. During that same time, he and Harriet began building their home, in Mount Vernon, Washington.

Syd and Harriet Eaton Building Their Home Syd and Harriet Eaton Building Their Home

Just as soon as the walls on the house were up, they hosted a show for friend and Artist Kenneth Callahan. The themes of their work would later come to define part of the "northwest mystics" or "northwest school" art movement, along with Guy Anderson, Morris Graves, Mark Tobey, Richard Gilkey, Phil McCracken, and many others in the region.

Sydney Eaton, Harriet Eaton, Kenneth Callahan, Mount Versnon WA, Skagit

Syd and Harriet would continue to host art shows under the cedar canopy of their backyard during the summer months

Sydney K Eaton Mount Vernon, WA Art Show Gackyard, northwest mystics, kenneth callahan, mark tobey, morris graves, guy anderson, richard Gilkey Sydney K Eaton Mount Vernon, WA Art Show Gackyard, northwest mystics, kenneth callahan, mark tobey, morris graves, guy anderson, richard Gilkey Sydney K Eaton Mount Vernon, WA Art Show Gackyard, northwest mystics, kenneth callahan, mark tobey, morris graves, guy anderson, richard Gilkey Sydney K Eaton Mount Vernon, WA Art Show Gackyard, northwest mystics, kenneth callahan, mark tobey, morris graves, guy anderson, richard Gilkey

And somewhere along the line, the Nun became a recurring figure in his paintings

Sydney k. Eaton Skagit Valley College

while teaching at SVC, Sydney continued to travel, looking to indigenous art for inspiration and understanding.

Sydney K. Eaton South Pacific art Sydney K. Eaton Skull Skagit Valley College Art

in 1973, Sydney and close friend Dwight Milne, spent ten weeks in the Central American jungle, working with native masons, on restoring the oldest pre conquest Mayan temple (Uaxatum pyramid, adjascent to the complex of Tikal) They described it not as archaeological, but a "grassroots aid in restoration and education, of tropical biology, linguistics, health and ethnology, of spanish speaking natives"

 

Sydney was always looking for larger, and more magical stones.

Sydney Eaton Mayan temple Uaxatum pyramid Sydney Eaton Mayan temple Uaxatum pyramid Sydney Eaton Mayan temple Uaxatum pyramid Sydney Eaton printmaking skagit Valley college art mount Vernon WA

Sydney's role as instructor at Skagit Valley College is recalled as hilariously contentious. Harriet reminds me how hard he fought to allow live models in the drawing class, or how he ignored the dress code standard white shirt and black tie, in favor of Hawaiian shirts and his jade stone necklaces.

 

Administration eventually learned to accept this.

 

Friend and fellow teacher, Rand Robbin, recalls in a letter that upon arriving, his first day at SVC, that the president warned him

 

"Sydney, this guy, he'll chaaaaange you maaaaaaaaan"

of his iconic Jade stone necklaces, he wrote

"I myself wear jade to keep the volcanoes from erupting on me, and as long as I have faithfully worn these jade stones, no volcanoes in the united states, the south pacific, central america, mexico, or asia, have erupted even CLOSE to me...

 

...we have found life precious and priceless. Particularly our own, now there is one fear that I have not found a magic amulet for, as of yet, that is the fear that some might think buildings and places, more important than people..."

Sydney Eaton Jade Adz necklaces

in 1973 Sydney retired

Sydney Eaton retires Skagit Valley College Art department Sydney Eaton retirement cake Sydney K. Eaton - retirement money Skagit Valley College

but continued to draw and paint, nearly every day

Sydney K. Eaton Artist Painting Mount Vernon WA
Sydney K. Eaton Artist portrait Skagit Valley College Mount Vernon WA

until he passed away in 1996

Sydney K Eaton Skagit Artist Dies at 77 Sydney K Eaton Skagit Artist Obituary

He was remembered in a beautiful tribute, by artist Rand Robbin

Sydney K Eaton Rand Robbin

But Harriet always kept his memory alive

Skagit Valley Herald Harriet Eaton Sydney Eaton Artist Skagit Valley Herald Sydney Eaton Artist, Harriet Eaton Skagit Valley Herald, Harriet Eaton - Sydney Eaton

Until She passed away in their home, at the age of 96 on July 27, 2016

in a letter from Sydney to Harriet, he once wrote

 

"In praise of vine ripened berries

 and jazzy introits

lets bang tambourine with your sandled

and painted feet

stomp the blossoms

and myrrh in cadence with

the marked and reassured

jangle of ankle bells

sound the flageolet

dear vestals

and let every

downhearted frail

wail and the closing night

and becoming lover

let a candle be lighted

selah, shalome, tema'm and amen"

and then just like that, Sydney -who had passed away when I was only 13 years old- Sydney who always said with such conviction, that one could speak to stones, that one could hear them if they listened, Sydney who showed us how to use the oil from the bridge of our nose to draw out the true color of jade, like some sorcery, like some final prank, carefully, through all these years, revealed himself in stone, in oil, In milo, and panama rosewood. That he and Harriet were in the backyard, unfolding the sword ferns and welcoming the spring.

Sydney K Eaton Artist
Sydney K Eaton Whitworth Hoax, Whitworth stone
Sydney K Eaton Whitworth Hoax, Whitworth stone
Sydney K Eaton Whitworth Hoax, Whitworth stone Sydney K Eaton Chehalis High School Art Sydney K. Eaton Artist at Chehalis home Sydney K Eaton Chehalis Artist newspaper Sydney K Eaton Painting, Chehalis WA Sydney K Eaton Artist Mid Century art Sydney Eaton Artist Chehalis WA Sydney Eaton Artist Sydney Eaton, Artist, Chehalis WA, Chehalis High school Art Sydney Eaton, Artist, Chehalis WA Sydney Eaton, Harriet Eaton, Artist, Chehalis WA Syd and Harriet Eaton Building Their Home Syd and Harriet Eaton Building Their Home Sydney Eaton, Harriet Eaton, Kenneth Callahan, Mount Versnon WA, Skagit Sydney K Eaton Mount Vernon, WA Art Show Gackyard, northwest mystics, kenneth callahan, mark tobey, morris graves, guy anderson, richard Gilkey Sydney K Eaton Mount Vernon, WA Art Show Gackyard, northwest mystics, kenneth callahan, mark tobey, morris graves, guy anderson, richard Gilkey Sydney K Eaton Mount Vernon, WA Art Show Gackyard, northwest mystics, kenneth callahan, mark tobey, morris graves, guy anderson, richard Gilkey Sydney K Eaton Mount Vernon, WA Art Show Gackyard, northwest mystics, kenneth callahan, mark tobey, morris graves, guy anderson, richard Gilkey Sydney k. Eaton Skagit Valley College Sydney K. Eaton South Pacific art Sydney K. Eaton Skull Skagit Valley College Art Sydney Eaton Mayan temple Uaxatum pyramid Sydney Eaton Mayan temple Uaxatum pyramid Sydney Eaton Mayan temple Uaxatum pyramid Sydney Eaton printmaking skagit Valley college art mount Vernon WA Sydney Eaton Jade Adz necklaces Sydney Eaton retires Skagit Valley College Art department Sydney Eaton retirement cake Sydney K. Eaton - retirement money Skagit Valley College
Sydney K. Eaton Artist Painting Mount Vernon WA
Sydney K. Eaton Artist portrait Skagit Valley College Mount Vernon WA
Sydney K Eaton Skagit Artist Dies at 77 Sydney K Eaton Skagit Artist Obituary Sydney K Eaton Rand Robbin Skagit Valley Herald Sydney Eaton Artist, Harriet Eaton Skagit Valley Herald, Harriet Eaton - Sydney Eaton

SYDNEY K EATON

Sydney K Eaton Artist
Sydney K Eaton Whitworth Hoax, Whitworth stone
Sydney K Eaton Whitworth Hoax, Whitworth stone
Sydney K Eaton Whitworth Hoax, Whitworth stone Sydney K Eaton Chehalis High School Art Sydney K. Eaton Artist at Chehalis home Sydney K Eaton Painting, Chehalis WA Sydney K Eaton Artist Mid Century art Sydney Eaton Artist Chehalis WA Sydney Eaton Artist Sydney Eaton, Artist, Chehalis WA, Chehalis High school Art Sydney Eaton, Artist, Chehalis WA Sydney Eaton, Harriet Eaton, Artist, Chehalis WA Syd and Harriet Eaton Building Their Home Syd and Harriet Eaton Building Their Home Sydney Eaton, Harriet Eaton, Kenneth Callahan, Mount Versnon WA, Skagit Sydney K Eaton Mount Vernon, WA Art Show Gackyard, northwest mystics, kenneth callahan, mark tobey, morris graves, guy anderson, richard Gilkey Sydney K Eaton Mount Vernon, WA Art Show Gackyard, northwest mystics, kenneth callahan, mark tobey, morris graves, guy anderson, richard Gilkey Sydney K Eaton Mount Vernon, WA Art Show Gackyard, northwest mystics, kenneth callahan, mark tobey, morris graves, guy anderson, richard Gilkey Sydney K Eaton Mount Vernon, WA Art Show Gackyard, northwest mystics, kenneth callahan, mark tobey, morris graves, guy anderson, richard Gilkey Sydney k. Eaton Skagit Valley College Sydney K. Eaton South Pacific art Sydney K. Eaton Skull Skagit Valley College Art Sydney Eaton Mayan temple Uaxatum pyramid Sydney Eaton Mayan temple Uaxatum pyramid Sydney Eaton Mayan temple Uaxatum pyramid Sydney Eaton printmaking skagit Valley college art mount Vernon WA Sydney Eaton Jade Adz necklaces Sydney Eaton retires Skagit Valley College Art department Sydney Eaton retirement cake Sydney K. Eaton - retirement money Skagit Valley College
Sydney K. Eaton Artist Painting Mount Vernon WA
Sydney K. Eaton Artist portrait Skagit Valley College Mount Vernon WA
Sydney K Eaton Skagit Artist Dies at 77 Sydney K Eaton Skagit Artist Obituary Sydney K Eaton Rand Robbin Skagit Valley Herald Harriet Eaton Sydney Eaton Artist Skagit Valley Herald Sydney Eaton Artist, Harriet Eaton Skagit Valley Herald, Harriet Eaton - Sydney Eaton