Frances Jenkins Ramsey Releases New Memoir on an American Artist

Few people can truly say that they have lived life according to their own terms or have pushed through life with full and righteous conviction. In "Joseph Nordmann", author Frances Jenkins Ramsey has created a tribute to Joseph Nordmann, who was, besides being a gifted artist, was a man who lives a full and impressive life.

"Joseph Nordmann: The Art of a Full Life" follows the life of an impressionist painter who held many titles in his 94 years: professor of chemistry, Caribbean bartender, ace football scout for the Toronto Argonauts, scientist for the film industry, and professional writer. His friends and acquaintances have included everyone from NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Bob Waterfield, early California colorist painter Paul Conner, to the great Russian émigré portrait artist Nicolai Fechin. It is a wonderfully intriguing tribute to a man who took all the opportunities to be many things. First and last, he was an artist, and Ramsey's biography is filled with his auteur and many vignettes about his wandering lifestyle that helped define the same auteur. Ramsey is nothing if not attentive to detail, plus, she is an outstanding compositor and narrator - making this illustrated volume an art treasure in itself. It is the definitive work about an important, if underrated, American original - one who created a unique, beautiful niche in avant-garde American impressionism.

Frances Jenkins Ramsey, who has, with her husband Ray, diligently collected Nordmann's works have dedicated an entire floor of their museum in Hamilton, Texas to Nordmann's art. The author and Nordmann were close friends, the book reflects this in the intimate, enthralling awe she conveys in the writing and composition that makes up the portrait of a remarkable human being whose artistic accomplishments seemed to be milestones to a life lived "outside" the main venues of his art.

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About the Author

Frances Jenkins Ramsey, originally from Tennessee, came to Texas in 1952. In 1960, she opened an art gallery featuring promising Texas Artists at a location where her ranch in Hamilton, central Texas joined a major highway. In 1980 she relocated to Santa Fe, New Mexico where she was active in the art community for eight years. Through her art interests she discovered the artist's colony of Carmel, California where she opened a gallery representing some of California's leading contemporary artists. Chief among them was Joseph Nordmann, whose work was the best received and most collected. Joe Nordmann and the author became fast friends and associates over the years. Frances Ramsey and her husband Ray Ramsey merged their galleries and opened a room dedicated to Nordmann's paintings. They became enthusiastic collectors of Joe's work for their private collection. Upon retirement they restored an 1800's courthouse square limestone building in Hamilon to house Ray's collection of Old Masters. It also has an entire floor dedicated Nordman's works. The combined collections are now a private museum offering scheduled tours. Realizing no book could contain all the rich life experiences of the subject, the author undertook to write this book in his honor - truly a labor of love.

Joseph Nordmann * by Frances Jenkins Ramsey
The Art of a Full Life
Publication Date: December 26, 2013
Picture Book; $81.99; 146 pages; 978-1-4931-2056-7
Picture Book Hardcover; $91.99; 146 pages; 978-1-4931-2057-4
e-book; $3.99; 978-1-4931-2058-1

To request a complimentary paperback review copy, contact the publisher at (888) 795-4274 x. 7879. To purchase copies of the book for resale, please fax Xlibris at (812) 355-4079 or call (888) 795-4274 x. 7879. For more information, contact Xlibris at (888) 795-4274 or on the web at http://www.Xlibris.com.