Artist Biography 

Clifton Wheeler was born in Hadley, Indiana in 1883 moving later to Mooresville. He was trained by William Forsyth and in 1902 went to New York City and studied under William Merrit Chase, Robert Henri and Kenneth Hayes Miller. Among his classmates were Wayman Adams, George Bellows, Rockwell Kent, and Edward Hopper. He made two trips to Europe to study, Italy and France, becoming friends with Walter Pach, Gertrude Stein and Picasso. In 1910 he married fellow artist Hilah Drake, and they made their home in Irvington, Indiana where he went on to teaching positions with the Herron Art Institute and Butler University. He was a member of the Portfolio Club, Indiana Artists Club, and the Society of Western Artists.Clifton Wheeler won many awards during his lifetime with many exhibitions including the Hoosier Salon and New York and San Francisco Worlds fairs. He was instrumental in the 1914 murals at the Indianapolis General Hospital childrens' ward. His paintings have an individuality of style. Evident is the impressionistic qualities from his early training balanced by a strong sense of design and color. He was also a strong portrait artist. Many of his works are landscapes and scenes from the areas he lived including his home state of Indiana.