The Don Meredith Collection

At the time the artifacts came in, Don Meredith asked if we would like to have some of his painting.  Most people knew that he had acted (starting in high school and continuing with drama studies in college on top of his sports career).  People knew that he liked to sing.  The art was a bit of a surprise.  We hold about 150 paintings from the Meredith home.  Of these, about 25 are oil paintings by Don Meredith and another 15 are by Susan.  

Son Michael says that his father always liked art and would sketch on pads (and not just in a quarterback’s playbook fashion).  Don frequented galleries in Santa Fe and befriended dealers. 

Don became good friends with Dinah Shore.  We have one of her cookbooks.  We’ll have to firm up the next inquiry:  Did they cook together?  In any event, we understand that they would spend time as friends will, palettes at the ready; painting.  The evidence for this is tangible. Works by Don and Susan in a show which hung in entire upstairs of the fire station during 2018-2019.  

In the elevator foyer, we have five paintings from the Meredith home in Santa Fe including one original work by Dinah Shore.

Michael Meredith has weighed in with his personal take on his father’s artistic bent.  

The last time I sat with Dad we talked about a painting.  It was a piece that hung on the wall at the foot of his bed in Santa Fe and it seemed to bring him a lot of comfort. When I realized how much it meant to him, and what a sense of serenity it seemed to bring, I took a closer look.  The first thing I recognized was the gazebo.  I couldn’t place it, but I knew that I had seen that gazebo before.  The other was the mountain range, which I knew from my childhood in New Mexico.  When I asked where the painting was set, Dad smiled and said, “That’s my hometown, son.  That’s the square in Mt. Vernon.”  He had taken the square and painted it into the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. 

Michael continues with a personal take:   

For me, an artist’s interpretation is what makes their work unique.  Instead of showing us the world as they see it, they show us the world as they choose to see it.  This allows us to see something through a different lens and perhaps even gives us a peek into the artist’s soul.  Some of the paintings in this show remind me of places and moments from my past, wonderful times and great stories that I’ll pass on to my kids when they grow older.  But mostly they remind me of what it felt like to just sit with Dad in a quiet room.  To see things through his eyes, the way he wanted them to be seen.  And to better understand what he cherished the most. 

Paintings in Elevator Room

• “Common Goldeneye” ducks on pond print; by Don Whitlatch; 1974      
• Oil painting of pond and trees in ornate gilt frame; unknown artist      
• Oil painting of adobe building against cloud sky; by Burrows
• Watercolor print man carrying jug in adobe setting; by Eric Michaels
• “Hong Kong School Bus” by Dinah Shore; numbered print; 1980

Upstairs  

• Large color photo of Don Meredith (#17) – passing ball        
• Oil painting of full moon over adobe w/ blue tree; by Don Meredith
• Oil painting, “Oldest Church”; by Don Meredith
• Oil painting, “Don’s Farmhouse”; by Don Meredith
• Small oil painting of full moon over adobe; by Don Meredith
• Oil painting -Sunset; by Don Meredith
• Large oil painting of copper kettle; by Don Meredith
• Small oil painting of copper kettle; by Don Meredith
• Oil painting, “Tenito & Kim”, girl painting thru window; by Susan Meredith
• Oil painting of purple/yellow flower arrangement; unknown artist
• Girl in field of flowers; by Susan Meredith
• Oil painting girl eating ice cream; by Susan Meredith
• Oil painting, “Monsieur”; by Don Meredith
• Oil painting of white pitcher w/ limes and lemons; by Don Meredith
• Oil painting, “Pumpkins and Pears”; by Don Meredith
• Oil painting of bowl of fruit; by Don Meredith
• Oil painting of apple tree with snake; by Don Meredith
• Oil painting, pastel colored mountains and sky; by Susan Meredith
• Oil painting of adobe scene at sunrise or sunset; by Don Meredith        
• Oil painting of lake; by Don Meredith
• Oil painting of seascape; by Don Meredith
• Oil painting, “Orange Abstract”; by Don Meredith
• Oil painting, “Trancas Beach Sailboat”; by Don Meredith
• Oil painting of adobe scene; by Don Meredith  
• Oil painting of white cat in window with mountains in background; by Don Meredith
• Oil painting of table w/ vase; by Susan Meredith
• Portrait of Don; by Susan Meredith  
• Pencil sketch of girl painting; by Susan Meredith
• Oil painting of shaggy dog; by Susan Meredith
• Oil painting, “Giverney”; by Susan Meredith
• Oil painting of small black tree trunk; by Don Meredith        
• Oil painting of black tree; by Don Meredith
• Oil painting bird flying over water; by Susan Meredith
• Small oil painting of boat masts over sand dunes; by Don Meredith
• Small oil painting of yellow flower; by Don Meredith
• Small watercolor of red rose; by Don Meredith        
• Oil painting abstract green/orange swirls; by Don Meredith      
• Oil painting of brown adobe building w/ blue sky; by Don Meredith      
• Oil painting of red rose in vase; by Don Meredith        
• Vase w/ flowers; by Susan Meredith      
• Pastel print of Don throwing football; unknown artist