Wilcox was influenced by Keller's innovative watercolor techniques, and from 1910 to 1916 they experimented together with
Impressionism and
Post-Impressionism. Wilcox soon developed his own signature style in the
American Scene or
Regionalist tradition of the early 20th century. Wilcox created a large volume of sketches and watercolor paintings during his first two trips to Europe. At this time Wilcox generally preferred to work
en plein air, painting over pencil sketches. He viewed his painting of the
Tour Saint-Jacques as a major event n his artistic development.The watercolors painted on this European trip were done in color values supported by pencil accents – a method which I stumbled upon and which proved speedy and effective. My very first efforts were disappointing until I hit upon this process augmented by using a white wax pencil as a stop-out for small areas of isolated whiteness. This is the method which I applied to a sketch of the Tour St. Jacques. This handling was the second long stride in my technical development, the first being my use of pencil in the sketch class at the old Wilson Avenue School. On trips to
Boothbay, Maine with
Otto Ege shortly after World War I, Wilcox developed his pure watercolor skills. For these paintings he used bold colors and broad strokes, no longer starting with detailed pencil sketches. Wilcox viewed this work as his next major milestone since Paris.The work I did at Boothbay was the first real step forward for me since my Paris days. One can, after a time, look back and see these milestones of technical and perceptive progress. These sketches were fuller in tone and not dependent upon a linear support to hold them together. I took great pleasure in directly molding the rock formations and contrasting them with fluid skies. Also, the drawing of boats no longer seemed to result in a tightness of treatment. which was favorably reviewed by
The New York Times in 1934. This book was edited and reprinted in 1970 by William A. McGill. McGill also edited and reprinted Wilcox'
Canals of the Old Northwest in 1969. Wilcox also wrote, illustrated, and published
Weather Wisdom in 1949, a limited edition (50 copies) of twenty-four
serigraphs (silk screened prints) accompanied by commentary "based upon familiar weather observations commonly made by people living in the country." In retirement, Wilcox painted a series dubbed "Little-Big" by Norman Kent, editor of American Artist. The Little-Big paintings were largely nostalgic pictures of Ohio's past, in ink and watercolor on paper. The article focuses on the works and artistic style of Frank N. Wilcox, a watercolor painter based in Cleveland, Ohio. He says that he selects his subject based on a response to the most vital visual impressions. Wilcox uses flat, round and pointed sable brushes. He prefers to paint the Ohio landscape and uses several palettes for it including yellow, ochre, cadmium yellow pale and burnt sienna. His works are usually mounted on a 22 by 30 inches paper. Several examples of his paintings are provided. The
Cleveland Museum of Art lists over 40 works by Wilcox in its collection. One copy of his 1928 etching
Fisherman of Percé, Quebec is reposited with the U.S. Library of Congress. Wilcox displayed over 250 works at Cleveland's annual May Show. He received numerous awards, including the Penton Medal for as
The Omnibus, Paris (1920),
Fish Tug on Lake Erie (1921),
Blacksmith Shop (1922), and
The Gravel Pit (1922). Other paintings include
The Trailing Fog (1929),
Under the Big Top (1930), and
Ohio Landscape (1932). ==Recent exhibitions==