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Sleepy Burro School of Art Records

 Collection
Identifier: ms01

Scope and Content

This Collection consists of drawings, paintings and notes of Theron M. Trombeau; curricula of Sleepy Burro School of Art; instructional materials; bulletins; newsletters; and correspondence pertaining to the school activities. It also contains training exercises of Trombeau during his enrollment at Famous Artists School (Section II, infra.), and critiques of his artwork in response to the assignments given to him at that school.

Dates

  • 1956-1976

Language of Materials

English

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research by appointment, Monday through Friday, during administrative museum hours.

Copy Restrictions

Limited duplication of print materials allowed for research purposes. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Biography or History

Theron M. (Marcos) Trombeau (hereafter TMT), often identified as Trombo, was born in 1911, a native of Kansas. His wife, Louise De Forest Trombeau (hereafter LT) was born in 1921, and was raised in Michigan.

TMT was largely a self-taught artist whose only semi-formal training came from correspondence courses he took in 1957 at Famous Artists Schools, Inc. located in Westport, Connecticut. LT never considered herself an artist, although...
she did some painting and assisted her husband with parts of the art instruction at the School he eventually established, as noted below.

The couple moved from Michigan to Las Cruces, New Mexico in 1942, where he took employment as a bookkeeper and pursued art only as a hobby. Ten years later he accepted a job (the nature of which is not known) in Alamogordo, and the couple bought a home in nearby High Rolls.

In 1954, his work as an artist attracted local notice, and he organized a class of four students to teach them art.

In 1955, TMT organized Sleepy Burro School of Art, in High Rolls, New Mexico. TMT's wife LT ran his art supply store and framing department, and aided her husband in certain aspects of the teaching.

In 1958, he moved the school to La Luz, New Mexico, where he occupied a century-old adobe house.

More detailed statements of the background of the couple can be found in the autobiographical statements in Section I, Folder A. 1., infra.
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Extent

3 cu. ft; 1 over-sized box

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