~by Boris Ladwig
E
llen Rigley Carter remembers accompanying her father, Frederick W. Rigley, to the home of Brown County Art Colony founder Adolph Shulz, where they and other artists listened to a violinist. It was the 1950s, and her father frequently would take the family to get-togethers with other artists to share meals and talk about their craft and the beauty of Brown County. “They were part of our family. They were our social life,” Ellen said. “We had dinner with them. Our whole lives were completely around art.” Her sister, Joan (pronounced Jo-Anne) Rigley, recalls meeting many of the artists as they came to her parents’ arts supply store. Her parents also frequently took the younger sister on rides throughout the county to look for subjects Frederick Rigley could paint, as he did most of his work onsite, outdoors. He would return to the spots
16 Our Brown County March/April 2022
Sisters Ellen Rigley Carter and Joan Rigley. photo by Boris Ladwig
to paint by himself, or sometimes with another painter or even a group of students. Often in the sunshine, but sometimes even in rain or snow. “He liked early morning light,” Joan said. “Shadows are important.” She joked that her parents took her along on the reconnaissance excursions because her sister, who is nine years older, probably did not want to serve as babysitter. For the younger sister, the road trips down unknown Brown County roads have had a lasting impact. “To this day, I still like doing that. I mean it is, like, ingrained in me,” Joan said. “I can’t hardly stand to drive by a road that I haven’t been down.” While the sisters never pursued professional careers as painters—in part on the advice of their
