Herbert Waters and Barry Moser

Born in China the son of Baptist missionaries, Herbert Waters was a teacher as well as an artist. He taught, among other places, at UNH, which is where his drawings, prints, wood engravings and the carved blocks themselves, are housed. Waters’ career spanned many decades, reaching as far back as the Works Progress Administration (WPA) Federal Art Project in the Depression era. His work is represented in public and private collections throughout the country, including the Boston Museum of Fine Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. In 1993 he was presented the Living Treasure Award by the state of New Hampshire.

While Waters’ work was predominately landscape-oriented, his print interests extended to all subjects. On view is one of the many prints he presented to the Museum of Art, an untitled wood engraving by Barry Moser. Hailing from Tennessee, and having trained with famed printmaker Leonard Baskin among others, Moser’s work is represented in collections internationally. Simply put, Herb Waters loved printmaking and prints, and the collection he bestowed upon us is comprised of consummate examples of the printmaker’s art and craft.