Walt Speck

An American painter of landscapes and urban landscapes, Walt Speck studied in Paris with John P. Wicker and Othon Freisz. He became a teacher at the University of Michigan Arts and Crafts Society and at Wayne State University, and he was eventually appointed director of the Detroit School of Art and head of the local arts program under the Works Progress Administration (WPA). While on Catalina Island in 1933, he painted a view of the Catalina Pottery. Speck was known for his portrayal of the feelings of the common man during the great depression and the dust bowl.