Ernest Krape 1880 - 1974

"Mountain Spring " 1960 Oil on canvas, 20 x 32 1/2 $1,800

Ernest Krape taught art in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. He is known for his bold and colorful abstract landscapes.

He was born in Mackeyville, PA in 1880. His early interests in art included painting Pennsylvania Dutch furniture, pottery, plates, and trays. Earnest and his wife Sally were interior decorators, and worked both in West Palm Beach, Florida and in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from the mid 1920's to the mid 1940's. It was at this time, Ernest suffered a heart attack, and he and Sally sold their business and joined as partners with other family members and purchased a farm near State College. The family worked the farm for about six years, a time when Ernest turned his artistic interests to painting. After six years on the farm, Penn State University made an offer on the Krape family farm, because they wanted to build the university's airport on the site. The family accepted. In 1952, the Krape family purchased another farm near Gettysburg. Ernest was active in the Gettysburg community, and was the founder of the local Kiwanis Club. He had a habit of donating some of his paintings to local entities. One of them, entitled "Devils Den," a location on the Battlefield of Gettysburg, hangs in the Gettysburg Library.

Source: Mrs. Patricia Ann Krape of Gettysburg, PA, daughter-in-law of the artist.