Olive Chaffee was a St. Louis artist who made St. Petersburg, her home and studio for the winters of 1932 and 1933. Chaffee, the wife of artist Roy Chaffee, painted landscapes in the Barbizon style. Mrs. H. Luther Smith, chairman of the art department of the Clearwater Woman’s Club wrote the following in the Clearwater Sun, February 28, 1933, “An oil painting depicting the beauty of the typical Florida landscape, the work of Olive Holbert Chaffee, well known artist of St. Louis and New York, recently was purchased by the National League of American Pen Women and offered as first prize in its country-wide poetry contest. The prize picture is called ‘The Flame Vine’ and was painted by Mrs. Chaffee last winter. A poem of the same title, inspired by the picture is printed below. Mr. and Mrs. Chaffee spent last winter at Clearwater, Tarpon Springs and St. Petersburg, and painted throughout this section of the state. Unstinted words of praise for the trees, streams and winding bayous spread in a pattern of beauty before the traveler in Pinellas County, are heard from Mr. and Mrs. Chafee, who will exhibit their paintings in the building of the Woman’s Club of Clearwater today. ‘Pinellas County is a winter paradise for the landscape artist,’ says Mr. and Mrs. Chaffee, ‘It not only offers a wealth of beautiful painting subjects, but also enables him to work outdoors during the months when there is no opportunity to do so in other parts of the country. The Art Club of Clearwater has been fortunate in securing these famous artists to teach an outdoor sketch class for a period of six weeks….” Membership: Art Club of St. Petersburg. Exhibits: Clearwater Woman’s Club, Art Department, February 1933; Clearwater Woman’s Club, local artist exhibit, March 1933, Flame Vine; Rollins College, Winter Park, one woman show, March 1933; Art Club of St. Petersburg, one woman show, April 1933; Clearwater Woman’s Club, Art Department, March 1934.
