"Mission San Juan Capistrano" Oil on board 12" x 16"
Known as the "Jewel of the Missions" and standing for over 200 years, San Juan Capistrano symbolizes California history and is a great inspiration for many artists. Notably one of America's best colorists, Arthur G. Rider treats us to a brilliant display of bright vivid colors in this exceptional work of art. As the bright sun shines on the garden's flowers the fountain spills water that ripples in the reflection of the mission's adobe wall and still bells.
CARL SAMMONS (1883 - 1968)
"Santa Barbara Mission" Oil on board 12" x 16"
The Santa Barbara Mission was established in 1786 by the Spanish Franciscans and is a quintessential example of colonial revival architecture. Sammons paints a lovely view of this historic California landmark. We enter the image by strolling on a pathway that runs through a lively garden and wraps around to the mission where lush trees flank the chapel and provide shade on a sunny afternoon. The red tower domes and light color of the stone chapel leap out of a painting dominated by greens. Tight brushwork creates wonderful detail in this well balanced composition.
CARL SAMMONS (1883 - 1968)
"Alpine Lake, Sierra Nevada" Oil on board 12" x 16"
Sammons uses complex brushwork to display the captivating detail of this grand Yosemite vista. Our eye meanders through this painting along the angular features of rocky outcroppings, tree lines and mountain summits, while taking a pause to notice shimmering reflections in the still waters of the lake. Warm streams of light from an afternoon sun inspire the use of bright colors in the foreground foliage. The heavy use of blues is crisp and refreshing, reminding us of winter melting into spring.
CARL SAMMONS (1883 - 1968)
"Wildflowers 17 Mile Drive" Oil on board 12" x 16"
A sandy pathway leads us into a thick mantle of lavender and scarlet blossoms. Fertile green grass extends to the edges of hillsides that descend sharply into the sea where waves crash vigorously against a rocky shoreline. Pink hues hugging the horizon create splendid color harmony with pale violet wildflowers and remind us of the tranquility of morning. The 17 Mile Drive is a scenic road through Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach, California and was a popular painting location for the California Impressionists.
CARL SAMMONS (1883 - 1968)
"Mt. San Gorgonio, Wild flowers Palm Springs" Oil on board 12" x 16"
Standing as the tallest mountain in Southern California at 11,503 feet, the snow capped peak and ridges of Mt. San Gorgonio provide a grand and distant contrast to California's beautiful desert wild flowers. Purple, yellow, and white colored springtime flowers rest peacefully in the desert sun as soft colored wind blown clouds whisk in the sky.
EDWIN ROSCOE SHRADER (1878 - 1960)
"View of Town" Oil on canvas 14" x 18"
Shrader paints us a cheerful scene of civilization that is energized with a lovely mix of pastel and bright colors applied with thoughtful strokes. The viewer stands on an embankment gazing across a populated valley to foot hills and mountain peaks beyond. Little houses with colorful roofs and grassy lawns are set amongst tree groves that provide a lively haven from the barrenness of the surrounding mountains.
JACK WILKINSON SMITH (1873 - 1949)
"Shadows in the Sierra" Oil on canvas 24" x 20"
Smith elegantly captures the majestic Sierras with this stunning and colorful vista. A low sun leaves the mountain valley cast in deep lavender shadows. We are greeted in the foreground by bright patches of green, a dark blue lake and a cluster of evergreens that pushes our eye up to the near distant peaks and illuminated sky. As we gaze across this chiseled terrain we get a great sense of awe from the grandness of nature.
JACK WILKINSON SMITH (1873 - 1949)
"Sierra Reflections" Oil on canvas 25" x 30"
Tucked away high in the Sierras, this scene gives us a stunning view of the unspoiled California landscape. A soaring mountain is a vision of grandeur as it sits peacefully against a backdrop of light cerulean skies. The viewer stands near the edge of a crystal clear pond with sprigs of growth accenting its banks. A low lying sun illuminates the blissful valley and casts long shadows behind rocks and trees that give the painting marvelous contours.
WILL SPARKS (1862 - 1937)
"Stevenson House" Oil on canvas 11" x 14"
Dating back to the Mexican era of California history and originally a rooming house known as the "French Hotel" this two story adobe structure located at 530 Houston Street in Monterey was built in the 1830's. Robert Louis Stevenson, poor and in frail health stayed there in 1879. With a heavy application of paint which has over time added an aged craquelure, a dark palette and a few tonal contrasting colors to render the bright moonlight against the adobe wall, Will sparks displays this old adobe on canvas. Housed in a stunning and hard to find black period frame.
DEDRICK STUBER (1878 - 1954)
"Autumn Flowers" Oil on board 22" x 27"
Stuber treats us to a warm and inviting pastoral scene that glows rich with color. Our eye follows a peaceful waterway through a landscape transforming from a change in season. Vibrant saffron-hued flora and a tall crimson-leafed tree brilliantly compliment the stunning light blues of the sky. There is a feathery softness to the brushstrokes, giving this painting a dreamy quality.
DEDRICK STUBER (1878 - 1954)
"Near Monterey" Oil on board 20" x 24"
As we meander down this shaded moonlit path of dark green grasses and tall trees towards the calm waters of the bay we are treated to the magnificent reflection of the brightly lit moon against the water. Off in the distance we notice the soft colors of the gentle rolling hills and up in the sky along with the shimmering moon just a few scattered clouds. Housed in an early antique period frame with the original name plate describing the title of the painting.
JAMES SWINNERTON (1875 - 1974)
"Chimney Rocks" Oil on canvas 16" x 14"
“Chimney Rocks” captures the grand beauty of a squall moving across the arid desert. A raging storm cloud casts ominous shadows across the land while a downpour of rain plummets from the sky. Thin, transparent applications of color combined with thicker paint strokes create a dynamically layered composition. Swinnerton’s illustrative painting style reflects his background as a newspaper cartoonist.
JAMES SWINNERTON (1875 - 1974)
"Desert Bee Weed" Oil on board 16" x 14"
This simple but well thought out painting delivers bright colors mixed with strong dark shadows. As the suns rays shine through the various shades of grayish-white clouds, shadows are created and delivered to the painting throughout the entire desert floor. As we study this painting we notice that only the immediate foreground shimmers in the sunlight. With varying darker shades of blues and purples Swinnerton captures the shadows from the yellow flowering green bushes as well as the depth of the distant hills.
MANUEL VALENCIA (1856 - 1935)
"Mission San Antonio de Padua" Oil on canvas 26" x 20"
Founded in 1771, Mission San Antonio de Padua was the third built mission of all the California missions. Valencia's family also has a very early history in California, as Manuel's grandfather was administrator of the Presidio in San Francisco in 1774. In this dramatic nocturne painting, Valencia applies thick paint which adds texture to the missions facade showing a strong moonlit glow on it's large cross atop the old adobe's thatched roof and fire lit windows. Housed in a unique hand carved gold leaf Richard Tobey frame.
MANUEL VALENCIA (1856 - 1935)
"Moonlight on the Ocean" Oil on canvas 20" x 30"
With a impressive display of deep blues and greens, Manuel Valencia treats us to this powerful nocturne painting of the sea. Small but strong white washed waves pound the foreground while out in the distance we see a couple of sailing ships below a heavily clouded moonlit sky. If you look closely at the larger of the two ships you will notice a light on deck.
HERNANDO VILLA (1881 - 1952)
"Edgar Payne's Cabin" Oil on canvas board 18" x 24"
Villa depicts a charming artist’s dwelling alive with the energy and activity of a gathering of company. The lovely golden yellow cottage is accented with blue trim and green roofs, with a little porch and steps around the side leading up to an earthy-red door. The setting is a splendid one, with the cabin resting against a tree-lined shore that overlooks a pristine lake, soaring mountain peaks and a crystal blue sky.
CHRISTIAN VON SCHNEIDAU (1893 - 1976)
"An Appeal" Oil on canvas 40" x 26"
A portrait of a young elegant woman in Los Angeles society appealing for charity. "A faint image of a child's face appears to be caressed by the fingertips of the woman's right hand. It is a visualization of the needs for which the beautiful young woman is appealing." (Click on the image to view an excerpt from the book, "C. VON SCHNEIDAU"). Illustrated pg. 27, "C. VON SCHNEIDAU".
ELMER WACHTEL (1864 - 1929)
"Hidden Valley" Oil on canvas 30" x 45"
Shadows reach across the valley towards a small town where buildings are nestled amongst groves of trees. Sunlight floods the mountain basin and attractive pastels brighten the valley in the distance. Wachtel employs a wide range of greens that balance nicely with peach and lavender hues. The subdued color palette interspersed with bursts of lighter tones reminds us of a quiet morning or afternoon as the sun makes it way over a flora-textured countryside.
ELMER WACHTEL (1864 - 1929)
"San Juan Bluffs, Dana Point 1892" Oil on board 9 x 15
Elmer Wachtel presents us with a tranquil ocean front vista free of inhabitants. The curve of the shoreline gives us a sweeping view which soothes us with its crisp blues and calm lavender. Gentle waves roll onto a shore speckled with stones that reflect in the wet sand. We can seethe mountains standing hazy in the distance while low clouds hover over rocky bluffs kissed by sunlight.
MARION WACHTEL (1870 - 1954)
"High Sierras" Oil on board 16" x 12"
With impressionist brush strokes that include nice detail, Marion Wachtel renders this great landscape painting of the High Sierra. A mild summer stream with small eroded rock lined cliffs (from when the stream was at a heavier winters flow) lead up the pine forested slopes to tree line. At tree line the moraine gives way to the steep rugged granite walls that the Sierra Mountains are famous for.
WILLIAM WENDT (1865 - 1946)
"Over the Hills to Monterey" Oil on canvas 16" x 20"
A yellow florae trail leads us down a hillside, directing our gaze to a church. Though this vista has been touched by civilization, its traces are unassuming and contribute to the relaxing feel of the painting. The distant ocean peeks up over the coastal hillsides as a narrow strip of light cerulean hugged by moody lavender clouds and a pale blue sky. These blue tones provide a refreshing compliment to warm ochres and muted red hues.
WILLIAM WENDT (1865 - 1946)
"Peaceful Pasture" Oil on canvas 12" x 16"
This pastoral scene is a charming portrayal of a quiet day on a California mountain ranch. Sloping mountains funnel our eye down to a valley floor teeming with life where cows graze and rest in a well-worn field accented by shrubs and boulders. Wendt’s fondness of the color green is seen in the fertile grasses and leafy trees. The afternoon sun is high in the sky producing rich color in the flora and fauna, and leaving only few areas of deep shadow in the composition. Tinted grays are used to create the shadows and subdued areas throughout the painting and give the image an overall feel of unity.
WILLIAM WENDT (1865 - 1946)
"San Antonio 1912" Oil on canvas 18" x 24"
This gorgeous painting of Mt. San Antonio (Mt. Baldy) and the peaceful valley below gives us the opportunity to view this region of California before mass development and freeways. An early William Wendt painting dated 1912, Wendt shows us a more detailed style using a narrower brush and with shorter brush strokes than his later paintings.
EDITH WHITE (1855 - 1946)
"Red Roses" Oil on canvas 35" x 20"
This gorgeous painting displays a simple contrast of rich reds and greens set in front of a creamy beige wall. Supple blooms cascade down a shapely vine lush with green leaves, their subtle “S” curve making it feel as though the plant is rustling with movement. As light filters through forms, it casts animated shadows that dance on the wall behind the blossoms. Roses were a popular subject matter for White, though this still life composition appears less staged and more natural, as if she happened upon the flowers.
EDITH WHITE (1855 - 1946)
"Pink Roses" Oil on canvas 27" x 35"
Edith White is one of early California's great floral still life painters and she has an interesting history. She came across the country from Iowa in 1855 in an ox-drawn wagon and in 1892 lived and worked in a studio in Pasadena's famed "Green Hotel". Light sparkles off the vase as various shades of light change the colors and tones of the roses. With nice detail, White adds a rug, basket and curtain to the composition making this a splendid still life painting. Housed in an exquisite early hand carved Richard Tobey gold leaf frame.
ORRIN WHITE (1883 - 1969)
"California Vista" Oil on canvas 22" x 28"
White paints a gorgeous vista of the San Gabriel Mountains with the focus on Mount San Antonio, commonly known as Mount Baldy. As the highest peak in the San Gabriel Mountains, this familiar summit can be seen from many points around southern California. This delightful painting presents us with a hillside view across verdant countryside and up towards snowcapped peaks. As light filters into the valley it highlights a fertile spring landscape with vibrant pastel tones. Daubs of vermilion leap out from deep shadowy hues in the foreground and snowy peaks materialize out of muted lavenders in the distance.
ORRIN WHITE (1883 - 1969)
"Saddle Peak, Malibu" Oil on canvas 18" x 24"
The landscape in the Malibu Canyon areas is among the most beautiful anywhere in the world. Saddle Peak's majestic presence surrounded by the natural scenery of this area can be seen from several of the roads that meander though the Malibu Canyon area. Orrin White really captures the beauty of this area with scattered oak trees nestled among the various shades of tall green grasses and the boulder strewn hillside. With only one red tiled roof in this beautiful land, this painting represents an earlier time in California's development.
PAUL WONNER (1920 - 2008)
"View From South Laguna" Oil on canvas 48" x 48"
Gaining renown as an abstract expressionist and member of the Bay Area Figurative Group, Wonner’s paintings make him an important figure in the development of modern art in California. Here he presents a stunning view of Laguna and the ocean highway that sets the boundary between land and sea. Vibrant tones in the rolling hills are set against a backdrop of pale blues which creates a nicely balanced composition while thick, loose sweeps of color give this large painting an exciting rhythm and energy.
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