The Benefits of Purchasing Art from a Private Dealer

At Karges Fine Art, we take pride in forming personal relationships with our clients, getting to know them, their unique tastes, their concerns and priorities, while gaining extensive knowledge about artworks in their existing collection. Our clients gain reassurance that they're making the right decision based on our familiarity with their individual taste and budget. We become keenly aware of the specific plan the client has for the future direction of their collection as a whole, or work to assist a new collector with the creation of a vision. This close relationship saves the client time, since a trusted art advisor is always looking for specific works that will appeal to each individual customer and fit in with their current collection. Our knowledgeable, professional staff provides customized service that is specifically tailored to suit the client's individual needs. We realize that ours is a customer service business, not just a sales opportunity. Our Art Consultants might assist a collector with the reframing of one of their other paintings and enjoy a leisurely dinner together. Each of our invoices is typed out by hand. Concierge service is our specialty and we go out of our way to make our collectors feel valued and appreciated.

Art galleries offer a more relaxed environment to view an artwork in person, evaluate, and decide on purchases, at the client's own pace, without the pressure of another buyer trying to outbid them in real time.

Galleries often have more flexibility in pricing. A private dealer may be able to immediately contact a consignor who could agree to lower their net to facilitate a sale. A gallery may occasionally be willing to offer a discount to a valued, long term collector, or to a new collector whose loyalty they would like to secure for the future. No “Buyer's Premium” is charged.

Whenever anyone buys a work of art, the reputation of the source should be of primary concern. Karges Fine Art has built a very strong international reputation over a 30 year period, assisting both private collectors and museum curators in building collections that are relevant to their goals, unique to their tastes, and personally meaningful to them. Honesty and trust are essential components of the relationship between a private dealer and the client. A private gallery owner knows that their business cannot be successful and enduring without a solid long-term reputation based on truthfulness, fairness, and integrity.

Karges Fine Art caters to individual tastes and we specialize in particular styles of art and specific periods, focusing primarily on Early California paintings created between 1870 and 1950 by historically important artists including Edgar Payne, Thomas Hill, and William Wendt and Alfred Mitchell. We also carry works by notable artists of the American Southwest, including paintings by Maynard Dixon, E. Martin Hennings, Walter Ufer, Joseph Henry Sharp, and Nicolai Fechin, as well as woodblock prints by Gustave Baumann. Additionally, our Gallery Director has extensive experience with sales and purchasing of paintings by early Philippine artists including Fernando Amorsolo and Anita Magsaysay-Ho. Our staff has extensive knowledge about these very specific sectors of the art world and we work hard to stay informed about the current market for those works through comprehensive research and networking. As private art advisors, we can slowly develop long-term relationships with other knowledgeable experts in the art community, including appraisers, museum curators, and other dealers. We stay informed about fluctuations in the current market so that we are able to provide insight and advice to our collectors. A personal art advisor is well informed about the particular place the artwork holds in the history of art, and its individual position in the oeuvre of the specific artist.

Russian Villagers
by
Southwest Artist Leon Gaspard (1882 - 1964)

We provide an environment where a collector's privacy is valued, offering discreet consultations with a well informed professional. The details of the sale remain confidential, and are not made available to the public. We often offer to make an appointment, at a time that is convenient for the collector, to personally bring paintings to our clients' homes so that they can be viewed on different walls, in different locations, with various lighting options. This gives the collector the ability to make an informed decision at their own pace, in their own home.

Winding Valley
by
Early California Impressionist Alfred Mitchell (1888 - 1972)

A private gallery or home setting provides an intimate, quiet space to view a work of art in person, directly, rather than from a reproduction in a catalogue or on a computer screen. The emotional experience of physically looking at a painting, feeling the human connection with the artist, and seeing the texture of the surface and the subtleties of the brushwork and coloring is much more profound and powerful in person.

Art is not a just a “commodity” that is bought and sold by the square inch. There is an intangible quality to unique original works of art. The well trained professional staff at a private gallery understands that these precious connections to the past are valued as part of the historical record of humankind, and knows that the works can and should evoke deep feelings and emotions in the collector that will bring them joy in the years to come. When a painting is acquired, the collector becomes part of that artwork's story. For many, collecting art is not just an investment or a hobby, it's a passion that provides deep satisfaction on a personal level. Our experienced art consultants have a real understanding of this intangible factor. Need assistance starting a new collection or finding the perfect work for your existing one? Contact us any time at (800) 833-9185, or by email to gallery@kargesfineart.com, or stop by and visit our gallery at Dolores and Sixth Avenue in beautiful Carmel-by-the-Sea.

Thomas Hill, Leland Curtis and Percy Gray - Early California Paintings of the Sierra Nevada

Over the past century and a half, early American artists have been captivated by the natural beauty, rugged terrain, and panoramic views of the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

In the mid 19th century, Hudson River School artists Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran painted luminous, romantic, landscapes of the West, bringing their epic sweeping views of “The Land of Promise” to the American public.

Early paintings of Yosemite, such as these by Thomas Hill, Leland Curtis, and Percy Gray, served to draw attention to that area, and helped to spark a new era of conservation and environmental protection for its unique and exceptional beauty.

The stunning waterfalls, majestic granite cliffs and scenic vistas were favorite subjects of famous 19th century landscape artist Thomas Hill. One of the most acclaimed painters in the history of American art, Hill is especially well known for his western landscapes and panoramic views of our National Parks. 

Thomas Hill
(1829 - 1908)
Yosemite Valley
14 x 21 inches
SOLD

Thomas Hill(1829 - 1908)
Vernal Falls
30 x 20 inches
SOLD

Avid mountain climber and talented artist Leland Curtis was known for his striking plein air mountain and desert landscape paintings. Curtis was born in Denver in 1897 and lived in Seattle prior to moving to Los Angeles in 1914.  He was the official artist for multiple U.S. Antarctic Expeditions between 1939 and 1957, and moved in 1960 to Twenty Nine Palms, California.  He spent many summers in Moose, Wyoming where he had a studio in a rustic log cabin.  He was an avid hiker and mountain climber, and his works reflect the artist's obvious love and respect for nature and his deep appreciation of the magnificent panoramic views.

Leland Curtis(1897 - 1989)
Aspen Trees
6 x 7 1/2 inches
AVAILABLE NOW

Percy Gray is considered one of California's most important historical artists, and more specifically, one of the state's premier watercolorists.  He was influential as a leader of the American art movement known as “Tonalism” that began in the 1880's and lasted well into the 1920's.  His works such as the delicate watercolor below, celebrate the artist's tonalist style, interpreting nature using muted colors, soft outlines, and subtle nuances and gradations of single hues in a narrow range. 

Percy Gray
(1869 - 1952)
Liberty Cap
SOLD

Works from the early California Impressionism genre and early Tonalist paintings, plein air landscapes in particular, serve to call attention to the exceptional and unparalleled beauty of the Sierra Nevada's mountain peaks, Alpine lakes, and granite cliffs. These, in turn, remind us of the fragile nature of our unique habitat. On this celebration of Earth Day 2020, we hope that these extraordinary historical paintings will serve to inspire us all to become better custodians of these precious lands, and to protect and nurture the environment.

Contact our staff at Karges Fine Art at (800) 833-9185 for more information about early California paintings that are currently available to add to your collection.

Alson Clark - Acclaimed Early California Impressionist Artist

Alson Clark is remembered as one of southern California’s finest early Impressionist artists.  He was a successful and influential plein-air painter and art teacher, and was deeply inspired by the French Impressionist movement.  He is known for his landscapes, figurative works, interior scenes, and cityscapes and is particularly remembered for his mastery of atmospheric and lighting effects.

Alson Clark
"La Jolla"
SOLD

Born in Chicago to a wealthy family, Alson Clark initially enrolled at the Art Institute and then took a two year long journey around the world with his parents and was exposed to a wide variety of artwork, especially European paintings.

Alson Clark
"Chicago"
SOLD

He moved to New York in 1896 to study at the Art Students League with William Merritt Chase.  He then studied at Chase’s summer school of plein-aire painting at Shinnecock.  In 1898 Clark moved to Paris to study at a school directed by James McNeill Whistler, the Academie Carmen. His work was strongly influenced by Whistler throughout his long successful career.

Returning to the U.S. in 1901, he married, then lived with his wife in Paris from 1902 to 1914. During his time in France, he painted in 1910 in Giverny with his fellow artist, Guy Rose.  His style became more strongly influenced by Impressionism and his palette became lighter than it has been during his years with Whistler.

Alson Clark
"Paris"
SOLD

In 1913 Clark was drawn to visit and paint the construction of the Panama Canal. He eventually was invited to hold a solo exhibition at the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, an honor bestowed on very few American artists at that time, and was awarded a bronze medal.

Alson Clark
"Panama Canal"
SOLD

He enlisted in the Navy during World War I and afterwards, in 1919, Alson Clark settled in Southern California where he, along with Guy Rose, taught at the Stickney School in Pasadena. He later became Director of the school.  He continued painting, and was particularly interested in scenes of the California Missions including San Gabriel and San Juan Capistrano.

Alson Clark
"San Juan Capistrano"
SOLD

Alson Clark
"The Golden Hour"
SOLD

He also traveled and painted desert and mountain landscapes in Mexico and the Southwestern United States.

Alson Clark
"San Gorgonio"
SOLD

Alson Clark’s paintings have been exhibited at numerous prestigious venues including the National Academy of Design, the Paris Salon, the Los Angeles County Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago.  In 1921 his works were shown in a solo exhibition organized by Earl Stendahl, an important art dealer based in Southern California.

In 1925 he was commissioned by the Pasadena Playhouse to paint a large stage curtain, and he began a series of other commissioned works, including many well received murals.  He and his wife continued traveling when possible, in both the United States and Europe.

Alson Clark
"Seville"
SOLD

Clark’s health eventually declined, and he died in March 1949.

Note: Do you own an original painting by this artist that you would like to sell or consign? William A. Karges Fine Art, located in Carmel, California buys and sells paintings by this notable early California Impressionist.  Contact Patrick Kraft at (831) 601-2071 today for a free evaluation.

Jules Tavernier - Painter of Active Hawaiian Volcanoes

Jules Tavernier is best known and remembered for his Hawaiian scenes, especially landscape paintings that often prominently featured active volcanoes.  His works were often grand, panoramic views with deep contrasts between the darker sections of the paintings and the brightly colored volcanic lava flows. 

Tavernier was born in Paris, France in 1844, where he studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts, and by age 20 he had exhibited to acclaim at the prestigious Paris Salon.   He worked as an artist-war correspondent during the Franco-Prussian war, then moved to London for a brief period and made his living as an illustrator.

In 1873 Tavernier immigrated to the U.S., where he sketched his way across the country on horseback as an illustrator for Harper’s Weekly making sketches of the vast western landscape. In California by 1875, he served as Vice President of the San Francisco Art Association for a time, and helped to found the Bohemian Club.  He later established a studio in Monterey and invited other artists to join him there, forming a small art colony.  He married Lizzie Fulton in 1877 and began what was a tumultuous relationship, marred by his tendency towards running up debts and drinking to excess. He was very successful as an artist but was eventually forced to leave town, returning to San Francisco in 1879. He worked there in a studio with fellow artists, including Julian Rix.

Jules Tavernier
"Mount Rainier, Washington"
SOLD

Jules Tavernier
"Indians of the Southwest"
SOLD

Jules Tavernier
"Indians of California"
SOLD

In 1884 Jules Tavernier fled his debts and embarked for Hawaii to specialize in the moody nocturnes of active volcanoes that brought him fame. His works there were so popular, he eventually became the official painter to King Kalakaua.  Learn more about the artist here: Isaacs Art Center - Hawai'i Prepartory Academy 

His descent into debt unfortunately continued and, as a result of local laws that did not allow those who could not pay their bills to leave the island, he remained there, drinking himself to death at age 45 in Honolulu 1889.

His paintings can be found in the collections of the Oakland Museum, De Young Museum, the Honolulu Academy of Arts, The Yosemite National Park Museum, and the Bohemian Club as well as numerous other prestigious institutions and libraries.

California Impressionism

In the late 19th century, a groundbreaking new style of painting was evolving in France by artists such as Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Edgar Degas, and Pierre Auguste Renoir. This new genre featured rich, bold colors, close attention to light and atmospheric effects, and loose brushstrokes. French artists began to reject traditional academic painting techniques that favored realism. This new style focused on the way the human eye views the world at a quick glance, highlighting the play of light on objects, rather than the portrayal of objects and their “real-world”, detailed, solid surfaces. Distinctly unpopular as an artistic style when first introduced, works in this genre have now become some of the most easily recognized and sought after. Original paintings by important Impressionist artists now regularly break records at auction, and countless prints of the most famous works are widely purchased by collectors worldwide.

Artists in America became aware of these new techniques in the late 19^th and early 20th century as many young painters traveled to Europe to study. Some artists in “The Golden State” began painting in this new style, and eventually became the important California Impressionists that are widely known and celebrated today. They studied changing atmospheric effects as they worked “en plein-air”, outdoors, to capture the beauty of the exceptional and unparalleled beauty of the hills, mountains, deserts, beaches and farmlands of the State.

The different styles seen in Southern and Northern California Impressionist paintings were developed in great part by the variances in climate and light in the two distinct regions.

Southern California Impressionism

In Southern California, artists such as Guy Rose, Edgar Payne, William Wendt, Maurice Braun, Orrin White, Granville Redmond, William Otte, Hanson Puthuff, Jack Wilkinson Smith, Joseph Kleitsch, and Alfred Mitchell were inspired by the sunlight and the warm climate of the area. 

Edgar Payne (1883 - 1947)
"Rocks and Surf"
SOLD

William Wendt (1865 - 1946)
"Announcement of Fall"
SOLD

The colors in their paintings tended to be brighter and more saturated than those of their counterparts in the Northern Areas of the state. Their brushstrokes were often bolder, stronger, and looser.

Orrin White (1883 - 1969)

"Southern California Landscape"

SOLD

Granville Redmond (1871 - 1935)
"Wildflowers"
SOLD

Joseph Kleitsch (1882 - 1931)
"Pont St. Michel, Paris"
AVAILABLE NOW

Northern California Impressionism

In contrast, Northern California Impressionism tended to be more restrained, softer, and more muted, as a result of the foggier, cooler weather and its effect on the atmosphere and light. The American art movement known as “Tonalism” that began in the 1880's and lasted well into the 1920's was still very popular in this part of the state and practiced by artists such as Percy Gray and Will Sparks. Tonalism focused on creating an interpretation of nature using muted colors, soft outlines, and subtle nuances and gradations of single hues in a narrow range. Some artists, such as Armin Hansen, William Ritschel, Alice Chittenden and Jules Pages, however, practiced a more traditional form of Impressionism that featured stronger colors, as well as bolder, looser brushstrokes.

Percy Gray (1869 - 1952)
"Forest Glade, Point Lobos"
SOLD

William Ritschel (1864 - 1949)
"Point Lobos"
SOLD

Armin Hansen (1886 - 1957)
"Aground"
SOLD

For additional information about available California Impressionist paintings, please contact our staff at William A. Karges Fine Art in Carmel, California by phone at (800) 833-9185 or by email to gallery@kargesfineart.com or visit our website at www.kargesfineart.com.

Southern California Impressionist Joseph Kleitsch

Joseph Kleitsch

(1882 - 1931)

Joseph Kleitsch is considered to be one of the most important and influential of the early Southern California Impressionists.  Born in Hungary in 1882, he began painting at age seven, and trained in Budapest, Munich and Paris.  By the age of 17, he was an accomplished portraitist, with sitters such as Franz Josef of Austria.  Furthering his studies, Kleitsch immigrated to the United States around 1901, first setting in Ohio, then in Denver in 1905.  He married his first wife, Emma Multner, in October of 1904 and they moved to Mexico City in 1909.  His outstanding portraits of Mexico's President Francisco Madero were highly regarded.  In 1913 his wife, Emma, passed away.

After 1914 Klietsch painted many prominent local citizens while studying at the Art Institute of Chicago.  He became a teacher at the well known school, where he taught until 1919, and was awarded the Gold Medal in 1914 when he exhibited his work there. In 1914 he married an art teacher named Edna Gregatis, and their son Eugene was born in 1915.

Settling in Laguna Beach in 1920, he established the Kleitsch Academy of Art. He had become acquainted in Chicago with the important southern California Impressionist painter, Edgar Payne, who had already settled in the Laguna Beach area.  Kleitsch's California works, exhibited at the Stendahl Galleries in Los Angeles, were focused on the landscape, gardens, and architecture around his home in Laguna Beach, as well as coastal scenes.  He traveled to various locations in California including Carmel, Mission San Juan Capistrano and San Francisco in search of interesting and inspiring subjects.

Joseph Kleitsch

"Laguna Coastline"

SOLD

He traveled to Europe between 1926 and 1929, including to Giverny, France, where he was inspired by the dramatic setting of Claude Monet's acclaimed works.

Joseph Kleitsch

"Canteloupe, Paris, 1927"

SOLD

Kleitsch, a master colorist, is celebrated for his bold, energetic brushwork, and his unique and elegant style.  He often painted outdoors, “en plein-air”, and was one of the founders of the Painters' and Sculptors' Club in 1923.  Throughout the course of his successful career, he also was a member of the Chicago Society of Artists, The Palette and Chisel Club of Chicago, and the Laguna Beach Art Association.  His work was awarded the Grand Prize and the Figure Prize by Laguna Beach Art Association.

Joseph Kleitsch

"Laguna, 1925"

SOLD

His paintings can be found in the collections of the Laguna Beach Museum of Art, the Irvine Museum, and the Fleischer Museum.

Kleitsch died on November 16th, 1931 at the age of forty-nine of a heart attack, while he was in front of the Courthouse in Santa Ana, California.

Joseph Kleitsch
"Pont St. Michel, 1927"
Oil on canvas
21 x 18 inches
AVAILABLE NOW

“Pont St. Michel”, shown above, depicts the famous bridge in Paris, originally constructed in 1378, that links the Place Saint-Michel on the left bank of the river Seine to the Ile de la Cite.

For additional information about this artist, call William A. Karges Fine Art at (800) 833-9185, email to gallery@kargesfineart.com, or visit our website at www.kargesfineart.com/joseph-kleitsch

Paul de Longpre "The King of Flower Painters"

Paul de Longpre was born in Lyon, France in 1855 to the Maucherat de Longpre family. The textile-design industry was an important commercial sector in Lyon, and there were numerous artists known for their skills at painting flowers.  He was certainly exposed to their works as a child, and was likely inspired by the subject matter as he began drawing floral images at a very young age. By the age of 12, de Longpre was earning an income painting flowers on fans for a Parisian firm.

He became a student in Paris at the respected Ecole des Beaux Arts and his paintings were becoming more popular and were enjoyed by a larger audience.  His early success continued with acceptance of a painting by the Paris Salon.  De Longpre was a well known artist in Paris when he moved to New York in 1890.

Paul de Longpre
"California Poppies"
SOLD

His artistic skills continued to develop during this period while he worked as a commercial illustrator and created plein-air paintings in the surrounding non-urban areas.  He was also considered to be a talented musician, composing sixteen works between 1891 and 1907.  His artistic career continued to grow and his works were praised by the public at his first New York exhibition in 1896.  He began to reproduce his most popular works as lithographs, which reached a broader audience and increased his fame and celebrity. Large numbers of these prints survive today.

Paul de Longpre
"Lilacs"
SOLD

Attracted by the beauty of the landscape and the variety of flowers in Southern California, de Longpre and his family moved to Los Angeles in 1898. By this point in his career, he was a relatively wealthy man and was able to build an extravagant home there at Cahuenga and Hollywood Boulevard.  The large estate included tended gardens that became a tourist attraction, drawing some 25,000 visitors each year. Painting floral scenes almost exclusively with watercolors, de Longpre found inspiration in the 4,000 rose bushes he had on his estate. His fame increased and a street was even named after him, De Longpre Avenue in Hollywood.

Paul de Longpre
"Roses, Bumblebees and Bird"
SOLD

He was an industrious and very active artist throughout this period of his career as he continued to produce chromolithographic prints and taught students the nuances of watercolor painting.  He died at the relatively young age of fifty-six, famous and popular, and is remembered to this day as “The King of Flower Painters”.

Paul de Longpre
"Orchids"
SOLD

For additional information, call our Carmel, CA gallery at (800) 833-9185, email us at gallery@kargesfineart.com, or visit www.kargesfineart.com.

To view a large group of paintings by this important artist, please visit:

Karges Fine Art - Paul de Longpre

Percy Gray's Early California Tonalist Watercolors

Percy Gray is considered one of California's most important historical artists, and more specifically, one of the state's premier watercolorists.  He was influential as a leader of the American art movement known as “Tonalism” that began in the 1880's and lasted well into the 1920's.  Tonalism focused on creating an interpretation of nature using muted colors, soft outlines, and subtle nuances and gradations of single hues in a narrow range. 

Born in San Francisco in 1869 to a family with an artistic heritage, Gray inherited a passion for art, and enrolled at the California School of Design at the age of sixteen. After working as a newspaper illustrator, he began his full-time career as a landscape painter in the Bay Area.  He originally started working with oils. However, he became allergic to these materials, prompting his switch to watercolor.

Percy Gray "A Forest Glade, Point Lobos"

11 x 9 inches

Watercolor

SOLD

The inclusion of wildflowers in his paintings contributed to the romantic, poetic mood often seen in the artist's tonalist works.  The colored flowers provide a perfect contrast to the softer subtler colors seen in the sky and hills in the background.

Percy Gray

"Tall Pines"

14 x 7 inches

Watercolor

SOLD

Throughout his career his style was reminiscent of the Barbizon School artists and grays, browns, and greens were usually his palette of choice.  His paintings that feature clouds and moody skies above the trees have a quiet, pastoral tone and convey calmness, peace, and timelessness.  He often focused on the uniquely hazy atmospheric effects and softly blurred outlines commonly found in Northern California, and frequently included his signature towering, majestic oak trees.

Creating visual poetry, large elegant trees are often abundant in his paintings.  Works showcasing the gently sweeping branches of the Eucalypti are particularly sought-after by collectors.

Today, Percy Gray is unquestionably considered one of the most successful and well-known landscape painters to have worked in California during the early 20th Century.  Gray spent his last years in Marin County continuing to paint until his death in 1952.  His work has been exhibited at many public institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Crocker Art Museum, Oakland Museum, Santa Barbara Museum, Brooklyn Museum, and the Monterey Museum of Art.

For additional information about the artist and currently available paintings by Percy Gray, please  visit our website at www.kargesfineart.com, contact Karges Fine Art in Carmel, California by email to gallery@kargesfineart.com or by telephone at (831) 625-4266.

The Romance of Early California Landscapes

What is it that has always attracted people to Early California painting? Works created during the period between 1870 and 1940, plein air works in particular, call attention to the exceptional and unparalleled beauty of the hills, mountains, deserts, and farmlands of the Golden State. These cherished historic works remind us of a romantic era and a quieter time in the history of the “Land of Sunshine and Opportunity”.

Joan Irvine Smith, founder of the Irvine Museum, noted that “Over a hundred years ago, the splendor of nature fascinated artists and compelled them to paint beautiful paintings. As we view these rare and remarkable paintings, we are returned, all too briefly, to a time long ago when the land and its bounty were open and almost limitless.”

Even before the land around Yosemite Valley became part of Yosemite National Park in 1890, the breathtaking views of this area captivated countless notable artists and writers. The stunning waterfalls, majestic granite cliffs and scenic vistas were favorite subjects of famous 19th century landscape artist Thomas Hill. One of the most acclaimed painters in the history of American art, Thomas Hill is especially well known for his western landscapes and panoramic views of our National Parks. We are pleased to present this magnificent scene of Bridalveil Fall, Yosemite, below, which showcases the natural beauty of the area.

Thomas Hill (1829 - 1908)

"Bridalveil Fall, Yosemite"

SOLD

Millard Sheets was one of the seminal artists working in California from the late 1920's until his death in the late 1980's. Often identified as the most influential of the "California Scene Painters" during the 1930's and 40's, Sheets was a master watercolorist and oil painter. He also designed and oversaw the implementation of over 100 public murals, and as one of the directors of the WPA Art Program for Southern California, his leadership and impact on the local art world cannot be overstated.

Millard Sheets was born in 1907 in Pomona, California and grew up on a ranch, where he developed a love of the land and horses. "Dairy Farm", below, is a fine example of his unique style that also reveals his enduring attraction to simple, rustic, rural scenes. His paintings can be found the collections of numerous important museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum, the Chicago Art Institute, and the National Gallery in Washington D.C.

Millard Sheets (1907 - 1989)

"Dairy Farm"

Watercolor, 12 x 15 inches

SOLD

American Impressionist Orrin White is best known for his decorative Southern California landscape paintings. He was born in Illinois in 1883 and moved to Los Angeles in 1912, where he worked for an interior design firm and painted in his spare time. In 1915 his works were accepted to both the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, and the 1915-1916 Panama-California International Exposition in San Diego, and he was inspired to begin painting full-time.

“Southern California Landscape”, below, is painted in a classic impressionist style, with rich, bold colors, close attention to light and atmospheric effects, and loose brushstrokes. The strong composition features the towering, majestic trees that are often found in his finest plein-air works.

Orrin White (1883 - 1969)
"Southern California Landscape"
Oil on canvas, 30 x 40 inches
SOLD

The appeal of historical California art is multi-faceted and often rooted in deeply-felt emotions and fundamental human nature. This bucolic scene from the remarkable plein-air watercolorist Marion Wachtel, “Santa Paula”, below, evokes a peaceful, quiet mood, and serves as a wonderful counterpoint to the fast pace of today's world.

Born in Milwaukee in1870 into an artistic family, Marion Wachtel studied at the Art Institute of Chicago, in New York City with William Merritt Chase, and in Northern California with William Keith. She and her husband, notable early Southern California landscape artist Elmer Wachtel, eventually moved to an art community near the Arroyo in Pasadena, a favorite location for landscape painters of that era.

Marion Wachtel (1870 - 1954)
"Santa Paula"
Oil on canvas, 20 x 30 inches
SOLD

Early California landscapes can bring us joy, pleasure, and memories of happy times spent with people we've loved. And, most importantly, the paintings from this special era in history make us feel connected to the past, connected to the land and the environment around us, connected to the artists through time, and to each other.

For additional information about these paintings or other currently available artworks, please visit www.kargesfineart.com, call (800) 833-9185, or email the Director of our Carmel Gallery, Patrick Kraft, at gallery@kargesfineart.com.

The Exotic World of Jessie Arms Botke

During the height of her career, Jessie Arms Botke was proclaimed by critics as the greatest decorative painter of the West. The art world consisted primarily of male artists in the early twentieth century, yet Botke quickly earned a name for herself through a strong work ethic and an undeniable talent. She is primarily remembered for her ornate depictions of exotic birds, especially pelicans, geese, ducks, cockatoos, and peacocks, as well as her elegant paintings of tropical flowers, which inspired her to a high level of artistry.

No matter the medium, Botke’s paintings are unique and filled with both wonder and fantasy. From her early plein air landscapes and her decorative friezes to her more mature gold-leaf oil compositions, Botke’s work remained relevant, even in the ‘60s, as a testament to her longevity as an artist and the sheer beauty of her creations.

Born in Chicago in 1883, Jessie Arms began painting and sketching at a young age. By 1902, she had enrolled in the Art Institute of Chicago, where she trained under the tutelage of renowned artists and teachers John C. Johansen and Charles Woodbury. Upon graduation, she moved to New York City to work for Albert Herter of Herter Looms, famed textile and tapestry design firm. She later contributed to a series of wall murals done by Herter for San Francisco’s St. Francis Hotel.

Jessie Arms Botke

"Peacocks and Poppies"

Oil and gold leaf on board

32 x 28 inches

SOLD

After moving back home to Chicago, Jessie Arms met artist Cornelis Botke, who soon became her husband and lifelong partner. In 1929, the happy couple settled in Santa Paula, California’s Wheeler Canyon on a peaceful ranch consisting of ten acres. From her home and studio, Botke became the most exceptional decorative painter of the twentieth century with her bold portrayals of birds and flora, which were heavily inspired by Japanese screens. Later in life, she also proved herself to be a master watercolorist and printmaker.

Click here to view additional examples of Botke's paintings.

Click here for additional in-depth information about the artist and her life.

Call William A. Karges Fine Art at (800) 833-9185 for additional information about available paintings by Jessie Arms Botke and other early California artists, or email gallery@kargesfineart.com.