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.

The Taos Society of Artists

The Taos Art Colony was a important and groundbreaking group of painters, many of whom had immigrated from or studied in Europe, who gathered and worked together near the Taos Pueblo in New Mexico in the late 19^th century. The historically important Taos Society of Artists began there in 1915, several decades after founding members Ernest Blumenschein and Bert Geer Phillips settled in the area around 1898.

Joseph Henry Sharp was one of the six original members of the Taos Society and is considered to be its “Spiritual Father”. The original members of the group, known collectively as the “Taos Six” included Sharp, Eanger Irving Couse, Oscar Berninghaus, Bert Geer Phillips, W. Herbert Dunton, and Ernest Blumenschein. Later members included E. Martin Hennings and Walter Ufer. The group was inspired by the tradition, history, and beauty of the area and the Native American people who had lived there for nearly a thousand years. The artists created landscape paintings of the southwest deserts and mountains, and painted intimate portraits of the local inhabitants who had a long artistic tradition that included native crafts. Members of the Taos Society of artists often used rich, vibrant colors in their works, a break from the more monochromatic and traditional palettes seen in that era.

Joseph Henry Sharp

Sharp was born in Ohio in 1859 and became deaf as a child as a result of a near-drowning accident. At age 14 he moved to Cincinnati Ohio to live with his aunt and studied art at Mickmicken University, and later traveled to Europe to study at the Antwerp Academy.

He was one of the first American painters to visit the Taos area in 1893, and he quickly fell in love with the local people, their culture, and the landscape. He set up his artist’s studio there in 1909. He moved permanently to Taos in 1912 where he became internationally known for his portraits, landscapes, and genre scenes that prominently feature and celebrate Native Americans. J.H. Sharp was awarded the Gold Medal at the Panama-California Exposition in 1915, and was a member of the Salamagundi Club, the Society of Western Artists and the Artists' Guild of Chicago.

J.H Sharp is remembered for his portraits of Native Americans in the Southwest that feature close attention to detail and visually illustrate the spirit, character, and essence of the subject. He is also known for his Western landscape paintings. He passed away in 1953, in Pasadena, where he had established a studio in 1910.

President Theodore Roosevelt commissioned Sharp to paint 200 portraits of Native Americans, 11 of which are now in the Smithsonian Institute. Phoebe Hearst, William Randolph Hearst's mother, purchased 155 of Sharp's paintings which she eventually donated to U.C. Berkeley. The largest collection of the artist's works is held by the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa Oklahoma, and his paintings can also be found at the Amon Carter Museum, Houston Museum of Fine Art, the Cincinnati Art Museum, and in many other significant private collections worldwide.

Joseph Henry Sharp (1859 - 1953)
"Bawling Deer"
16 x 14 inches
SOLD

E.I. Couse

Eanger Irving Couse was born in Saginaw, Michigan, where he first started drawing the Chippewa Indians who lived nearby. Couse worked hard to pay for his art education, occasionally dropping out to earn money while attending the Art Institute of Chicago, and the National Academy of Design. In 1897 Couse left for Paris to study at the Academie Julian, where he met the American artist, Joseph Henry Sharp, who often spoke of Taos. Couse would become a frequent visitor and resident of Taos from 1902 on. In 1912 when the historically important Taos Society of Artists was formed, Couse was elected its first President. E. Irving Couse is best known for his intimate images of Native Americans in moments of spiritual ceremony and quiet repose.

E.I. Couse (1866 - 1936)
"Figure by a Stream"
12 x 16 inches
SOLD

Oscar Berninghaus

Born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1874, Oscar Berninghaus was an important Southwest painter who was another founder of the Taos Society of artists in 1915. He and his group were instrumental in transforming the small Colony in Taos into an internationally known art center. Berninghaus’ works are widely admired for their ability to capture the spirit and character of Native Americans in traditional clothing as they genuinely appeared in their day to day, 20th century lives. He is also remembered for his outstanding Western Landscape paintings, especially desert scenes that often include horses, as well as portraits and figurative works portraying cowboys.

His early works were colorful and strongly influenced by Impressionism. He studied at the St. Louis School of Fine Art and, in 1898, was an illustrator for "McClure's" magazine. He was asked by the magazine to travel to New Mexico and Arizona and he became enchanted by the natural beauty of the area. He met fellow artist, Bert Geer Phillips and began to spend each Summer in Taos.

He had a long successful career and was commissioned by the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Association to do a series of Western scenes. He also created landscape paintings of the area for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, and painted a mural in Phoenix, Arizona in 1931 for the Post Office building. Berninghaus died at the age of 77 on April 27, 1952, as a result of a recent heart attack and is considered to be one of the most important and influential early Southwest American artists.

Oscar Berninghaus (1874 - 1952)
"Riders on the Rio Grande"
SOLD

Bert Geer Phillips

Bert Geer Phillips was born in Hudson, New York, in 1868. In 1883 he began five years study at the Art Students League and the National Academy of Design in New York, where he found work as an artist following his training. Opting for more schooling, Phillips left in 1894 for London and Paris, where he met Joseph Henry Sharp and Ernest Blumenschein. Sharp never missed an opportunity to share tales of Taos, New Mexico, and in 1898, Phillips and Blumenschein bought a wagon and headed west. When their wagon broke near Taos, the men ended their trek and rented studios in the town. Blumenschein and Phillips were founding members of Taos Art Colony. Phillips was a collector of Native American artifacts. Pieces from his collection would often appear in his vivid, semi-romantic paintings of the Southwest.

Bert Geer Phillips (1868 - 1956)
"Conchita of Taos"
8 x 6 inches
SOLD

E. Martin Hennings

E. Martin Hennings was born in Pennsgrove, New Jersey, in 1886, and raised in Chicago. He studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art and the Art Institute of Chicago before enrolling in the Munich Academy in 1914, where he first began to abandon his classical realist training. With the onset of WW I, Hennings returned to Chicago, where he was an instructor at the Art Institute. In 1917 he was sponsored to travel to the southwest. It was on this trip that Hennings first discovered Taos, New Mexico where he’d move permanently in 1924, banding together with friends from Munich, Walter Ufer and Victor Higgins. All three artists eventually joined the Taos Society of Artists. The remainder of Hennings’ life was devoted to rich painterly works that venerated his Native American subjects.

E. Martin Hennings (1886 - 1956)
"Out in the Sage"
25 x 30 inches
SOLD

Walter Ufer

Walter Ufer was born in Germany in 1876, and came to the U.S. the next year, settling in Kentucky. Having shown talent at an early age, he was apprenticed to a lithography firm, before leaving for Europe to study at the Royal Academy in Munich, where he met Joseph Henry Sharp and Ernest Blumenschein. Upon his return to the states, Ufer worked as an illustrator in Chicago before moving permanently to Taos in 1917, where he joined Taos Society of Artists.

Throughout the remainder of his career, Ufer concentrated on simple, non-dramatized paintings of the Native American. Though hampered at times by chronic alcoholism, his work won him great acclaim, and earned him membership in the National Academy of Design in New York.

Walter Ufer (1876 - 1936)
"Song of the Corn"
12 1/4 x 10 1/2 inches
SOLD

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

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.

Celebrating Summer Through the Art of the Central California Coast

Since the beginning of the 20th century, the natural beauty of the California Coast and the Monterey Peninsula has attracted artists from around the world, eager to try their hand at capturing the spirit of the dramatic shoreline. Over the ensuing century, hundreds of artists produced thousands of works, each a unique interpretation of the region’s breathtaking scenery.

The paintings we present today represent just a few of the countless iconic and instantly recognizable views that make the area so famous. These early and contemporary California artists have skillfully captured the beauty of the valleys of Southern California, the elegant Eucalyptus trees of Northern California, and the magnificent panoramic vistas of Highway 1 on the road to Big Sur.

"Coastal Ridges"

Dennis Doheny (b. 1956)

Oil on linen

24 x 30 inches

AVAILABLE NOW

Our first work, “Coastal Ridges”, seen above, by award-winning contemporary landscape artist Dennis Doheny, shows a spectacular view of the Figueroa mountains.

Our next work, “Oak and River” by master watercolor artist Percy Gray, is a fine example of the soft Tonal palette used by many early northern California painters.

"Oak and River"
Percy Gray (1869 - 1952)
Watercolor
AVAILABLE NOW

“Gentle Beauty”, below, by contemporary artist Cindy Baron, features a quintessential view of the Central California coastline. Her works are nationally recognized and she has been the recipient of numerous awards, including both “Best in Show” and the “Irvine Museum Award of Excellence” at the 2018 Laguna Invitational.  She is a member of the historic California Art Club and is a signature member of the American Impressionist Society.

"Gentle Beauty"

Cindy Baron (b. 1957)

Oil on board

24 x 30 inches

AVAILABLE NOW

For additional information about these, or other original paintings by California artists, contact the staff at William A. Karges Fine art by telephone at (800) 833-9185 or by email at gallery@kargesfineart.com

Take A Virtual Tour of Karges Fine Art's Gallery in Carmel!

Can't quite get away right now for a visit to Carmel-by-The Sea?  No problem! Click below to take a virtual tour of our Carmel Gallery.  See what's new, zoom in on your favorites for a closer look, give us a call if you see anything you absolutely love and want to know more about.  Enjoy your self-guided tour right now, and enjoy our gallery full of Early California Art, Contemporary California Art, and Southwestern Art.  Bring joy and relaxation to your day without ever leaving home...

Visit www.kargesfineart.com to view all the paintings now available at both our Carmel and West Hollywood gallery locations.

CLICK HERE TO BEGIN YOUR VIRTUAL TOUR

Dennis Doheny - California's Premier Realist Landscape Painter

Enjoy this in-depth interview with Dennis Doheny!

A third-generation Californian, Dennis Doheny was raised in the Los Angeles area and currently resides in Santa Barbara. Instantly developing an innate love of art, he spent much of his childhood drawing and painting. Self-taught, Doheny ultimately began exhibiting his early works at the Petersen Gallery in Beverly Hills. From 1986 until 1996, Doheny focused on commercial art, until his passion for fine art painting prevailed.

Over the past two decades, Doheny has cultivated a strong local and national following, enticing collectors who are drawn to his heroic renderings of the western landscape.

Inspired by legendary California and Hudson River School artists, he has fused and reinterpreted the genres, combining rich color and finely-crafted detail to create a distinctive vision of the American West. 

Doheny’s vivid landscapes capture California at its most beautiful, with its commanding ocean cliffs, distant hazy mountains, and towering lush trees.

Doheny is the recipient of numerous awards.  In April 2016, he received "The Irvine Museum Prize" at the California Art Club's 105th Annual Gold Medal Exhibition.  In addition, the painting was purchased by the California Art Club, and it will hang permanently at the California Club in Los Angeles.  Previously, he was awarded the Irvine Museum Gold Medal at the California Art Club's 2013 Exhibition.  At the same show, he also received the American Art Collector Award of Excellence.  

"View from Nepenthe"
Oil on linen, 22 x 26
AVAILABLE NOW

In 2009 Doheny was honored to be chosen for the Edgar Payne Award for best landscape at the California Art Club's 2009 Gold Medal Juried Exhibition.  Dennis was also proud to be featured in the Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition.  In both 2006 and 2008 at the Prix de West, he received the Frederic Remington Award given in recognition of "exceptional artistic merit".  Also in 2006, he was honored with the Inaugural Purchase Prize at the Eiteljorg Museum's "Quest for the West" Exhibition and is proud to be a part of their permanent collection.  In 2003, he was recognized by the Autry National Center and awarded the Masters of the American West Award.  His painting was acquired by the Autry for its permanent collection as well.  He received the Granville Redmond Memorial Purchase Prize in 2000 for his painting "New Dawn" at the California Art Club's Spring Salon and upon his return to fine art, he received First Place in the Carmel Plein Air Competition in 1998.

An integral member of Karges Fine Art, Doheny is represented at our gallery in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Karges Fine Art is proud to be entrusted with the works of one of this generation’s greatest artists, connecting this passionate visionary with discerning fine art collectors.  For additional information, or to inquire about currently available paintings, contact William A. Karges Fine Art by calling (800) 833-9185 or emailing gallery@kargesfineart.com or visit our website at www.kargesfineart.com/dennis-doheny

"Coastal Ridges"
Oil on linen, 24 x 30
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