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Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

American, 1897-1968
Charles Bunnell developed a love for art at a very young age. As a child in Kansas City, Missouri, he spent much of his time drawing. When he was unable to find paper he drew on walls and in the margins of textbooks for which he was often fined. Around 1915, Bunnell moved with his family to Colorado Springs, Colorado. He served in World War I and later used his GI Training to study at the Broadmoor Art Academy (later renamed the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center) during 1922 and 1923. In 1922, he married fellow student, Laura Palmer. He studied with Ernest Lawson in 1927-1928 and, in the winter of 1928-1929, he served as Lawson’s assistant. In the late 1920’s, the Bunnell’s settled just west of Colorado Springs and 1928, they welcomed the first of their three children. Their one-acre homesite, which they referred to as “Old Home Place”, was situated between two sets of railroad tracks at the foot of Pike’s Peak. Charlie converted an old railroad boxcar into his studio, where he later gave lessons. Beginning in 1931, Bunnell spent a year and a half studying under Boardman Robinson. The two men clashed constantly due to a generation gap and markedly different philosophies. Robinson encouraged his students not to stray from realism and though Bunnell mastered Robinson’s preferred style of American Scene painting, he regularly irritated his professor with his abstract sketches. Bunnell taught at the Kansas City Art Institute during the summers of 1929, 1930, 1940, and 1941. Between 1934 and 1941, he painted and taught under federal projects which included assisting Frank Mechau on murals for the Colorado Springs Post Office. However, he did not take to mural making and, after criticism from Boardman Robinson about his use of “heavy daubs which have no place in mural work,” he abandoned mural-making altogether. By the late 1930’s, Bunnell’s work departed from the American Scene/Modernist style he was trained in towards abstraction. This is marked by his “Black and Blue” series, consisting of 83 abstracted ink and watercolors. Affected by the Second World War and the loss of his 10-year old son, Bunnell’s work of the early 1940’s took on a Transcendental and Surrealist tone. The works from this period are moody and readily reflect the political and personal turmoil experienced by the artist. In the late 1940’s, Bunnell began experimenting with Abstract Expressionism. He alone is credited with introducing Colorado Springs to the new style as it was excluded from the Fine Art Center’s curriculum by Boardman Robinson. Bunnell excelled in Abstract Expressionism and continued to evolve in the style through the 1950’s continuing to his death in 1968. He was recently recognized as a premier American Abstract Expressionist by his inclusion in the book American Abstract Expressionism of the 1950’s: An Illustrated Survey. © David Cook Galleries, LLC
(Biography provided by David Cook Galleries)
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Artist: Charles Ragland Bunnell
Composition in Red and Blue - Abstract Expressionist 1950s Oil Painting
By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
'Composition in Red and Blue' is a vintage abstract expressionist original oil painting on board by Charles Bunnell (1897-1968) from 1951. Signed and dated by the artist in the lower left corner. Abstract composition painted in shades of white, cream, blue, red, and tan. Presented in a vintage frame, outer dimensions measure 28 ½ x 22 ½ x 1 inches. Image size is 24 x 18 inches. About the Artist: Charles Bunnell developed a love for art at a very young age. As a child in Kansas City, Missouri, he spent much of his time drawing. When he was unable to find paper he drew on walls and in the margins of textbooks for which he was often fined. Around 1915, Bunnell moved with his family to Colorado Springs, Colorado. He served in World War I and later used his GI Training to study at the Broadmoor Art Academy (later renamed the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center) during 1922 and 1923. In 1922, he married fellow student, Laura Palmer. He studied with Ernest Lawson in 1927-1928 and, in the winter of 1928-1929, he served as Lawson’s assistant. In the late 1920’s, the Bunnell’s settled just west of Colorado Springs and 1928, they welcomed the first of their three children. Their one-acre homesite, which they referred to as “Old Home Place”, was situated between two sets of railroad tracks at the foot of Pike’s Peak. Charlie converted an old railroad boxcar into his studio, where he later gave lessons. Beginning in 1931, Bunnell spent a year and a half studying under Boardman Robinson. The two men clashed constantly due to a generation gap and markedly different philosophies. Robinson encouraged his students not to stray from realism and though Bunnell mastered Robinson’s preferred style of American Scene painting, he regularly irritated his professor with his abstract sketches. Bunnell taught at the Kansas City Art Institute during the summers of 1929, 1930, 1940, and 1941. Between 1934 and 1941, he painted and taught under federal projects which included assisting Frank Mechau on murals for the Colorado Springs Post Office. However, he did not take to mural making and, after criticism from Boardman Robinson about his use of “heavy daubs which have no place in mural work,” he abandoned mural-making altogether. By the late 1930’s, Bunnell’s work departed from the American Scene/Modernist style he was trained in towards abstraction. This is marked by his “Black and Blue” series, consisting of 83 abstracted ink and watercolors. Affected by the Second World War and the loss of his 10-year old son, Bunnell’s work of the early 1940’s took on a Transcendental and Surrealist tone. The works from this period are moody and readily reflect the political and personal turmoil experienced by the artist. In the late 1940’s, Bunnell began experimenting with Abstract Expressionism. He alone is credited with introducing Colorado Springs to the new style as it was excluded from the Fine Art Center’s curriculum by Boardman Robinson. Bunnell excelled in Abstract Expressionism and continued to evolve in the style through the 1950’s continuing to his death in 1968. He was recently recognized as a premier American Abstract Expressionist by his inclusion in the book American Abstract Expressionism of the 1950’s: An Illustrated Survey. Solo Exhibits: Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Missouri, 1930; Santa Fe Museum, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 1947; University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, 1948; University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, 1949; Taos Gallery, Taos, New Mexico, 1951; Carl Barnett Galleries, Dallas, Texas, 1952; The Bodley Gallery, New York, 1955; Amarillo, Texas, 1955; Haigh Gallery, Denver, Colorado, 1955; Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1956; Dord Fitz Art Gallery, Amarillo, Texas, December 1956 – February 1957, 1959, 1969 (retrospective). Group Exhibits: Carnegie Institute, 1927-1928; Colorado State Fair, 1928 (1st prize); Artists Midwestern, Kansas City, Missouri, 1929 (Gold Medal); Art Institute of Chicago, 1947 (the exhibit traveled to ten major museums in the United States); “Artists West of the Mississippi”, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, Colorado Springs, Colorado (7 times); Denver Art Museum Western Annual, Denver, Colorado (5 times); Mid-America Annual, Kansas City, Missouri, 1958; First Provincetown Festival, 1958; Southwestern Annual, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Winter 1957-1958; Central City, Colorado; Cañon City...
Category

1950s Abstract Expressionist Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

View From the Park (Colorado) Mountain View Oil Landscape Painting
By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
Oil on canvas painting by Charles Ragland Bunnell (1987-1968) titled 'View from the Park'. Presented in a custom frame measuring 28 ¾ x 32 ¾ inches; image size is 22 ½ x 26 inches. ...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Modern Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

1930s Graphite Drawing, American Modern City Scene of Houses on a Hill, Colorado
By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
Graphite on paper drawing of houses on a hill by Charles Ragland Bunnell (1897-1968) circa 1935. Presented in a custom hardwood frame with all archi...
Category

1930s American Modern Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Paper, Graphite

1950s Abstract Expressionist Oil Painting, Blue Brown Orange Sage Green
By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
Abstract expressionist oil painting on board from 1955 by Charles Bunnell. Abstract shapes in layers of sage green, light blue, brown, gold, and black. Presented in a custom frame, o...
Category

1950s Abstract Expressionist Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Board, Oil

1950s Abstract Painting New York Skyline Cityscape, Buildings, Blue Yellow Red
By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
Vintage 1950s original signed abstract painting of New York City by Charles Ragland Bunnell from 1951, cityscape mid century modern skyline. Presented in a custom black frame, outer dimensions measure 21 ⅜ x 26 ⅜ x 2 inches. Image size is 19 x 24 inches. Painting is clean and in very good vintage condition - please contact us for a complete condition report. Expedited and international shipping is available - please contact us for a quote. About the artist: Charles Bunnell developed a love for art at a very young age. As a child in Kansas City, Missouri, he spent much of his time drawing. When he was unable to find paper he drew on walls and in the margins of textbooks for which he was often fined. Around 1915, Bunnell moved with his family to Colorado Springs, Colorado. He served in World War I and later used his GI Training to study at the Broadmoor Art Academy (later renamed the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center) during 1922 and 1923. In 1922, he married fellow student, Laura Palmer...
Category

1950s Abstract Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Abstract Painting in Blue, Gray & Black, Vintage 1960s Mid Century Modern Art
By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
Original vintage 1960s abstract painting by 20th century Colorado Springs artist Charles Ragland Bunnell. The painting is signed by the artist and dated 1963 lower right. This midcen...
Category

1960s Abstract Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Oil

Golden Cycle Mill, Colorado, 1940s WPA Mining Watercolor Landscape, Black White
By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
Original 1940s watercolor on paper painting by Charles Ragland Bunnell portraying a semi abstracted view of Golden Cycle Mill in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Painted in shades of black and gray. Presented in a custom black frame, outer dimensions measure 18 x 19 ½ x 1 ⅜ inches. Image sight size is 8 ⅛ x 9 ⅝ inches. Golden Cycle Mining and Reduction Company was a mining company in Colorado City (now Old Colorado City) in El Paso County, Colorado. Piece is clean and in excellent condition - please contact us for a detailed condition report. Expedited and international shipping is available - please contact us for a quote. About the artist: Artist and teacher, Charles (“Charlie”) Bunnell worked in a variety of styles throughout his career because as an artist he believed, “I’ve got to paint a thousand different ways. I don’t paint any one way.” At different times he did representational landscapes while concurrently involved with semi- or completely abstract imagery. He was one of a relatively small number of artists in Colorado successfully incorporating into their work the new trends emanating from New York and Europe after World War II. During his lifetime he generally did not attract a great deal of critical attention from museums, critics and academia. However, he personally experienced a highpoint in his career when Katherine Kuh, curator at the Art Institute of Chicago, personally chose one of his paintings – Why? - for its large exhibition of several hundred examples of abstract and surrealist art held in 1947-48, subsequently including it among the fifty pieces selected for a traveling show to ten other American museums. An only child, Bunnell developed his love of art at a young age through frequent drawing and political cartooning. In high school he was interested in baseball and golf and also was the tennis champion for Westport High School in Kansas City. Following graduation, his father moved the family to Denver, Colorado, in 1916 for a better-paying bookkeeping job, before relocating the following year to Colorado Springs to work for local businessman, Edmond C. van Diest, President of the Western Public Service Company and the Colorado Concrete Company. Bunnell would spend almost all of his adult life in Colorado Springs. In 1918 he enlisted in the United States Army, serving in the 62nd Infantry Regiment through the end of World War I. Returning home with a 10% disability, he joined the Zebulon Pike Post No. 1 of the Disabled American Veterans Association and in 1921 used the benefits from his disability to attend a class in commercial art design conducted under a government program in Colorado Springs. The following year he transferred to the Broadmoor Art Academy (founded in 1919) where he studied with William Potter and in 1923 with Birger Sandzén. Sandzén’s influence is reflected in Bunnell’s untitled Colorado landscape (1925) with a bright blue-rose palette. For several years thereafter Bunnell worked independently until returning to the Broadmoor Art Academy to study in 1927-28 with Ernest Lawson, who previously taught at the Kansas City Art Institute where Bunnell himself later taught in the summers of 1929-1930 and in 1940-41. Lawson, a landscapist and colorist, was known for his early twentieth-century connection with “The Eight” in New York, a group of forward-looking painters including Robert Henri and John Sloan whose subject matter combined a modernist style with urban-based realism. Bunnell, who won first-place awards in Lawson’s landscapes classes at the Academy, was promoted to his assistant instructor for the figure classes in the 1928-29 winter term. Lawson, who painted in what New York critic James Huneker termed a “crushed jewel” technique, enjoyed additional recognition as a member of the Committee on Foreign Exhibits that helped organize the landmark New York Armory Exhibition in 1913 in which Lawson showed and which introduced European avant-garde art to the American public. As noted in his 1964 interview for the Archives of American Art in Washington, DC, Bunnell learned the most about his teacher’s use of color by talking with him about it over Scotch as his assistant instructor. “Believe me,” Bunnell later said, “[Ernie] knew color, one of the few Americans that did.” His association with Lawson resulted in local scenes of Pikes Peak, Eleven Mile Canyon, the Gold Cycle Mine near Colorado City and other similar sites, employing built up pigments that allowed the surfaces of his canvases to shimmer with color and light. (Eleven Mile Canyon was shown in the annual juried show at the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh in 1928, an early recognition of his talent outside of Colorado.) At the same time, he animated his scenes of Colorado Springs locales by defining the image shapes with color and line as demonstrated in Contrasts (1929). Included in the Midwestern Artists’ Exhibition in Kansas City in 1929, it earned him the gold medal of the Kansas City Art Institute, auguring his career as a professional artist. In the 1930s Bunnell used the oil, watercolor and lithography media to create a mini-genre of Colorado’s old mining towns and mills, subject matter spurned by many local artists at the time in favor of grand mountain scenery. In contrast to his earlier images, these newer ones – both daytime and nocturnal -- such as Blue Bird Mine essentially are form studies. The conical, square and rectangular shapes of the buildings and other structures are placed in the stark, undulating terrain of the mountains and valleys devoid of any vegetation or human presence. In the mid-1930s he also used the same approach in his monochromatic lithographs titled Evolution, Late Evening, K.C. (Kansas City) and The Mill, continuing it into the next decade with his oil painting, Pikes Peak (1942). During the early 1930s he studied for a time with Boardman Robinson, director of the Broadmoor Art Academy and its successor institution, the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center from 1930 to 1947. In 1934 Robinson gave him the mural commission under the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) for West Junior High School in Colorado Springs, his first involvement in one of several New Deal art...
Category

1940s American Modern Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Birth, 1940s Modernist Surrealist Abstract Figural Watercolor Painting
By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
Birth, semi-abstract, modernist, somewhat surrealist, vintage 1943 painting of a female figure giving birth by Colorado artist, Charles Ragland Bunnell, painted during the artist's B...
Category

1940s Surrealist Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Watercolor

Cripple Creek Victor Mine, Colorado Mountain Landscape, 1940 Watercolor Painting
By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
Original signed watercolor on paper painting by Charles Ragland Bunnell from 1940 of Cripple Creek or Victor Mine located in Colorado. Mine buildings wit...
Category

1940s Abstract Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Watercolor

1950s Abstract Expressionist Composition, Mid Century Oil Painting, Blue Yellow
By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
Original 1958 mid-century modern oil painting by Charles Bunnell (1897-1968), abstract expressionist composition in colors of Yellow, Blue, Teal, Green, Gray, Orange, Red & White, signed and dated lower right. Presented in a vintage gold tone frame, outer dimensions measure 34 ¾ x 28 ¾ x 1 ½ inches. Image size is 29 ¾ x 23 ¾ inches. Painting is clean and in very good vintage condition - please contact us for a complete condition report. Provenance: Estate of Charles Ragland Bunnell Expedited and international shipping is available - please contact us for a quote. About the Artist: Charles Bunnell developed a love for art as a child in Kansas City, Missouri. Around 1915, Bunnell moved with his family to Colorado Springs, Colorado. He served in World War I and later used his GI Training to study at the Broadmoor Art Academy (later renamed the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center) during 1922 and 1923. In 1922, he married fellow student, Laura Palmer...
Category

1950s Abstract Expressionist Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Manitou, Colorado with Pikes Peak View, 1920s Mountain Landscape Oil Painting
By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
Oil on canvas painting by Charles Ragland Bunnell (1897-1968) circa 1928-1929 of a Manitou, Colorado with a view of Pikes Peak. Early 20th century mountain landscape painting. Presen...
Category

1920s American Modern Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

WPA 1940s Framed Figurative Village Landscape with Figures Houses Mountains
By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
Depression era watercolor painting by Charles Ragland Bunnell (1897-1968) titled "The Way War First Comes" from 1940 of an outdoor village scene. Presented in a custom black frame wi...
Category

1940s American Modern Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

New York City Abstract Skyline, Semi Abstract Night Scene Cityscape Oil Painting
By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
Oil on board painting of abstracted New York City skyline by Charles Ragland Bunnell from 1951. Nocturne cityscape painted in colors of black, shades of blue, and yellow. Presented in a custom black frame, outer dimensions measure 30 ¼ x 12 ¼ x ¾ inches. Image size is 30 x 12 ¼ inches. Painting is in good vintage condition - please contact us for detailed condition report. Provenance: Estate of Charles Ragland Bunnell Expedited and international shipping is available - please contact us for a quote. About the Artist: Charles Bunnell developed a love for art at a very young age. As a child in Kansas City, Missouri, he spent much of his time drawing. When he was unable to find paper he drew on walls and in the margins of textbooks for which he was often fined. Around 1915, Bunnell moved with his family to Colorado Springs, Colorado. He served in World War I and later used his GI Training to study at the Broadmoor Art Academy (later renamed the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center) during 1922 and 1923. In 1922, he married fellow student, Laura Palmer...
Category

1950s Abstract Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Oil, Board

1940s American Modernist Abstracted Industrial Watercolor Ink Charcoal Painting
By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
Charles Bunnell original vintage 1941 signed painting from the artist's Black and Blue Series, Abstract Structure style. Watercolor, Ink and Charcoal on paper in colors of black, wh...
Category

1940s American Modern Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Charcoal, Ink, Watercolor

1950s Abstract Expressionist Watercolor Composition by Charles Bunnell
By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
Abstract expressionist watercolor painting of blue, black, orange, and green signed by Charles Ragland Bunnell (1897-1968). Presented in a custom frame with all archival materials an...
Category

1950s Abstract Expressionist Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Watercolor, Paper

Sacred Family, 1950s Abstract Figurative Oil Painting, Red Blue White Green
By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
"Untitled (Sacred Family)" is an abstract oil painting on board by Charles Ragland Bunnell (1897-1968) circa 1950. Signed by the artist in the lower right corner. Abstracted view of several figures standing together in a group, painted in colors of black, red, blue, green, orange, yellow, and white. Presented in a vintage frame, outer dimensions measure 34 ½ x 29 x 1 ¼ inches. Image size is 23 ½ x 18 ¾ inches. Expedited and international shipping is available - please contact us for a quote. About the artist: Charles Bunnell developed a love for art at a very young age. As a child in Kansas City, Missouri, he spent much of his time drawing. When he was unable to find paper he drew on walls and in the margins of textbooks for which he was often fined. Around 1915, Bunnell moved with his family to Colorado Springs, Colorado. He served in World War I and later used his GI Training to study at the Broadmoor Art Academy (later renamed the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center) during 1922 and 1923. In 1922, he married fellow student, Laura Palmer...
Category

1950s Abstract Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Oil

Black Dog, 1960s Framed Modernist Oil Painting, Pet Portrait, Black White
By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
Black Dog, vintage 1961 original modernist painting of a dog in black, gray and white by Colorado Springs Broadmoor Academy artist, Charles Bunnell (1897-1968. Painted in oil on canvas paper, signed and dated by the artist lower right. Presented in a contemporary custom wood frame with all archival materials, outer dimensions measure 24 ½ x 28 ¼ x 1 ¾ inches. Image size is 20 x 16 inches. Provenance: Estate of Charles Ragland Bunnell Expedited and international shipping is available - please contact us for a quote. About the Artist: Charles Bunnell developed a love for art as a child in Kansas City, Missouri. Around 1915, Bunnell moved with his family to Colorado Springs, Colorado. He served in World War I and later used his GI Training to study at the Broadmoor Art Academy (later renamed the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center) during 1922 and 1923. In 1922, he married fellow student, Laura Palmer...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Modern Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Oil

Georgetown (Church in the Mountains, Colorado), Modernist Landscape Ink Drawing
By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
Georgetown, Colorado, vintage 1938 WPA era ink drawing/painting on paper of a church set in a rocky mountain landscape by Charles Bunnell (1897-1968). Black on a creamy white paper, signed and dated lower right, titled lower left. Presented in a custom frame with all archival materials, outer dimensions measure 16 ¼ x 14 ½ x 1¼ inches. Image size is 7 ¾ x 5 ¾ inches. Drawing is clean and in good vintage condition - please contact us for a detailed condition report. Provenance: Estate of Charles Ragland Bunnell Expedited and international shipping is available - please contact us for a quote. About the Artist: Charles Bunnell developed a love for art as a child in Kansas City, Missouri. Around 1915, Bunnell moved with his family to Colorado Springs, Colorado. He served in World War I and later used his GI Training to study at the Broadmoor Art Academy (later renamed the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center) during 1922 and 1923. In 1922, he married fellow student, Laura Palmer...
Category

1930s American Modern Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Ink, Archival Paper

Pikes Peak, 1940s Colorado Mountain Landscape in Autumn, Tempera Painting
By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
Original vintage 1941 Colorado landscape painting with autumn leaves and Pikes Peak blanketed in snow by Charles Bunnell (1897-1968). Inscribed verso, "To Laura, November 22, 1941", egg tempera on board. Signed by the artist in the lower left corner and titled verso. Presented in a custom frame, outer dimensions measure 15 ½ x 19 ¼ x 1 ¼ inches. Image size is 7 ¾ x 11 inches About the Artist: Artist and teacher, Charles ("Charlie") Bunnell worked in a variety of styles throughout his career because as an artist he believed, "I’ve got to paint a thousand different ways. I don’t paint any one way." At different times he did representational landscapes while concurrently involved with semi- or completely abstract imagery. He was one of a relatively small number of artists in Colorado successfully incorporating into their work the new trends emanating from New York and Europe after World War II. During his lifetime he generally did not attract a great deal of critical attention from museums, critics and academia. However, he personally experienced a highpoint in his career when Katherine Kuh, curator at the Art Institute of Chicago, personally chose one of his paintings - Why? - for its large exhibition of several hundred examples of abstract and surrealist art held in 1947-48, subsequently including it among the fifty pieces selected for a traveling show to ten other American museums. An only child, Bunnell developed his love of art at a young age through frequent drawing and political cartooning. In high school he was interested in baseball and golf and also was the tennis champion for Westport High School in Kansas City. Following graduation, his father moved the family to Denver, Colorado, in 1916 for a better-paying bookkeeping job, before relocating the following year to Colorado Springs to work for local businessman, Edmond C. van Diest, President of the Western Public Service Company and the Colorado Concrete Company. Bunnell would spend almost all of his adult life in Colorado Springs. In 1918 he enlisted in the United States Army, serving in the 62nd Infantry Regiment through the end of World War I. Returning home with a 10% disability, he joined the Zebulon Pike Post No. 1 of the Disabled American Veterans Association and in 1921 used the benefits from his disability to attend a class in commercial art design conducted under a government program in Colorado Springs. The following year he transferred to the Broadmoor Art Academy (founded in 1919) where he studied with William Potter and in 1923 with Birger Sandzén. Sandzén’s influence is reflected in Bunnell’s untitled Colorado landscape (1925) with a bright blue-rose palette. For several years thereafter Bunnell worked independently until returning to the Broadmoor Art Academy to study in 1927-28 with Ernest Lawson, who previously taught at the Kansas City Art Institute where Bunnell himself later taught in the summers of 1929-1930 and in 1940-41. Lawson, a landscapist and colorist, was known for his early twentieth-century connection with "The Eight" in New York, a group of forward-looking painters including Robert Henri and John Sloan whose subject matter combined a modernist style with urban-based realism. Bunnell, who won first-place awards in Lawson’s landscapes classes at the Academy, was promoted to his assistant instructor for the figure classes in the 1928-29 winter term. Lawson, who painted in what New York critic James Huneker termed a "crushed jewel" technique, enjoyed additional recognition as a member of the Committee on Foreign Exhibits that helped organize the landmark New York Armory Exhibition in 1913 in which Lawson showed and which introduced European avant-garde art to the American public. As noted in his 1964 interview for the Archives of American Art in Washington, DC, Bunnell learned the most about his teacher’s use of color by talking with him about it over Scotch as his assistant instructor. "Believe me," Bunnell later said, "[Ernie] knew color, one of the few Americans that did." His association with Lawson resulted in local scenes of Pikes Peak, Eleven Mile Canyon, the Gold Cycle Mine near Colorado City and other similar sites, employing built up pigments that allowed the surfaces of his canvases to shimmer with color and light. (Eleven Mile Canyon was shown in the annual juried show at the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh in 1928, an early recognition of his talent outside of Colorado.) At the same time, he animated his scenes of Colorado Springs locales by defining the image shapes with color and line as demonstrated in Contrasts (1929). Included in the Midwestern Artists’ Exhibition in Kansas City in 1929, it earned him the gold medal of the Kansas City Art Institute, auguring his career as a professional artist. In the 1930s Bunnell used the oil, watercolor and lithography media to create a mini-genre of Colorado’s old mining towns and mills, subject matter spurned by many local artists at the time in favor of grand mountain scenery. In contrast to his earlier images, these newer ones - both daytime and nocturnal -- such as Blue Bird Mine essentially are form studies. The conical, square and rectangular shapes of the buildings and other structures are placed in the stark, undulating terrain of the mountains and valleys devoid of any vegetation or human presence. In the mid-1930s he also used the same approach in his monochromatic lithographs titled Evolution, Late Evening, K.C. (Kansas City) and The Mill, continuing it into the next decade with his oil painting, Pikes Peak (1942). During the early 1930s he studied for a time with Boardman Robinson, director of the Broadmoor Art Academy and its successor institution, the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center from 1930 to 1947. In 1934 Robinson gave him the mural commission under the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) for West Junior High School in Colorado Springs, his first involvement in one of several New Deal art...
Category

1930s American Impressionist Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Egg Tempera, Board

Cameron's Cone, Colorado Springs, Colorado, Framed Colorado Landscape Painting
By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
Watercolor on paper painting of Cameron's Cove outside of Colorado Springs, Colorado by Charles Ragland Bunnell from the 1930s. Scenic mountain landsc...
Category

1930s American Impressionist Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Watercolor

1950s Framed Abstract Expressionist Oil Painting, Mid Century Modern, Green Red
By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
Vintage 1950s mid century modern abstract expressionist painting by Colorado artist, Charles Ragland Bunnell in shades of red, green, white, and black. Presented in the artist's orig...
Category

1950s Abstract Expressionist Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Oil, Wood

1920s Colorado Landscape Painting, Framed Western Oil Painting, Sky and Buttes
By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
Original vintage 1926 signed and framed Landscape Painting by Charles Ragland Bunnell (1897-1968), painted while the artist was studying under Ernest Lawson at the Broadmoor Academy ...
Category

1920s American Impressionist Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Board, Oil

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Mid Century Modern Abstracted Landscape, Big Sur Coast Cliffs
Located in Soquel, CA
Mid Century Modern Abstracted Landscape, Big Sur Coast Cliffs Colorful mid-century landscape of jagged cliffs along the dramatic Big Sur coastline by an unknown artist. Unsigned. P...
Category

1950s American Modern Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Cardboard

Charles Burchfield Preparatory Sketch, Early 20th Century
By Charles E. Burchfield
Located in Larchmont, NY
Charles Burchfield (1893-1967) Untitled (Preparatory Drawing for Skyscape), Early 20th Century Pencil on paper 12 1/4 x 18 3/4 in. Inscribed: blue / white / blue / RV Born in Ashtab...
Category

Early 20th Century American Modern Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Paper, Pencil

"My Lucky Heart" Diamond Dust Green and White Oil Painting with Floater Frame
By Cindy Shaoul
Located in New York, NY
Motivated by bold color and fast brushwork, we are moved by the simplicity and thick textured oil paints in these works. Shaoul’s “My Heart Collection” is a vibrant and energetic dis...
Category

2010s Abstract Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Glass, Oil, Board

"Stepping Out in NYC" Figure with Chanel Bag Haute Couture Oil Painting Framed
By Cindy Shaoul
Located in New York, NY
Exploring the purity of the feminine form and the drama of French haute couture, artist Cindy Shaoul creates a dialogue between the figurative and the abstract. Her spirited composit...
Category

2010s Abstract Impressionist Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Oil, Board

The Fly Fisherman, Figurative Landscape Watercolor
By Harvey Eckert
Located in Soquel, CA
Delicate depiction of a fly fisherman in the rain by Harvey Eckert (American, 1946-2018). This highly detailed landscape watercolor depicts a man fishing in the rain, wading into the water as he smokes a pipe under a tree. Signed and dated in the lower right corner. Presented in a wood frame with a double mat and anti-glare glass. A check from the original purchase is attached to verso (blurred for privacy). Image size: 14"H x 18"W Harvey Eckert (American, 1946-2018) was an American artist from Kansas. He attended Colby Community College, Hays Emporia State and graduated from Wichita University with two degrees. While living in Montana, he was employed by Bob Wards, Fran Johnson’s Sporting Goods and Cashell Engineers as a surveyor and draftsman. Eckert illustrated three books, Caddisflies by the late Gary LaFontaine, Montana Trout Flies and The Master Fly Weaver by the late George Grant. He did illustrations for the following publications: Montana Outdoors, Colorado Streamside, The River Rat published by Trout Unlimited, Fly Fisherman, Rod and Reel...
Category

1980s American Modern Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

"The Winding Road"
By John F. Carlson
Located in Southampton, NY
Here for your consideration is a very well executed pastel on paper by John Fabian Carlson. Signed lower right and mostly likely done in the 1930's...
Category

1920s American Modern Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Paper, Oil Pastel

"My Silver Lining Heart" Silver Blue + Pink Pop Art Oil Painting Floater Frame
By Cindy Shaoul
Located in New York, NY
Motivated by bold color and fast brushwork, we are moved by the simplicity and thick textured oil paints in these works. Shaoul’s “My Heart Collection” is a vibrant and energetic dis...
Category

2010s Abstract Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Previously Available Items
1960s Abstract Expressionist Oil Painting, Orange, Red, White, Black, Gold
By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
Oil on paper, adhered to board abstract painting in orange, red, white, black, and gold, painted in 1963 by Charles Ragland Bunnell (1897-1968). Signed and dated by the artist in the lower right corner. Presented in a custom vintage frame, outer dimensions measure 22 ½ x 26 ½ x 1 ½ inches. Image size is 16 ¼ x 20 ¼ inches. Painting is in good condition - please contact us for a detailed condition report. Provenance: Estate of the artist, Charles Ragland Bunnell About the Artist: Born 1897 Died 1968 Charles Bunnell developed a love for art at a very young age. As a child in Kansas City, Missouri, he spent much of his time drawing. When he was unable to find paper he drew on walls and in the margins of textbooks for which he was often fined. Around 1915, Bunnell moved with his family to Colorado Springs, Colorado. He served in World War I and later used his GI Training to study at the Broadmoor Art Academy (later renamed the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center) during 1922 and 1923. In 1922, he married fellow student, Laura Palmer. He studied with Ernest Lawson in 1927-1928 and, in the winter of 1928-1929, he served as Lawson’s assistant. In the late 1920’s, the Bunnell’s settled just west of Colorado Springs and 1928, they welcomed the first of their three children. Their one-acre homesite, which they referred to as “Old Home Place”, was situated between two sets of railroad tracks at the foot of Pike’s Peak. Charlie converted an old railroad boxcar into his studio, where he later gave lessons. Beginning in 1931, Bunnell spent a year and a half studying under Boardman Robinson. The two men clashed constantly due to a generation gap and markedly different philosophies. Robinson encouraged his students not to stray from realism and though Bunnell mastered Robinson’s preferred style of American Scene painting, he regularly irritated his professor with his abstract sketches. Bunnell taught at the Kansas City Art Institute during the summers of 1929, 1930, 1940, and 1941. Between 1934 and 1941, he painted and taught under federal projects which included assisting Frank Mechau on murals for the Colorado Springs Post Office. However, he did not take to mural making and, after criticism from Boardman Robinson about his use of “heavy daubs which have no place in mural work,” he abandoned mural-making altogether. By the late 1930’s, Bunnell’s work departed from the American Scene/Modernist style he was trained in towards abstraction. This is marked by his “Black and Blue” series, consisting of 83 abstracted ink and watercolors. Affected by the Second World War and the loss of his 10-year old son, Bunnell’s work of the early 1940’s took on a Transcendental and Surrealist tone. The works from this period are moody and readily reflect the political and personal turmoil experienced by the artist. In the late 1940’s, Bunnell began experimenting with Abstract Expressionism. He alone is credited with introducing Colorado Springs to the new style as it was excluded from the Fine Art Center’s curriculum by Boardman Robinson. Bunnell excelled in Abstract Expressionism and continued to evolve in the style through the 1950’s continuing to his death in 1968. He was recently recognized as a premier American Abstract Expressionist by his inclusion in the book American Abstract Expressionism of the 1950’s: An Illustrated Survey. Solo Exhibits: Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Missouri, 1930; Santa Fe Museum, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 1947; University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, 1948; University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, 1949; Taos Gallery, Taos, New Mexico, 1951; Carl Barnett Galleries, Dallas, Texas, 1952; The Bodley Gallery, New York, 1955; Amarillo, Texas, 1955; Haigh Gallery, Denver, Colorado, 1955; Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1956; Dord Fitz Art Gallery, Amarillo, Texas, December 1956 – February 1957, 1959, 1969 (retrospective). Group Exhibits: Carnegie Institute, 1927-1928; Colorado State Fair, 1928 (1st prize); Artists Midwestern, Kansas City, Missouri, 1929 (Gold Medal); Art Institute of Chicago, 1947 (the exhibit traveled to ten major museums in the United States); “Artists West of the Mississippi”, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, Colorado Springs, Colorado (7 times); Denver Art Museum Western Annual, Denver, Colorado (5 times); Mid-America Annual, Kansas City, Missouri, 1958; First Provincetown Festival, 1958; Southwestern Annual, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Winter 1957-1958; Central City, Colorado; Cañon City...
Category

1960s Abstract Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Oil, Archival Paper

Bull III, 1960s Mid Century Abstract Oil Painting, Orange, Black, Brown
By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
Abstract oil on board signed by Charles Ragland Bunnell (1897-1968) titled 'Bull III' painted in 1963. Presented in the artist’s original frame, outer dimensions measure 27 ½ x 23 ½ ...
Category

1960s Abstract Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Oil, Board

1940s Abstract Watercolor Mixed Media Painting by Charles Bunnell
By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
Untitled (Crucifixion, Black & Blue Series) is an original watercolor, charcoal and ink on paper from the artist Charles Ragland Bunnell's (1897-1968) Black & Blue Series from 1941. Abstract composition created in shades of red, gray, white, and black. Presented in a vintage frame, outer dimensions measure 38 ⅝ x 30 ¾ inches. Image size is 29 x 22 inches. Expedited and International shipping is available - please contact us for a quote. About the Artist: Born 1897 Died 1968...
Category

1940s American Modern Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Charcoal, Archival Ink, Watercolor, Archival Paper

Old Mine and Mountains, Colorado, 1940s American Modern Landscape Oil Painting
By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
1945 oil painting on canvas by Charles Bunnell of a Colorado mine and mountains. Modernist landscape painting done in colors of red, blue, and cream. Presented in a custom white gold frame measuring 22 ¾ x 26 ¾ inches. Image size is 16 x 20 inches. Piece is clean and in very good vintage condition - please contact us for a detailed condition report. Expedited and international shipping is available - please contact us for a quote. About the Artist: Charles Bunnell developed a love for art at a very young age. As a child in Kansas City, Missouri, he spent much of his time drawing. When he was unable to find paper he drew on walls and in the margins of textbooks for which he was often fined. Around 1915, Bunnell moved with his family to Colorado Springs, Colorado. He served in World War I and later used his GI Training to study at the Broadmoor Art Academy (later renamed the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center) during 1922 and 1923. In 1922, he married fellow student, Laura Palmer...
Category

1940s American Modern Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Oil

1960s Abstract Geometric Textured Oil Painting, Orange, Black, Circle & Square
By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
Abstract geometric oil on board painting by Charles Bunnell from 1960 with a black circle above an orange square with various shades of blue, pink, and yellow in the background. Signed and dated by the artist in the lower right corner. Presented in a custom white frame, outer dimensions measure 16 ⅜ x 12 ¼ x 1 inches. Image size is 16 x 12 inches. Expedited and international shipping is available - please contact us for a quote. About the artist: Charles Bunnell developed a love for art at a very young age. As a child in Kansas City, Missouri, he spent much of his time drawing. When he was unable to find paper he drew on walls and in the margins of textbooks for which he was often fined. Around 1915, Bunnell moved with his family to Colorado Springs, Colorado. He served in World War I and later used his GI Training to study at the Broadmoor Art Academy (later renamed the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center) during 1922 and 1923. In 1922, he married fellow student, Laura Palmer...
Category

1960s Abstract Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Oil

1960 Geometric Abstract Oil Painting, Mid Century Modern, Squares Circles
By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
Geometric abstract oil painting on canvas-paper by Charles Bunnell circa 1960. Painting of circles and squares, orange black and white. Presented in a custom black frame, outer dimen...
Category

1960s Abstract Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Oil

1950s Abstract Expressionist Oil Painting, Framed Mid Century Modern, 16 x 20 in
By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
1950s Abstract Expressionist oil painting Charles Bunnell painted in colors of light green, pale blue, orange, and brown. Presented in a custom f...
Category

1950s Abstract Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Untitled (Abstract with Four Nudes), Semi-Abstract Nude, Orange, Green and Blue
By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
Oil on canvaspaper on board painting by Charles Ragland Bunnell (1897-1968) from 1956. Presented in a custom gold tone float frame, outer dimensions measure 22 ¼ x 18 ¼ x 2 inches. ...
Category

1950s Abstract Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Oil

1950s Abstract Oil Painting, Framed Mid Century Modern Painting, Yellow Black
By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
Abstract oil on canvas paper on board painting by Charles Ragland Bunnell from 1955 painted in colors of black, white, yellow, and gray. Presented in a custom black frame, outer dime...
Category

1950s Abstract Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Board, Oil

Pikes Peak, Southern Colorado Mountain Watercolor Painting, 1960s Landscape
By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
Pikes Peak (Colorado) is a watercolor on paper painting by Charles Ragland Bunnell (1897-1968). Painted in colors of blue, green, yellow, and black. Presented in a custom frame with all archival materials and UV protectant glass, outer dimensions measure 13 ⅝ x 14 ⅞ x 1 inches. Image size is 4 ⅜ x 5 ⅝ inches. Painting is clean and in very good vintage condition - please contact us for a complete condition report. Expedited and international shipping is available, please contact us for a quote. About the artist: Charles Bunnell developed a love for art at a very young age. As a child in Kansas City, Missouri, he spent much of his time drawing. When he was unable to find paper he drew on walls and in the margins of textbooks for which he was often fined. Around 1915, Bunnell moved with his family to Colorado Springs, Colorado. He served in World War I and later used his GI Training to study at the Broadmoor Art Academy (later renamed the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center) during 1922 and 1923. In 1922, he married fellow student, Laura Palmer...
Category

1960s Abstract Expressionist Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Watercolor

1950s Framed Abstract Oil Painting, White, Red, Green, Blue, 7 x 12 inches
By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
1958 abstract oil painting on board by Charles Ragland Bunnell with "To Jeri" inscribed in the lower left corner. Painted in colors of white, red, green, blue, and yellow. Presented in a custom frame, outer dimensions measure 11¼ x 16¼ x ¾ inches. Image size is 7 x 12 inches. Painting is in good vintage condition - please contact us for a detailed condition report. Expedited and international shipping is available - please contact us for a quote. About the artist: Charles Bunnell developed a love for art at a very young age. As a child in Kansas City, Missouri, he spent much of his time drawing. When he was unable to find paper he drew on walls and in the margins of textbooks for which he was often fined. Around 1915, Bunnell moved with his family to Colorado Springs, Colorado. He served in World War I and later used his GI Training to study at the Broadmoor Art Academy (later renamed the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center) during 1922 and 1923. In 1922, he married fellow student, Laura Palmer...
Category

1950s Abstract Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Board, Oil

Mine in the Mountains, Colorado, Modernist Landscape Line Drawing, Black & White
By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
Mine in the Mountains of Colorado, vintage circa 1930s modernist, semi abstract landscape by Charles Bunnell (1897-1968). Black and White line drawing...
Category

1930s American Modern Charles Ragland Bunnell Art

Materials

Graphite

Charles Ragland Bunnell art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Charles Ragland Bunnell art available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of art to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of orange, purple, yellow and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Charles Ragland Bunnell in paint, oil paint, watercolor and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the abstract style. Not every interior allows for large Charles Ragland Bunnell art, so small editions measuring 12 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Jack Hooper, Harold Haydon, and Byron Browne. Charles Ragland Bunnell art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $325 and tops out at $23,800, while the average work can sell for $4,673.

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