Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 12

W. R. Stevenson
Naturalistic Portrait of a Young Boy by a Red Fence Pastoral Country Painting

1970s

About the Item

Naturalistic portrait of a young boy reaching into a pond next to a red fence. This idyllic scene captures the peace and innocence of life in the countryside. Signed in lower right corner. Hung in a complimentary brown wooden frame. Dimensions Without Frame: H 24 in. x W 28 in. Artist Biography: William Robert Stevenson was born in 20 May 1925 in Eugene, Oregon. His family moved to Minneapolis, MN but he promptly returned to Oregon and Washington during the Great Depression to work in the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Hoping to study Art, his future was sidetracked when he was drafted into the United States Army at age 17 years old in early 1942. Being a strong swimmer, and having worked at stables as a child, he initially served in the last US Cavalry Corps, and also as a Swimming Instructor for the United States Army. Upon the abolition of the Cavalry Corps, he was trained as a Gunnar and Tank Commander for the M-4 Sherman Tank under General Patton's Third Army. He landed at Omaha Beach on Day 3, further serving in Combat in the Bocage, and subsequently in Belgium and at the Battle of the Bulge. After the end of the War, he initially found work as a carpenter and house painter as he continued his studies in conjunction with the Minneapolis Institute of Art. After meeting his future wife Constance, and fathering two children Candace and Gregory, they agreed the winters were too harsh. They moved in 1950 to Houston, Texas, hoping for milder weather. From 1952-1963, William and his wife Constance owned and operated a Coffee Shop on Shepherd and West Gray. Seeing that he would never be a classically trained artist, he used his coffee shop to meet local artists who furthered his skills in painting and specifically in sculpture. From 1963-1974, he commissioned several Corporate pieces in downtown Houston. In 1968, he had purchased a large home on South Post Oak in Tanglewood, which he set up as both his primary residence and his gallery. In 1974, he fully engaged his love of painting, purchasing a Ranch Home in the artist enclave in Jerome, Arizona, where many of his works were completed. Constance and William continued to summer there into the early 1980's. Living in an open marriage since the late 1960's, William was a guarded yet prominent member of the Houston Gay Community. His best works were created in the final years of his life. Those works balanced both the darkness and PTSD lingering from WWII and quiet and sometimes not-so-subtle references to his sexuality. A lifelong smoker, he passed away at the age of 60 in 1985, ostensibly of lung cancer, but it was later revealed to be HIV/AIDs. He is survived by his one grandchild, David and his two great grandchildren Morgan and Macyn, who attend The Kinkaid School, in Houston, Texas.
  • Creator:
    W. R. Stevenson
  • Creation Year:
    1970s
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 31 in (78.74 cm)Width: 54 in (137.16 cm)Depth: 1.75 in (4.45 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Houston, TX
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: CA120.2020.1208.23311stDibs: LU55137191882
More From This SellerView All
  • Early Naturalistic Nautical Painting of a Whaling Ship and Crew at Sea
    Located in Houston, TX
    Early naturalistic nautical painting by Danish painter Niels Peter Bolt. Known for his still life paintings of large floral bouquets, this work is a testament to his artistic range. ...
    Category

    1940s Naturalistic Landscape Paintings

    Materials

    Oil, Board

  • "Outlook Promising" Naturalistic Figurative Texas Coastal Landscape Painting
    By Al Barnes
    Located in Houston, TX
    Naturalistic sporting landscape painting by Texas artist Al Barnes. The work features a central male figure on an airboat with his dog set against a quiet co...
    Category

    Late 20th Century Naturalistic Landscape Paintings

    Materials

    Oil, Canvas

  • Early Naturalistic Painting of Two Lounging Nude Female Figures in Nature
    Located in Houston, TX
    Early naturalistic figurative painting by Danish painter Niels Peter Bolt. Known for his still life paintings of large floral bouquets, this work is a testament to his artistic range...
    Category

    1950s Naturalistic Figurative Paintings

    Materials

    Board, Oil

  • "Untitled" Contemporary Surreal Abstract of a Woman Running Through a Forest
    Located in Houston, TX
    Surreal abstract painting by contemporary artist Matthew Paoletti. The work features a woman dressed in a flowing white dress running through a grove ...
    Category

    2010s Naturalistic Landscape Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil

  • "St. Anne's Westheimer" Impressionist Landscape Painting Signed Dana
    Located in Houston, TX
    Impressionist architectural landscape painting of a cathedral. The painting is signed and titled by the artist on the back of the canvas. It is framed in a dark wooden frame. Dimensi...
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary Naturalistic Landscape Paintings

    Materials

    Oil

  • Naturalistic Landscape with Figures on a Boat
    Located in Houston, TX
    Oil painting of a river landscape with figures in a boat rowing along the foreground. The work is painted on board. It is framed in a decorative frame. Dimensions without frame: H 24 in x W 36 in. Artist Biography: William Joseph Shayer, senior was a self-taught artist, who began by painting decorations on rush-bottom chairs. He moved on to painting carriages in the town of Guildford, after which he started doing heraldic painting...
    Category

    19th Century Naturalistic Landscape Paintings

    Materials

    Oil

You May Also Like
  • Mountain and lake a fresh Swiss summer holiday, boats on Lake Lucerne miniature
    Located in Norwich, GB
    In German, there is a word called "Sommefrische" , meaning summer freshness, which describes this painting perfectly. Looking at this Swiss mountain and lake is like a perfect, restf...
    Category

    Late 19th Century Naturalistic Landscape Paintings

    Materials

    Oil, Wood Panel

  • Severo Amador (1886 - 1931) Yarda de la Corte Mexico Oil Painting on Panel 1920
    By Severo Amador
    Located in Meinisberg, CH
    Severo Amador (Mexican, 1886 - 1931) Yarda de la Corte - A Mexican Courtyard at Noon • Oil on panel, ca. 19 x 39 cm • Frame, ca. 26 x 46 cm • Signed lower right & dated 1920 An exceptional painting by this interesting Mexican painter Severo Amador – Read on … Severo Amador was born in 1879 at Villa de Cos, Zacatecas, Mexico. He studied painting in San Carlos with José Ma. Velasco, Santiago Rebull and German Gedovius...
    Category

    1920s Naturalistic Landscape Paintings

    Materials

    Wood Panel, Oil

  • Sunrise Landscape with Boats - Oil Painting Russian School - 1861
    Located in Roma, IT
    Sunrise Landscape with Boats is an original painting probably realized by an artist of the Russian School in 1861. Mixed colored oil painting on can...
    Category

    1860s Naturalistic Figurative Paintings

    Materials

    Oil

  • Lakescape - Oil Painting by Erich Paulsen - Late 20th Century
    Located in Roma, IT
    Lakescape with jetty and trees on the shore is an painting realized by Erich Paulsen in the late 20th Century. Mixed colored oil painting on canvas. In...
    Category

    Late 20th Century Naturalistic Figurative Paintings

    Materials

    Oil

  • "The Whispers in the Shadows, " Oil on Canvas, 2022
    By Bruno Surdo
    Located in Chicago, IL
    Chicago-based fine art painter Bruno A. Surdo is classically trained in drawing and oil painting in the tradition of Renaissance masters. With strong command of the human form, Surdo...
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary Naturalistic Landscape Paintings

    Materials

    Oil

  • Evening Atmosphere - Painting by D. Lukas-Larsen - Late 20th Century
    Located in Roma, IT
    Evening Atmosphere on the coast is an original painting realized by Dieter Lukas-Larsen (1936 - 2001) in the late 20th Century. Mixed colored oil painting on canvas. Signed on the lower right margin. This beautiful artwork shows an atmospheric coastal landscape in evening light mood with strollers on the beach and thatched house...
    Category

    Late 20th Century Naturalistic Figurative Paintings

    Materials

    Oil

Recently Viewed

View All