James Russell Sherman

Estes Park Colorado American Modernist Watercolor Landscape Painting, WPA 1930s

1938

This original watercolor painting by Alfred Wands (1904-1998) captures the breathtaking beauty of the Sangre de Cristo Mountain range in Sou...

This original 1930s watercolor painting by Charles Ragland Bunnell beautifully captures the majestic landscape of Cameron’s Cone near Colorado Springs...

This stunning original 1942 oil painting, titled "Victor, Colorado", is by acclaimed American artist Martyl Suzanne Schweig (1918–2013). A vibrant and historically rich landscape, this work captures the abandoned ghost town of Victor, Colorado, set against the majestic backdrop of the Rocky Mountains. Rendered in rich hues of green, gold, and earthy brown, Schweig brings to life the rugged beauty and quiet mystery of Colorado’s once-booming mining towns. The painting was completed during a plein-air painting trip with noted artist Adolph Dehn...

This rare, original WPA-era painting, Church in Leadville (1938), was created by renowned Colorado and Woodstock modernist artist Jenne Magafan (1916-1952). The watercolor and ink wo...

Naturalistic style landscape of a small town in a valley. The work is signed by the artsit in the bottom corner. The work is framed in a tan frame with a white matte. Dimensions with...

This 20.25" x 27.25" watercolor painting captures a winter landscape near Cundiyo, New Mexico, rendered in a naturalistic style. The foreground is populated with dark green shrubs, their colors providing a stark contrast against the white snow. These elements add a sense of depth and dimension to the scene, drawing the viewer’s eye into the painting. Starting in the foreground and continuing into the distance, is a partially visible dirt trail, blanketed with snow. The mid-ground features rolling hills blanketed in snow and dark foliage. In the background, distant mountains rise against the sky, their peaks slightly obscured by mist or clouds. This not only adds a sense of scale to the scene but also creates an atmospheric effect. The sky, painted in light blue hues, suggests a calm, clear day. The overall tranquil color palette balances the more detailed and textured elements of the composition. The painting is encased in a light brown, wooden frame, with a thin white inner boarder, complimenting the natural theme of the artwork. Webb Young (1913-2005) was a renowned artist known for his depictions of New Mexico landscapes, architecture, and people. Young was born in Covington, Kentucky on September 2, 1913, and his interest in painting began at age 11 with art classes at the Chicago Art Institute. From 1925 through 1928, he studied painting in New Mexico under the famous Southwestern painter, Gerald Cassidy...

Beautiful mid-century watercolor landscape of a California mission with a tree in the foreground by an unknown artist (American, 20th century). Unsi...

Frank Nelson Wilcox (American, 1887-1964) Moraine Valley, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, c. 1950 Watercolor on paper 19 x 24 inches Frank Nelson Wilcox (October 3, 1887 – April 17, 1964) was a modernist American artist and a master of watercolor. Wilcox is described as the "Dean of Cleveland School painters," though some sources give this appellation to Henry Keller or Frederick Gottwald. Wilcox was born on October 3, 1887 to Frank Nelson Wilcox, Sr. and Jessie Fremont Snow Wilcox at 61 Linwood Street in Cleveland, Ohio. His father, a prominent lawyer, died at home in 1904 shortly before Wilcox' 17th birthday. His brother, lawyer and publisher Owen N. Wilcox, was president of the Gates Legal Publishing Company or The Gates Press. His sister Ruth Wilcox was a respected librarian. In 1906 Wilcox enrolled from the Cleveland School of Art under the tutelage of Henry Keller, Louis Rorimer, and Frederick Gottwald. He also attended Keller's Berlin Heights summer school from 1909. After graduating in 1910, Wilcox traveled and studied in Europe, sometimes dropping by Académie Colarossi in the evening to sketch the model or the other students at their easels, where he was influenced by French impressionism. Wilcox was influenced by Keller's innovative watercolor techniques, and from 1910 to 1916 they experimented together with impressionism and post-impressionism. Wilcox soon developed his own signature style in the American Scene or Regionalist tradition of the early 20th century. He joined the Cleveland School of Art faculty in 1913. Among his students were Lawrence Edwin Blazey, Carl Gaertner, Paul Travis, and Charles E. Burchfield. Around this time Wilcox became associated with Cowan Pottery. In 1916 Wilcox married fellow artist Florence Bard, and they spent most of their honeymoon painting in Berlin Heights with Keller. They had one daughter, Mary. In 1918 he joined the Cleveland Society of Artists, a conservative counter to the Bohemian Kokoon Arts Club, and would later serve as its president. He also began teaching night school at the John Huntington Polytechnic Institute at this time, and taught briefly at Baldwin-Wallace College. Wilcox wrote and illustrated Ohio Indian Trails in 1933, which was favorably reviewed by the New York Times in 1934. This book was edited and reprinted in 1970 by William A. McGill. McGill also edited and reprinted Wilcox' Canals of the Old Northwest in 1969. Wilcox also wrote, illustrated, and published Weather Wisdom in 1949, a limited edition (50 copies) of twenty-four serigraphs (silk screen prints) accompanied by commentary "based upon familiar weather observations commonly made by people living in the country." Wilcox displayed over 250 works at Cleveland's annual May Show. He received numerous awards, including the Penton Medal for as The Omnibus, Paris (1920), Fish Tug on Lake Erie (1921), Blacksmith Shop (1922), and The Gravel Pit (1922). Other paintings include The Trailing Fog (1929), Under the Big Top (1930), and Ohio Landscape...