American Realist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

"On the Breeze", a masterfully detailed realist figurative landscape watercolor by John Francis Marsh (American, b.1936), in which three young girls play joyfully in a field of hundreds of impeccably rendered wildflowers including poppies, dandelions, and lupines. The girls pluck the fluffy white tuft of the dandelions and let it blow into the wind, capturing a moment that is a universal carefree childhood pastime. The artist's addition of a meticulous red antique car also showcases his skills as an industrial designer. Signed and dated "John Francis Marsh '95" lower right corner. Signed, dated, and titled "On the Breeze" on verso. Displayed in a linen mat and metal frame with no glass. Image size: 10.75"H x 19.75"W John Francis Marsh was born in November 1936, in Glens Falls, in the Adirondack Mountains of New York and grew up in Wallingford and Yalesville, Connecticut. At a very early age, his parents recognized his artistic talent and guided him in that direction. At 4 years old he received his first library which evoked another passion, reading and learning. Education He attended The Most Holy Trinity School in Wallingford for the 1st through the 8th grades, where the sisters also saw his talent and encouraged him. He attended Wilcox Technical High School and mastered the fundamentals of drawing and design. His most influential instructor was Mr. Ernst Lohrmann, a German, gold and silversmith. He graduated with the second-highest grade-point average in school history. University of Bridgeport - influential instructor Robert Redman Art Center School of Design, graduating with a Bachelor of Professional Arts degree, with honors, in 1959. His instructors and mentors included George Jergensen, John Colman, Mary Sheridan, Doyald Young, Morgan Embroden and Strother MacMinn to name a few. Experience: Veteran of General Motor Design Center Worked for Sundberg-Ferar Industrial Design Founder and partner of Hisata, Ishimaru, Montgomery and Marsh an Industrial Design Office the first total design company in San Francisco, CA, from product conception through marketing and Corporate identity Memberships GM Fisher Body Craftsman Guild National Watercolor Society Carmel Art Association Accomplishments Designed the Chevron Oil...

A preliminary drawing for an outside scene that Nesbitt planned to do as a companion pieces to Auction Barn. Jack made numerous drawings but died before he put anything on stone. Jackson Lee Nesbitt, a noted printmaker and painter of the American Scene, dedicated his artistic career to the portrayal of ordinary people going about the business of their lives. A native of Oklahoma, Nesbitt created scenes from the Midwest during the 1930s and 1940s, but in the 1950s, when interest in his work diminished, he moved to Atlanta and established a second career in advertising. Thirty years later, Nesbitt sold his business and resumed his artistic career from Atlanta. Early Life and Education Nesbitt was born in McAlester, Oklahoma, on June 16, 1913, the only child of LuCena Grant and Howard Nesbitt. The family resided in Muskogee, Oklahoma, where his father owned a commercial printing business. Jack, as Nesbitt was known, helped out in the family business until 1931, when he enrolled at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. Two years later Nesbitt enrolled at the Kansas City Art Institute in Missouri. As a first-year student, he learned etching from John deMartelly, attended Ross Braught’s painting class, and met his future wife, Elaine Thompson, who was a costume design student. Thomas Hart Benton, who joined the faculty in the fall of 1935, quickly became a close friend and mentor to the younger artist. In 1937 the management of the Sheffield Steel Corporation contacted deMartelly concerning an etching commission. Because Nesbitt was an outstanding student, his teacher suggested him for the job. When Nesbitt arrived at the plant one afternoon, he was taken to the open-hearth furnace area, where he diligently sketched anonymous workers in that dramatic setting until five o’clock the following morning. On the strength of his sketches, he was commissioned to create a series of etchings illustrating different phases of the steel industry. The commission launched Nesbitt’s career as a professional artist. Artistic Career The commission with Sheffield Steel Corporation provided the financial security that enabled Jack and Elaine Nesbitt to marry on June 1, 1938. He graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute about the same time. Working as a freelance artist, Nesbitt augmented his commissioned work with genre scenes of the Midwest, and he routinely went with Benton on sketching trips to rural Arkansas. The landscape and people of the Ozarks often appear in the finished work of both artists. Beginning in 1939 Nesbitt’s work gained widespread recognition. Open Hearth Door, a Sheffield Steel Corporation painting, was chosen to represent Missouri in the American Art Today exhibition at the New York World’s Fair. Associated American Artists selected one of his etchings, Watering Place, for an edition of 250 prints that were sold through subscription. Having a print published by the association ensured national distribution, and four more of Nesbitt’s works, all of rural southern genre scenes, were later selected by the print publisher. Over the next decade Nesbitt’s work was exhibited in California, Colorado, Illinois, Missouri, New York, and Oklahoma. He was awarded the Eames Prize by the Society of American Etchers in 1946, and his work was included in the book American Prize Prints of the Twentieth Century, by Albert Reese. Major corporations with operations in the Midwest, including Brown and Bigelow, Butler Manufacturing Company, Humble Oil and Refining Company, Omaha Steel Works, Pratt and Whitney...

Lively watercolor of a doorway with a chair and flowers by Sharon Galligan (American, b. 1939). Signed "Galligan" in the lower left corner. Presented in a quadruple mat of complimentary colors and a distressed wood frame. Image size: 27"H x 21.25"W Sharon Galligan (American, b. 1939) is a professional artist painting in watercolor, oil, acrylic, monoprint and mixed media. She was an art major in both high school and college: San Jose State University, West Valley College, and Evergreen College. She has also studied with nationally noted artists and teachers, including Ted Goeschner, Frank Webb, Charles Movali, Howard Rees, Tom Lynch, Dale Laitinen, Marilyn Simandle...

Size: 19.5x14.7 framed Pencil, pen and ink, watercolor wash on handmade paper. Paul Cadmus (December 17, 1904 – December 12, 1999) was an American artist. He is best known for his eg...

A watercolor on paper executed in bright violets, reds and greens and soft muted earth tones by American artist David Wharton. Signed lower right, "David Wharton." Provenance: Gail Severn...