Preston M. Smith (PMS)

Lit Up, Painting, Oil on Wood Panel

2020

This is a gallery quality, PMS abstract acrylic painting for your home or office. I have continued my obsession with painting works on recycled and reclaimed materials. This not only...

This is a beautiful, bold and unique PMS abstract acrylic and resin coated painting on an upcycled wooden crate, that is a perfect statement piece for your home or office. The resin ...

This is a unique large modern PMS abstract acrylic painting that will make a statement in your home or office. This painting is mature, bold, deep and emotional. The colors streak an...

This is a completely unique and original xt large PMS abstract oil and acrylic painting on canvas. Perfect for your living room, or to fill any large wall in your office or home. Thi...

This artwork will be shipped rolled in a dent-resistant tube. Robert Niesse is a contemporary German abstract artist, renowned for his ""Abstract Informal"" paintings that masterful...

Contemporary colorful oil on canvas abstract painting by Polish artist Monika Rossa. Artwork is a gestural abstraction, there are many dynamic shapes and composition consists of many...

Contemporary colorful oil on canvas abstract painting by Polish artist Monika Rossa. Artwork is a gestural abstraction, there are many dynamic shapes and composition consists of many...

Norman Carton (1908 – 1980) was an American artist and educator known for abstract expressionist art. He was born in the Ukraine region of Imperial Russia and moved to the United States in 1922 where he spent most of his adult life. A classically trained portrait and landscape artist, Carton also worked as a drafter, newspaper illustrator, muralist, theater set designer, photographer, and fabric designer and spent most of his mature life as an art educator. Carton showed in and continues to be shown in many solo and group exhibitions. His work is included in numerous museums and private collections throughout the world. Norman Carton was born in the Dnieper Ukraine territory of the Russian Empire in 1908. Escaping the turbulence of civil war massacres, he settled in Philadelphia in 1922 after years of constant flight. While attending the Pennsylvania Museum School of Industrial Art, Carton worked as a newspaper artist for the Philadelphia Record from 1928 to 1930 in the company of other illustrator/artists who had founded the Ashcan School, the beginnings of modern American art. From 1930 to 1935, he studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts under Henry McCarter, who was a pupil of Toulouse-Lautrec, Puvis de Chavanne, and Thomas Eakins. Arthur Carles, especially with his sense of color, and the architect John Harbison also provided tutelage and inspiration. Following his time at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Carton studied at the Barnes Foundation from 1935 to 1936 where he was influenced by an intellectual climate led by visiting lecturers John Dewey and Bertrand Russell as well as daily access to Albert C. Barnes and his art collection. Carton was awarded the Cresson Traveling Scholarship in 1934 which allowed him to travel through Europe and study in Paris. There he expanded his artistic horizons with influences stemming from Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Chaim Soutine, and Wassily Kandinsky. While at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Carton was also awarded the Toppan Prize for figure painting as well as the Thouron Composition Prize. He received numerous commissions as a portrait artist, social realist, sculptor, and theatrical stage designer as well as academic scholarships. During this time, Carton worked as a scenery designer at Sparks Scenic Studios, a drafter at the Philadelphia Enameling Works, and a fine art lithographer. From 1939 to 1942, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) Federal Art Project employed Carton as a muralist and easel artist. He collaborated with architect George Howe. The WPA commissioned Carton to paint major murals at the Helen Fleischer Vocational School for Girls in Philadelphia, the Officers’ Club at Camp Meade Army Base in Maryland, and in the city of Hidalgo, Mexico. Throughout the 1940s, Carton exhibited and won prizes for his semi-abstract Expressionist and Surrealist paintings. He socialized with and was inspired by Émile Gauguin and Fernand Leger. During World War II, Carton was a naval structural designer and draftsman at the Cramps...