Ed Heck

Lookin' Cool 2

2012

John Farrar (American, 1928-1972) Signed: John Farrar (Lower, Left) “ Pardner ”, 1943 Titled Above Signature (Lower, Left) Oil on Canvas 26 ⅛” x 32 ⅛” Housed in a 2 ½” period ornamented Newcomb-Macklin frame in toned gold leaf, in good original condition. Outside Size: 30 1/2" x 36 5/8" A recent discovery of a painting that appears to be Farrar’s family dog. This was done when he was just fifteen years old. As a teenager in the 1940s, Farrar received much local acclaim in the Washington D.C. art Scene. Words like “Child Prodigy”, “Brilliant” and “Gifted” were used to describe him in the local newspaper. He had a great bout of early success which included developing patrons among Washington DC’s art elite but this was short lived as he was afflicted with schizophrenia and alcoholism as an adult causing him to spend much of his life in mental institutions. In 1942, Farrar won the Washington Times-Herald's outdoor art fair. This painting was executed the following year when he was 15 (1943). That same year he won the top prize at Atlanta University’s third annual “ Exhibition of Paintings, Sculpture and Prints by Negro Artists ” with a piece titled “ Queenie ”. Approximately one hundred and fifty works of art were included in the show, representing the best works of more than seventy-five contemporary African American artists. This show included works by Romare Bearden, who was awarded Honorable Mention for his painting “ The Two Genrerations ”. Also included among the exhibitors - Charles H. Alston, Allen Rohen Crite, Aaron Douglas, Fredrick Flemister, Sargant Johnson, Horace Pippin, Jacob Lawrence, Marjorie Wheeler Brown, Hughie Lee Smith, Lois Mailou Jones...

Unknown Artist, signed on verso Untitled, 1964 Oil on Masonite 32" x 48" Housed in its original 1 1/2 Frame Overall Size: 34 3/4 x 50 5/8" Some scuffing/discoloration to frame...

5079 Cool Dog screened on canvas with hand applied impasto colorful oil

John Randall Nelson’s paintings are layered with his own personal language consisting of patterns, symbols, and archetypes that may not make any literal sense but play on subconscious associations. His paintings are thick with paint, poured pigment, and saturated washes with layers of drawing and collage. While Nelson's work is akin to outsider, folk art, it should be noted that he received his MFA from Arizona State University in 1995 and has completed commissions for clients as diverse as the National Endowment for the Arts, the United States Postal Service...