Stephen Bower

'John and Mimi with Tim', John Lennon, England, Manchester College of Art

1982

Signed lower left, 'Leon Franks'; additionally signed and titled, 'Portrait of a Girl', on old label verso. A bravura brushwork study of a young woman wearing a floral patterned shirt gazing calmly towards the viewer. A noted portrait and still life painter, Leon Franks studied at the Academie Julian and Grande Chaumiere in Paris and, subsequently, in Los Angeles at the Chouinard Art Institute and the Los Angeles Art Center. Franks additionally studied privately with Nicolai Fechin, Will Foster and F. Tolles Chamberlain. Before settling in Los Angeles in 1936, where Franks continued his education and began designing for the movie industry, he did portraits and decorations for Vancouver theaters. The author of several 'How to Paint' books, including titles 'How to Do Still Life' (1952) and 'Leon Franks on Techniques' (1964), Franks was a teacher. He privately taught several artists, including Vernon...

Signed lower left, 'Clement' for Gad Frederick Clement (Danish, 1867-1933) and painted circa 1920. Titled, verso, on old exhibition label, 'Fra Haven' (From the Garden). Additionally signed, verso, on stretcher bar and titled, 'Vesterby, Skagen' Exhibited: Skagen Museum, circa 1920, from label, verso. 'Helsinki Art Gallery, 1928', from label, verso. 'Danish Art Convention Forum, 1929', from label, verso. Gad Clement created this luminous painting in the garden of the Vesterby beach house where he and his wife, the artist Martha 'Tupsy' Clement, summered from 1908-1920. A substantial and well-exhibited work, it shows Tupsy at her easel beside their daughters, Bitten (b.1912) and Lillemor (b.1909). Fusing the ideal with the intensely personal, the artist has lyrically captured both the bonds of maternity and the dreamland of childhood. Gad Frederick Clement first studied at Copenhagen's Technical School (1883–1885) before attending the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris (1885-1888). Returning to Denmark, he continued his studies under Laurits Tuxen...

Signed lower left, 'Sarah H. Hobson' and dated, '1936'. A delicately modeled, gouache and watercolor study of a young woman with copper hair. Sarah Villarette Hoover Hobson studied...

Signed lower left with monogram, 'P.T.' for Pearl Took (American, 1928-2012); additionally signed verso, dated 1977 and titled 'Sheila Antoine'. Born in England, Pearl Took first st...

Signed lower right, "Di Gesu", for Victor Di Gesu (American, 1914-1988); further signed and titled verso, and bearing original exhibition label. A substantial figural oil showing Victor di Gesu's wife, the artist Janet Ament, with a white shawl over her knees and seated cross-legged in front of a large ficus. A major work by this notable California Fauve...

Signed lower right, 'Caswell' for Helen Rayburn Caswell (American, 1923-2018) and painted circa 1955. A substantial, mid-century figural oil by this listed California woman artist who showed her talent at an early age. In Saratoga, Caswell began a successful career as an artist and portrait painter, displaying in galleries in Carmel and teaching artist workshops. In addition to her work as a fine artist and portrait painter, Helen wrote and illustrated over 30 books for children and adults. In 1981, Helen moved to Occidental in Sonoma County where, in addition to continuing to paint and teach, she designed stained glass windows for the Sebastopol United Methodist Church. She was also commissioned to paint numerous murals including at St. Ignatius Church in San Francisco and for the Elizabeth Seton Center in Menlo Park.

F. Luis Mora was the first Hispanic member of the National Academy of Design. Spanish Souvenir- mantilla, peineta, by Francis Luis Mora is a painting of beautiful Spanish women in...

Portrait of a Man French School signed and dated 1923 oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas: 16 x 13 inches provenance: private collection, France condition: good and sound conditi...

At Doug's Place by Lu Haskew Oil 12x10" image size Plein Air artists sit by a river discussing on break from the day of painting. ABOUT THE ARTIST: Lu considered it a must to work...

"Golden light" is a painting, oil on canvas by Maestro Natalia Yampolskaya. About the artwork: TECHNIQUE: oil painting STYLE: Contemporary Edition : Unique, signed Weight: Approx...

A stunning full-size portrait of a woman in a pink dress, straw hat, and red sandals. Although Fenske titles this work as only a sketch, we feel it’s a truly mesmerizing and dynamic ...

If something about this painting seems familiar, it is for good reason! Dating from circa 1905-10, it is a work by Lucien Boulier (1882-1963), who was effectively Renoir's last stude...