Thomas Gainsborough

Wooded Landscape with Peasants in a Wagon

Dreamy figurative seascape of two ladies on the beach wading in shallow waters, depicted in a beautiful tonal palette of soft cyan and lavender hues, by Alan David Cours (American, b. 1950). The subtle reflections of the women in the water add a touch of detail to the almost abstracted blend of colors that makes up the water and sky, and tiny sails dot the horizon line to imply space. Cours' background as an abstract artist is apparent in this scene, which is grounded in reality only by use of the most important details. The artist allows the mood of the colors to come to the forefront, and any unnecessary details, like the faces of the women or delineation of successive waves in the water, to fall away. Signed "A. Cours" in the lower right corner. Unframed. Image size: 24"H x 30"W. Cours, Alan David (American, b. 1950) was born in Ohio in 1950. He remained there until 1972, when he graduated from Kenyon College with Highest Honors in art. In 1974, Cours moved to New York to accept a grant from the Whitney Museum of American Art. He subsequently obtained an M.F.A. in painting from Hunter College in New York. Originally trained as an abstract artist, Cours became interested in American Impressionism after viewing the work of A. Gisson. He became an informal apprenticeship with Gisson which lasted over ten years. Today, Cours’ style bears evidence of Gisson’s influence but has a delicate touch which is uniquely suited to his vision of our world. He is deeply interested in exploring the power of color to evoke light and mood. His subjects are landscapes, beach scenes, florals, architectural scenes, nudes, and still life. The work of A. David Cours has been exhibited throughout most of the United States. He has become a very successful artist and his work is in both large and small collections in the United States and abroad. “A. David Cours is an exceptionally gifted artist. He has studied with me informally for over ten years. He is far and away the leading proponent of the “Gisson” school of American Impressionism. I most enthusiastically recommend his work” -Anders Gisson

Wonderful Spanish landscape of a humble farm in Rota, Cadiz, Spain with horses, a cow with two herons, one of which is on cow's back by San Francisco artist John Sackas (American, 1910-2004), circa 1950s. Signed lower Left "Sackas" and verso Rota Farm House Cadiz" "John Sackas" . Verso has location, attribution and full artist's biography. Presented in gilt-toned carved wood frame. Image size: 14"H x 18"W. Born in New Jersey on May 22, 1910. John Sackas studied at the San Francisco Art Institute (1934), Chouinard Art School in Los Angeles, Corcoran Gallery of Art, and California School of Fine Arts, Jerry...

Gorgeous Sausalito and the Golden Gate Bridge landscape oil painting by Calderon (Spain, 20th Century). Presented in a giltwood frame. Signed "Calderon" lower right. Image size, 30"H...

Vibrant depiction of an interior garden by Gloria Takla (American/German, b. 1940). Composed of saturated colors, this piece shows a simple snapshot of a palm tree framed by a bright pink wall. The palm is planted in an enclosed area of blue, set in the yellow ground. The tree is framed by an opening in the wall, with decorative elements on either side. Signed in the lower middle. Signed and titled on verso. No frame. Canvas size 36"H x 36"W Gloria Lerch-Takla (German, b. 1940) was born in Berlin and began her art education at night school there. Later she studied art at Western Wyoming College, the University of Alberta in Canada, and Roane State University in Tennessee. She also was a master class student of Hassel Smith at the College of Notre Dame (now Notre Dame de Namur University) in Belmont. A San Mateo resident, Takla often paints outdoors around the Bay Area, both along the coast and in city locations. Selected Exhibitions: 1983 - P.ART.A Galleries, San Mateo, CA 1985 - Oak Ridge Community Art Center, Oak Ridge, TN 1990 - Center for Integrated Systems, Stanford, CA 1998 - “Chroma” Two-Woman Exhibit - Gallery House, Palo Alto, CA 2005 - “Lieder in Color” - Gallery House, Palo Alto, CA Artist’s Statement: “As I have been traveling extensively, my subject matters are all unfolding like a picture book; special moments, views bypassing, caught by my eye from a car window, discarded or stored for later evaluation. I paint the past - events that I have lived through and places I have seen. I experience them first, then at a later time reflect on them, feel them through, then my interpretations of events and impressions are put on canvas.” "I paint in the German Expressionism style...