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Don Clausen Art

American, 1930-2020
Don was a passionate artist all his life. He started out with his animal drawings for children while attending art school. He then went on to his more abstract “boat paintings” and finally settled on abstract expressionism. His idea of a vacation was carving wood sculptures. He showed his art for many years at the De Tours Gallery and Maiden Lane Gallery in San Francisco, Zantmans in Carmel, Alta Galleria in Berkeley and had art shows in Grand Rapids Michigan in 2016 and 2019, plus various other galleries and shows over the years. One of his paintings is on the label of the 1986 Kenwood “artist series” Cabernet Sauvignon. Born in 1930, Clausen is a graduate of the California College of Art in Oakland, California. “I always search for new ways of seeing things,” he says. “I’m an incurable experimenter. I live for art.” He uses a palette knife for his oil abstract paintings; in the 1960s and 1970s he also painted seascapes and did some sculpture in wood and metal. In his luminous abstractions, Clausen employs every color of the rainbow, the strong lines forming geometric shapes that appear to fly through space. Nothing is weighed down in his paintings; it’s as if images came to him from outer space or other realms. He turns the physical world into dabs and streaks of color that convey an engulfing sense of motion. Whether abstract or representational, his works convey enormous energy and vitality, like masterpieces by Jackson Pollack and Willem de Kooning. They also are distinctive for their sculptural quality, a result of his thickly layering the paint and then slicing down to the canvas with a palette knife or section of a venetian blind; his choice of tools is as eclectic as his subject matter. “I’ll paint with anything,” he says. “I like sticks because I can carve into the paint with them.” Few artists demonstrate Clausen’s versatility, proved by his genius for shifting from one artistic form to another. He shows outstanding talent for portraiture, conveying a profound sense of his subjects’ characters, through sensitive detail, such as the tilt of a head, expression of the mouth or smile lines. A great admirer of Rembrandt and Vermeer, Clausen has learned how to evoke a psychological state from studying those masters. He also paints landscapes and cityscapes, particularly splendid is a golden-brown San Francisco that he did of the city long ago. He has spent a lot of time studying the broad horizons of French painter Vlaminck. “Everything is abstract more or less,” he says, “as it’s fundamentally composed of shapes and lines.”
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Artist: Don Clausen
1974 California Bay Area Abstract Expressionist Bold Oil Painting Don Clausen
By Don Clausen
Located in Surfside, FL
Don Clausen American (b. 1930) Untitled (1974) Oil on board Hand signed lower left and verso Framed 11.25 X 13.5 sight 9 x 11.25 inches Don Clausen is an American Postwar & Contem...
Category

1970s Abstract Expressionist Don Clausen Art

Materials

Oil, Board

'Abstract Landscape', California College of Arts and Crafts, Oakland, Thiebaud
By Don Clausen
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed lower left, 'Clausen' for Don Clausen (American, 1930-2020) and dated 1974. A self-proclaimed "sculptor of paint," Donald Clausen used tools of his own invention to create co...
Category

1970s Don Clausen Art

Materials

Masonite, Oil

Titled “Sarpi”
By Don Clausen
Located in San Francisco, CA
Abstract oil on canvas By notable California artist Titled “Sarpi” Dated 1982
Category

1980s Don Clausen Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Mid Century Modern Abstract Painting by Don Clausen C.1959
By Don Clausen
Located in San Francisco, CA
Mid Century Modern Abstract Painting by Don Clausen C.1959 Early abstract by Clausen Original oil on board Dimensions 48" wide x 28.25" high The frame measures 52" wide x 33.25" ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Don Clausen Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

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Previously Available Items
Large Scale Contemporary Textural Abstract with Red, Blue, Orange by Don Clausen
By Don Clausen
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Large Scale Contemporary Textural Abstract with Red, Blue, Orange by Don Clausen "Peritorm", a vivid large-scale abstract expressionist painting by California artist Don Clausen (American, 1930-2020). In this contemporary abstract piece, created in 1991, broad strokes featuring a spectrum of vibrant color from deep red, to rust orange, to light blue slice across the large canvas with an energetic layering effect. A linear ridged texture is created by Clausen's use of palette knives and other unconventional tools. Signed and dated "Clausen '91", and titled "Peritorm" on verso. Displayed in a modern black vinyl frame. Canvas size: 45"H x 43"W. Don was a passionate artist all his life. He started out with his animal drawings for children while attending art school. He then went on to his more abstract “boat paintings...
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1990s Abstract Expressionist Don Clausen Art

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1974 California Bay Area Abstract Expressionist Bold Oil Painting Don Clausen
By Don Clausen
Located in Surfside, FL
Don Clausen American (b. 1930) Untitled (1974) Oil on board Hand signed lower left and verso Framed 11.25 X 13.5 sight 9 x 11.25 inches Don Clausen is an American Postwar & Contemporary painter who was born in 1930. Don Clausen is a graduate of California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, California. He lives and works in the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Area. He mainly works in oils on canvas, but sometimes does sculptures and assemblages. In his luminous abstractions, Clausen employs every color of the rainbow, the strong lines forming geometric shapes that appear to fly through space. Nothing is weighed down in his paintings; it’s as if images came to him from outer space or other realms. He turns the physical world into dabs and streaks of color that convey an engulfing sense of motion. Whether abstract expressionism or representational, his works convey enormous energy and vitality, like masterpieces by Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning. They also are distinctive for their sculptural quality, a result of his thickly layering the paint and then slicing down to the canvas with a palette knife or section of a venetian blind; his choice of tools is as eclectic as his subject matter. His son is the well regarded sculptor Eric Clausen, a master blacksmith who does sculpture in iron. An active part of the Bay Area arts scene, Don Clausen was contemporaries and consociates of people such as Geraldine Duncann, Donald Namohala Yuen,Jade Fon...
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Mid Century Abstract Expressionism Gloucester Docks
By Don Clausen
Located in Soquel, CA
Vivid mid century abstract expressionist titled, "Color Fun" by California artist Don Clausen. 1962. Signed and dated upper right corner. Presented in original wood frame. Image size: 15"H x 15"W. Framed size: 21.5"H x 21.5"W. An abstract painting of the Gloucester, Mass. boat works and docks. Born in 1930, Clausen is a graduate of the California College of Art in Oakland, California. He and his wife live in Piedmont. “I always search for new ways of seeing things,” he says. “I’m an incurable experimenter. I live for art.” He uses a palette knife for his oil abstract paintings; in the 1960s and 1970s he also painted seascapes and did some sculpture in wood and metal. In his luminous abstractions, Clausen employs every color of the rainbow, the strong lines forming geometric shapes that appear to fly through space. Nothing is weighed down in his paintings; it’s as if images came to him from outer space or other realms. He turns the physical world into dabs and streaks of color that convey an engulfing sense of motion. Whether abstract or representational, his works convey enormous energy and vitality, like masterpieces by Jackson Pollack and Willem de Kooning. They also are distinctive for their sculptural quality, a result of his thickly layering the paint and then slicing down to the canvas with a palette knife or section of a venetian blind; his choice of tools is as eclectic as his subject matter. “I’ll paint with anything,” he says. “I like sticks because I can carve into the paint with them.” Few artists demonstrate Clausen’s versatility, proved by his genius for shifting from one artistic form to another. He shows outstanding talent for portraiture, conveying a profound sense of his subjects’ characters, through sensitive detail, such as the tilt of a head, expression of the mouth or smile lines. For models, he sometimes uses photos from women’s magazines or finds pictures of some of his heroes, like singer Ella Fitzgerald and comedian Lenny Bruce...
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1960s Abstract Expressionist Don Clausen Art

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Canvas, Oil

Don Clausen art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Don Clausen art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Don Clausen in oil paint, paint, board and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the abstract style. Not every interior allows for large Don Clausen art, so small editions measuring 14 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Steven Sorman, Elizabeth Riley, and Duane Albert Armstrong. Don Clausen art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $950 and tops out at $3,850, while the average work can sell for $2,250.

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