Skip to main content

Herndon Davis Art

1901-1962

Herndon Davis was an American artist, journalist, illustrator and painter who wasn’t recognized in his lifetime and not until recently. He was born in Wynnewood, Oklahoma of rancher parents. At fourteen, Davis moved himself to Kansas City, Missouri to take art lessons. He supported himself with unskilled labor jobs. From there, he went to Chicago and apprenticed as an engraver and commercial artist. In 1920, he joined the army and was stationed in Denver. Davis’ love for Colorado and Denver must have begun at that time. But first, he lived and worked in Washington, D.C., where he worked at the National War Collaege creating maps of China and Japan, and New York City, where he attended the National Academy of Design and Art Students League of New York while working at the New York Herald Tribune, Washington Times-Herald and Washington Daily News. In 1936, he moved to Denver, where he began to capture in paint and pencil notable people and landmarks of Denver and the west. Included in his subject matter were the notorious and the famous whether people or places. Davis is best known for his painting of the face of his wife on the barroom floor in Central City, Colorado. It was inspired by the poem The Face on the Barroom Floor and so it is titled. It wasn’t until after his death that friends were allowed to tell his beloved wife, Nita, was his model.

to
1
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
7,750
5,001
2,504
1,390
1
1
1
Artist: Herndon Davis
Red Rocks, Southern Colorado, 20th-Century Landscape Painting of Rock Formations
By Herndon Davis
Located in Denver, CO
An exceptional original landscape painting by acclaimed Colorado artist Herndon Davis (1901–1962), showcasing the dramatic natural beauty of Red Rocks Park, located near Morrison, Co...
Category

20th Century American Modern Herndon Davis Art

Materials

Oil

Related Items
"Cruise Ship Rolls In" Mid 20th Century American Contemporary Modern Realism
Located in New York, NY
"Cruise Ship Rolls In" Mid 20th Century American Contemporary Modern Realism This is one sensational painting. And we can even identify the artist, but can't find anything about the...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Modern Herndon Davis Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Big Sur California Seascape Original Mid-Century Oil on Linen
Located in Soquel, CA
Big Sur California Seascape Original Mid-Century Oil on Linen Exceptional Seascape ainting in Oil Impasto technique by Ralph Victor Murray (American, 1897-1991). Heavy brush work of the Big Sur Coast rocks and crashing waves. In a period rustic carved frame. Image 24"H x 30.88"W Frame 28.25"H x 35.25"W x 2"D, frame is rustic and has some edge wear included as-is. Ralph Victor Murray was born June 27, 1897 in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. He was raised in Fredericton and Campbellton. He was living in Campbellton in 1910 and witnessed the whole town burn to the ground. He studied at Rothesay Academy and left school at the age of 15 to help support his mother and sisters when his father passed away. He joined the Canadian Expeditionary Forces at age 18 and served during World War 1 in England until he was stricken with Diptheria and transferred to Halifax. He was walking to work on Dec. 16, 1917 when the great explosion of Halifax took place. After leaving the military, he traveled and worked in Canada and the United States until he ended up in San Francisco. While there he heard the California Highway Division was hiring, so he took the test and was hired as a surveyor. From 1923 to 1924 he surveyed Highway One (The Big Sur Highway) between Santa Maria and Carmel. He was retired from the State of California in 1940 and took up oil painting. In 1941 he won 2nd place in the Santa Cruz County Fair. He was mostly self taught, however he did take some private lessons from Burton Boundey and Abel Warshawsky. His work was landscapes and seascapes in oils. He was a lifetime member of the Carmel Art Association in Carmel, California. He frequently exhibited his work there from 1940-1960. His work was also exhibited in Wells Fargo Bank, Cal Am Water Co., Monterey Savings and Loan, Pacific Gas and Electric and numerous other businesses around the Monterey Peninsula. His work was shown in the "Monterey Peninsula Herald" and was also photographed for the L. A. Times for the July 20, 1958 insert. In the 1960's he gave private lessons to Helen Barker and Charles Lee. He also showed his work in the Helen Barker Gallery in Carmel, California. He was featured under People in the February, 1989 issue of Monterey Life. The California Art Review solicited information from him as well as California Artists. His friends and peers were such greats as Abel Warshawsky, Frank Meyers, Myron Oliver, Armin Hansen, Arthur Hill Gilbert, Burton Boundey and Leslie Emery...
Category

1950s American Modern Herndon Davis Art

Materials

Linen, Oil, Stretcher Bars

Morning Sunrise, Mid Century Laguna Hills Figurative Landscape
Located in Soquel, CA
Beautiful mid century plein air figural landscape of Laguna Niguel, California by an unknown artist (American, 20th Century). The morning sun gli...
Category

1950s American Modern Herndon Davis Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Cardboard

Signed Lowell Herrero Beach Scene Painting
Located in New York, NY
Lowell Herrero (American, 1921-2015) Untitled, c. Late 20th-Early 21st Century Oil on canvas 16 x 20 in. Framed: 19 3/4 x 23 5/8 in. Signed lower right:...
Category

Late 20th Century American Modern Herndon Davis Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Vintage Utah Desert Range Landscape
Located in Soquel, CA
Vibrant painting of the Utah desert range by an unknown artist. Unsigned. Presented in a painted wood frame with linen fillet. Image size, 24"H x 30"L.
Category

1960s American Modern Herndon Davis Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Illustration Board

Mid Century Northern California Mountain Lake Landscape
Located in Soquel, CA
Mid Century Northern California Mountain Lake Landscape Serene landscape by Margot Wilson Lowe (American, 20th Century). The viewer looks out over a large mountain lake, reflecting ...
Category

1960s American Modern Herndon Davis Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Illustration Board

Woman and Child in the Woods - Midcentury Abstracted Landscape in Oil on Canvas
Located in Soquel, CA
Woman and Child in the Woods - Midcentury Abstracted Landscape in Oil on Canvas Dramatic abstracted painting of a woman holding a child in the woods by Maley (20th Century). This pi...
Category

1970s American Modern Herndon Davis Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars

Elm Trees in Autumn Landscape in Antique Newcomb-Macklin Frame
By Mary H. Brubaker
Located in Soquel, CA
Elm trees in autumn at the edge of Salt Creek, Illinois, by Mary H. Brubaker (American, b. 1891). Signed and dated "Mary H. Brubaker 35" in the lower left cor...
Category

1930s American Modern Herndon Davis Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Illustration Board

Mid Century Desert Mesa Landscape with Cacti in Oil on Canvas
By Vina McPheeters
Located in Soquel, CA
Mid Century Desert Mesa Landscape with Cacti in Oil on Canvas Colorful mid century desert landscape with beautiful cacti by Vina McPheeters (American, 1892-1964). Colorful cacti are dotted throughout the foreground, lush with yellow and pink blooms. In the distance, dramatic mesas rise to meet a cloud-filled sky. Signed "Vina McPheeters" in the lower right corner. Presented in an antiqued bronze-colored frame. Frame size: 25.75"H x 29.75"W Image size: 20"H x 24"W Vina Pearl McPheeters (American, 1892-1964) was born in Iowa on October 7, 1892. Vina was the wife of Robert Guy...
Category

1950s American Modern Herndon Davis Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars

Countryside Cabin - 2014 Original Oil on Board
Located in Soquel, CA
Countryside Cabin - 2014 Original Oil on Board Vibrant landscape depicting a small grey cabin in the countryside by an unknown central California coast artist Maria Pavao Hadsell (P...
Category

2010s American Modern Herndon Davis Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas, Illustration Board

Mid Century Fields of Wheat Landscape - Oil on Canvas-Wrapped Illustration Board
By Genevieve Rogers
Located in Soquel, CA
Mid Century Fields of Wheat Landscape - Oil on Canvas-Wrapped Illustration Board Idyllic landscape of a path winding through a field of wheat, punctua...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Modern Herndon Davis Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Illustration Board

Original Oil Painting Big Sur, Monterey California Landscape
By Virginia Shackles
Located in Soquel, CA
A beautiful American Impressionist oil seascape of the rugged Big Sur coast, Carmel California by Virginia Shackles (American, 1921-2020). The composition is pleasing with an interes...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Modern Herndon Davis Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Herndon Davis art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Herndon Davis art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Herndon Davis in oil paint, paint and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the modern style. Not every interior allows for large Herndon Davis art, so small editions measuring 18 inches across are available. Herndon Davis art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1,250 and tops out at $1,250, while the average work can sell for $1,250.

Artists Similar to Herndon Davis

Recently Viewed

View All