California - Portrait Paintings

Biography from the niece of the artist from during his lifetime. Paintings acquired from the artist.s estate. Max Turner 1925 - 2019 Max Lamar Turner Painter, Sculptor, Teacher and Author. Max Turner was born in Omaha, Nebraska on July 28, 1925. His father was Lance Howard Turner and his mother Mary Irene Turner. In 1927, his family moved to Bingham Canyon, Utah where Max's father extracted copper from a creek that he had diverted to pass through his garage. The town was located in a narrow canyon on the eastern face of the Oquirrh Mountains. In 1938, when Max was 13, his family moved to Midvale, Utah. After completing high school, Max went to work laying rail until he was inducted into the U.S. Navy to serve during W.W. II. There he took an aptitude test and was initially assigned to the medical corp., later transferring to the dental unit. Max was stationed at Port Hueneme, Ventura County, California through the end of the war. When he was discharged in 1946, he remained in Southern California, living in the Los Angeles area. He met a man named Larry Torres and they formed a partnership to do silk screen work primarily for the Colby Poster Printing Company. This lasted about 10 years until the Colby building caught fire and burned down. In 1958, Max began working for Slade Novelty company that made doll parts using a product called plastisol. A year later, Max began producing plastic parts through his own business. One day, a couple of kids brought in a shrunken skull they had made and asked Max if he could reproduce it. Max said he could and he looked around for a business to work with for this task. He ultimately decided he could create his own machine shop to make molds. As a result, Max purchased a lathe, drill press, grinder and other tools to create his own machine shop and went into business making molds. He built a clientele and in 1973, he moved his machine shop to Glendale, California. Painter, Sculptor, Teacher and Author: Max recalls the day when his interest in art took a new direction. He happened to be in a paint store to purchase some supplies when he saw a card posted on a wall that read, "Come paint with Connie Marlo". Max had been interested in art since his youth and he was frequently impressed with paintings displayed by local artists at various community events. Consequently, he decided to go to Connie's Saturday morning art class at a studio on North La Brea Avenue (between Sunset and Hollywood) in Los Angeles. But, as fate would have it, he immediately took a detour from this class when he found a piece of paper on the floor of the studio referencing another art class dealing with compositions, patterns, rhythms and color harmony. The instructor's name was Hal Reed, a former art student of the Russian/American Master, Nicolai Fechin. Hal owned the building (previously the Will Foster Studio) and had founded the Art League of Los Angeles. When Max found Hal, he asked Hal if he could join his class. Hal said "No, the class was full" but he said Max could monitor the class in the back of the classroom. Max took him up on the offer and began observing the weekly class. During the class, Hal told his students that they should practice what they were learning by going to "live model" classes. Max began attending these classes where he learned how to draw figures. After a few months, Hal and Max became good friends. Hal was so impressed with Max's work that he offered Max the opportunity to teach at another location that Hal was opening in the San Fernando Valley. Max accepted the offer and began teaching his own art class. For Max, it was a quick jump from learning to teaching. Max then found that several of his students had to commute to his art class from the west end of the "Valley". To better serve this group of students, Max decided to relocate to another studio in Calabasas. Max continued teaching, and at this time he was producing very impressive portraits, both oil paintings and charcoal drawings from live models (Max never worked from photos). Max demonstrated real talent, and the style of his drawings and paintings were being compared to those of Nicolai Fechin. And, like Fechin, Max also had an interest in sculpting. One day, Max decided to design and cast a bronze owl sculpture to put in his Calabasas Fine Art Gallery. Later, someone approached Max when he was at the foundry and asked him about his success selling the owl sculpture. The individual who asked this question was convinced that there was a broader market for these sculptures and he ordered a dozen of the owl sculptures from Max. This encouraged Max to do more castings. Some of the new castings were antique sculptures he found and reproduced. As this new business grew, he decided to establish his own foundry, employing up to 15 workers. The business continued for many years, up until the late 1990's when Max got tired of the foundry business and sold it. Max, who was now in his 70's, decided to move on to his next venture as an artist, dedicating himself to doing the actual sculpting of original art. He loved the creativity of sculpting and he had his sculptures cast at local foundries, ironically the same ones that used to be his competition. Max was now fully engaged in his new artistic direction and, over time, he produced a large body of work. He created very impressive sculptures, including about 100 full-size sculptures. He sold some of these to high-end clientele, the Foundry at SLS Las Vegas, and to Hollywood studios. Even though Max now seemed to be totally in his element, he somehow also found time to continue to teach painting classes at the California Art Institute in Westlake Village in Los Angeles. At the institute, he specialized in figure work. Max continued to draw, paint and teach, but he says he stopped sculpting when he turned 90. Max produced four books showcasing his drawings and paintings. The first is "Faces, The Drawings of Max Turner", copyright 2000, that showcases nearly 100 of his portrait drawings. Within the "Acknowledgements" section, he lists Hal Reed and Joseph Nordmann, two former students of Nicolai Fechin. In 2006, Max produced his second book titled "Figures and Faces", reflecting not only portraits but also figure drawings and paintings. It is a wonderful book of Max's work, but it is currently difficult to find. The third book is titled "Faces 2, The Paintings and Drawings of Max Turner", copyright 2009, which includes 75 portrait paintings and drawings. In the "Preface" of this book, Max describes growing up in a small and isolated mining town during the Great Depression. He states that as a kid, he had little exposure of any culture or view of what the rest of the world was like. His neighbor was the trash collector and Max would sometimes go through his truck looking for anything of value. Among other things, he found magazines like Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping and Red Book, with covers that frequently showed drawings or paintings of faces. Max states that these images were the very first source of inspiration for him. He says that he began looking more carefully at people's faces and if they had character, he would draw them. By drawing them, Max says that he was making them part of his world, his world of "Faces". In 2018, Max published his newest book showcasing his drawings and paintings. It is titled "Max Turner's Figure Sketches". This softbound book includes 76 pages and over 120 drawings and paintings. In the Introduction, Max explains "I have found that when approaching the figure, one should begin with the gesture. After having captured the essence or feeling of the pose, one can then proceed to build on it." The figure sketches in this wonderful book reflect a Master's work that consistently captures the "gesture"-showing the emotion, movement and expression. Two more books are on the horizon for Max, both dealing with his passion for sculpting. His first, "The Sculpture of Max Turner" is a compilation of his commercial and noncommercial pieces throughout his career. The second, "Terra Cotta Sculpture by Max Turner" is a complete collection of figures done at the California Art Institute. These much anticipated books should be out later in 2018. Max now considers himself primarily a sculptor. But others in the art world are more than impressed with his drawings and paintings as well. His portraits are often described as having a Fechin-esque appearance, referring to the style of Nicolai Fechin. When Max observed those first art classes given by Hal Reed, it should be noted that Hal had previously been a student of the Russian/American Master Nicolai Fechin in the early to mid-1950's. In fact, Hal was a student in the last art class that Fechin taught before he unexpectedly died in 1955. Hal was so strongly influenced by Fechin that he later produced two 30-minute art instruction videos as part his Art Video Productions wherein he specifically described Fechin techniques that he learned in Fechin's class. The Fechin style and techniques were in play when Max later met Hal. Over the years, many of Max's art students, art collectors, gallery owners, as well as the Director of the Monterey Museum of Art have commented on the Fechin-esque qualities of Max's wonderful charcoal drawings and paintings. So, while Max may consider himself primarily a sculptor, his drawings and paintings are also impressive and very much sought after. When Nicolai Fechin died in 1955, three of the nine students in his last art class became life-long friends. Max subsequently became friends with not only Hal Reed, but also with prior Fechin students Joseph Nordmann and Albert Londraville...

'Shero' is a bright and brilliant painting with commentary on modern daily life. The artist uses her own image for this "Icon" painting that reflects feminism today (as well as histo...

Certificate of authenticity and artist catalogue are included. Bruno Paoli (1915-2005) Teaching the masters helped create this contemporary master. Bruno was a professor of art in F...

Howdi Do - by Marc Zimmerman - Figures Landscape Art This masterpiece is exhibited in the Zimmerman Gallery, Carmel CA. ABOUT THE ARTIST Marc Zimmerman is a visionary artist whose c...

Certificate of authenticity and artist catalogue are included. Bruno Paoli (1915-2005) Teaching the masters helped create this contemporary master. Bruno was a professor of art in F...

Certificate of authenticity and artist catalogue are included. Bruno Paoli (1915-2005) Teaching the masters helped create this contemporary master. Bruno was a professor of art in F...

Certificate of authenticity and artist catalogue are included. Bruno Paoli (1915-2005) Teaching the masters helped create this contemporary master. Bruno was a professor of art in F...

Certificate of authenticity and artist catalogue are included. Bruno Paoli (1915-2005) Teaching the masters helped create this contemporary master. Bruno was a professor of art in F...

Robert Elibekyan , Robert Elibekian, Title: Maral, oil on canvas, 20x16 in, year 2005

Three Figures - Black and White Illustration in Ink on Paper Bold illustration of three people by an unknown artist (20th Century). The figures are depicted in a tight cluster, as i...

In this cinema noir series of original oil and acrylic painting on wood panels, Myron Stephens realistically recreates images of people and often mundane objects that are masterfully...

'Migrants' by Willard Dixon. These paintings are generally taken from small black and white newspaper photos from Willard Dixon’s daily reading of the news. He changes the images somewhat by cropping them, taking things out, adding color, etc. But the image is definitely something seen originally by someone else. “I must say”, says Dixon, “I have rather strong feelings about these images myself. I see them at least in part as an homage to the intrepid photographers on the front lines who are telling truth to the world about what’s actually going on out there.” Willard Dixon Born: Kansas City MO, 1942 Education: Art Students League, New York, NY Cornell University Brooklyn Museum School San Francisco Art Institute, M.F.A. 1969 Awards and Commissions N.E.A. Fellowship Grant- 1989 California Supreme Court Mural Commission- 1998 Las Vegas Federal Courthouse Commission, G.S.A.-1998 Teaching 1989-90: San Francisco State University 1975: San Francisco Art Institute Realism Seminar 1974-76: Academy of Art College, San Francisco, CA 1973-74, 1976: California College of Arts and Crafts, Oakland, CA 1971-72: California State University, Hayward, CA One Man Exhibitions 2020: Evening Light, Andra Norris Gallery, Burlingame, CA 2015: Willard Dixon Portraits College of Marin Fine Art Gallery, Kentfield 2014: SFMOMA Artists Gallery, San Francisco, CA. 2008: SFMOMA Artists Gallery, San Francisco, CA. 2005: Fischbach Gallery, NYC,NY 2005: Dolby Chadwick Gallery, San Francisco, CA 2004: Fischbach Gallery, NYC, NY. 2002: Earl McGrath Gallery, Los Angeles, CA 2002: Bolinas Museum, Bolinas, CA 2001: Hackett Freedman Gallery, San Francisco, CA 2000: Fischbach Gallery, NYC , NY 2000: Hearst Art Gallery, St. Mary’s College, Moraga, CA 1998: Hackett Freedman Gallery, SF, CA 1997: Tatistcheff/Rogers Gallery, Los Angeles, CA 1996, 1995: Contemporary Realist Gallery (now Hackett Freedman Gallery) 1994: Fischbach Gallery 1993: Contemporary Realist Gallery 1992: Fischbach Gallery 1991: Earl McGrath Gallery, 454 North, Los Angeles, CA 1990: Fischbach Gallery 1989: William Sawyer...

"Mother and Daughter" Expressionist Portrait in Oil on Cardstock Mid Century expressionist portrait by unknown artist Jane W. Grace (American, 20th C...

In this cinema noir series of original oil and acrylic painting on wood panels, Myron Stephens realistically recreates images of people and often mundane objects that are masterfully...

Certificate of authenticity and artist catalogue are included. Bruno Paoli (1915-2005) Teaching the masters helped create this contemporary master. Bruno was a professor of art in F...

Inspired by the concepts of beauty, adolescence, and time passing, Zolotnotsky’s personal and intimate oil paintings probe deeply into the mystery of the medium, itself. She seeks to create works, alive with the raw physicality of paint, to which viewers relate on an emotional level. Painting of a woman's face / head is created with oil on mylar and mounted to diBond board, and then framed in a museum quality silver...

Mafia Pizza Break By Marc Zimmerman This masterwork is exhibited in the Zimmerman Gallery, Carmel CA. Marc Zimmerman creates playful paintings, whether deep mysterious jungle or ...

"PROFILE OF A WOMAN" OIL ON PANEL C.1960 PAINTED IN ITALY 16 X 12 INCHES Morton Dimondstein 1920-2000 At the age of seventeen Morton Dimondstein enrolled in the American Artists School and then the Art Students League in New York City, where he studied painting, drawing, and printmaking with Anton Refregier, Harry Sternberg, and Kimon Nicolaides. After serving in the 387th Field Artillery Battalion during World War II, Dimondstein continued his studies at the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles. He was one of the first artists to produce serigraphic prints on the West Coast, marketing them as affordable art in galleries and retail stores. His prints and oil paintings garnered several awards during this post-war period, including an A.C.A. Gallery international competition for a one- man show in New York City. In 1951 he moved to Mexico, where he attended the Instituto Politécnico Nacional and studied art with José Gutiérrez and David Alfaro Siqueiros. During his three years in Mexico, Dimondstein worked as a staff artist and instructor in visual education for UNESCO and was a member of the Taller de Gráfica Popular. After moving back to Los Angeles, Dimondstein served as the art editor of the California Quarterly from 1953 to 1956. He briefly worked for the Saul Bass advertising firm where he designed books and book jackets, and collaborated on the ad campaigns for films such as William Wyler’s “The Big Country” and Otto Preminger’s “St. Joan.” Dimondstein received industry recognition for the images he created, but cranking out art for commercial ventures with strict deadlines was not for him. He chose to leave that world in favor of working as an independent artist and art teacher. Over the years he taught at the Kann Art Institute, the New School of Art, the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and the School of Fine Art which he established with UCLA faculty member Martin Lubner...

Certificate of authenticity and artist catalogue are included. Bruno Paoli (1915-2005) Teaching the masters helped create this contemporary master. Bruno was a professor of art in F...

'So Long' a mysterious and fascinating portrayal of a young women standing inside of a ring of red flowers, in front of a heavy velvet gold and red drape, that is falling on either ...

'SAFFO' is a contemporary portrait of a young woman created in oil on round wood panel. from Russian American Elena Zolotnitsky who is Inspired by the concepts of beauty, adolescence...

Certificate of authenticity and artist catalogue are included. Bruno Paoli (1915-2005) Teaching the masters helped create this contemporary master. Bruno was a professor of art in F...

This is a one of a kind original oil on panel surrealist painting by San Diego artist, Kelley Sutphin. Its dimensions are 14.4"x26.4"x1.5". It is framed. A certificate of authenticit...

"The Interviewer" (FRAMED) Figurative Painting 60 x 72 inch by Yoram Katz Size framed: 61" x 73" inch ABOUT THE ARTIST: Born in Israel. Graduated from the Bazelel Art Academy in Je...

About the medium, Canson's paper Canson is a 500-year-old brand of fine art paper known for its high-quality, durable, and versatile papers for drawing, watercolor, printmaking, and ...

Beautiful impressionist mid-century portrait of a woman in a garden setting by Philadelphia artist Sol Jasner (American, 20th Century). The woman has short hair and is wearing a lovely lavender colored blouse, and she is surrounded by lush greenery with a cluster of grapes growing on the vine in the background. Signed "Sol Jasner" on verso. Unframed. Canvas size: 18"H x 24"W. A mid-century Philadelphia artist and art educator active in the 1960’s, Sol Jasner taught art classes alongside his contemporary Philadelphia artist Martin Zipin.

The face of a young woman is featured in this oil painting on mylar, mounted on panel that is 12 x 12 inches. Professionally framed in burnished gold leaf over wood with an outer dim...

Richard Whalen (American, 1926-2009) "Carmen Amaya" Original Oil Painting c.1990 Created on a wooden ply panel with rope for hanging The artist us...

Jeremy Novy’s unique brand of street art is ripe with thoughtful social examinations. Novy has combated a homophobic lack of representation with a celebrat...

Jeremy Novy’s unique brand of street art is ripe with thoughtful social examinations. Novy has combated a homophobic lack of representation with a celebra...

Jeremy Novy’s unique brand of street art is ripe with thoughtful social examinations. Novy has combated a homophobic lack of representation with a celebration of gay iconography, br...

Faces Painting by Marc Zimmerman. The Faces painting embodies the profound connections and cherished relationships that enrich our lives. This masterpiece is exhibited in the Zimm...

Certificate of authenticity and artist catalogue are included. Bruno Paoli (1915-2005) Teaching the masters helped create this contemporary master. Bruno was a professor of art in F...

Certificate of authenticity and artist catalogue are included. Bruno Paoli (1915-2005) Teaching the masters helped create this contemporary master. Bruno was a professor of art in F...

Certificate of authenticity and artist catalogue are included. Bruno Paoli (1915-2005) Teaching the masters helped create this contemporary master. Bruno was a professor of art in F...

This is a one of a kind original oil and acrylic portrait of Al Capone by Southern California artist, Gina Palmerin. Its dimensions are 60x60. It is unframed...

Certificate of authenticity and artist catalogue are included. Bruno Paoli (1915-2005) Teaching the masters helped create this contemporary master. Bruno was a professor of art in F...

Monogrammed center left, 'PT' for Pearl Took (American, 1928-2012); additionally signed, dated 1977 and titled verso 'Portrait of Jade' with artist card. Born in England, Pearl Took...

Giampaolo Talani (1955-2018) The "mad scientist" of the art world, Talani created art out of virtually everything he touched. After completing his training at the Florence Academy of...

Certificate of authenticity and artist catalogue are included. Bruno Paoli (1915-2005) Teaching the masters helped create this contemporary master. Bruno was a professor of art in F...

Artist: Joe Montanes – Spanish (1918-1998) Title: Madonna Year: circa 1970 Medium: Oil on board Painting size: 27.75 x 19.75 inches. Framed size: 32.75 x 24.75 inches Signature: Signed upper left Condition: Very good The painting is in very good condition. The frame is in good condition with a few tiny scratches which are barely visible upon very close inspection. Jose Montanes studied at the Escuela de Bellas Artes de San Carlos in Valencia. In 1947, he had his first one-man show in Barcelona Recognition, scholarships, acclaim and honours quickly followed. At about this time, the French government awarded the young artist a scholarship to study at the Ecole de Beaux Arts...

In this 20" x 16" (22" x 18" Framed) mixed media canvas by Masri, contemporary abstract expressionism meets portraiture in a symphony of color and form. Strokes of blue, green, red, ...

A vibrant, early 20th century oil study of a young Breton girl shown regarding the viewer with a stern and penetrating gaze. Signed lower right 'Jais' for Jais Nielsen (Danish, 1885...

Certificate of authenticity and artist catalogue are included. Bruno Paoli (1915-2005) Teaching the masters helped create this contemporary master. Bruno was a professor of art in F...

Giampaolo Talani (1955-2018) The "mad scientist" of the art world, Talani created art out of virtually everything he touched. After completing his training at the Florence Academy of...

Certificate of authenticity and artist catalogue are included. Bruno Paoli (1915-2005) Teaching the masters helped create this contemporary master. Bruno was a professor of art in F...

Paul Schouten (1860-1922) Portrait painting of elderly gentleman with beard Oil on board 9 x 12 unframed

Certificate of authenticity and artist catalogue are included. Bruno Paoli (1915-2005) Teaching the masters helped create this contemporary master. Bruno was a professor of art in F...

Gorgeous fauvist portrait of man, in a vivd and expressive colorful palette, titled "Ogden" by Henri O’Connor (American, b. 1921), 1996. Signed and dated lower right corner and on verso. Condition: Professionally cleaned and restored three tears and inpainting. Presented in black painted wood frame. Image size: 16"H x 20"W. Framed size: 21.75"H x 17.75"W. Henri O’Connor, the son of an American father and a French mother was born in 1921 and grew up in Nantes, France. He attended the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Nantes and in the late 1930s, studied at the Beaux Arts, the Atelier de la Grande Chaumiere and the Academie de l’Arts et Publicite in Paris “He was basically one degree removed from all of the great masters of the turn of the century,” David Deitch, a freelance art curator in New York, says of O’Connor’s education. “His teachers were associates of Matisse, Derain — all of the big players at the time.” The curator says that the influences of O’Connor’s teachers, which reflect the Fauvist style in vogue at the time, is apparent in his paintings, particularly some of his later work. O’Connor and his parents and siblings left Europe at the beginning of World War II and moved to the United States, eventually settling in Sacramento, where O’Connor’s father had relatives. O’Connor was offered a job teaching art at the Sacramento Art...

Istvan Szasz "Fortune Teller" Original Oil Painting c.1930 Original oil on canvas. Dimensions 20" wide x 23.25" high The frame measures 26" wide x 29.5"...

Certificate of authenticity and artist catalogue are included. Bruno Paoli (1915-2005) Teaching the masters helped create this contemporary master. Bruno was a professor of art in F...

Sheila Daube is an abstract artist based in Southern California, whose work blends rich color, organic forms, and experimental mediums. Drawing inspiration from the mid-century Ameri...

Bernard Krigstein (March 22, 1919 – January 8, 1990) was an American illustrator and Ashscan school painter who received acclaim for his innovative a...

Certificate of authenticity and artist catalogue are included. Bruno Paoli (1915-2005) Teaching the masters helped create this contemporary master. Bruno was a professor of art in F...

A beautiful watercolor painting of a brown Carmel house with a white picket fence in front by Lillie Esther (Hillman) Heebner, a Watsonville, Monterey Bay area, California watercolor artist. Unsigned, but acquired with a collection of her work. Lillie (Lil) E. Heebner was guided through life by her creativity. Even at 92, she never felt old, and often said so. She met every situation in life—including death—with ingenuity. Although born in Richmond, Lillie lived in Watsonville all her life. Her father, Frederick H. Hillman, grew up on a strawberry ranch in Pajaro, graduated from Watsonville High School in 1916, and served in France during World War I. He later worked for Martinelli's Apple Cider plant and became foreman. Lillie's mother, Esther C. Hobson, moved as an infant from Bakersfield to Santa Cruz with her family in 1901, when they founded Hobson's Bath House at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk...

A charming and fresh portrait of the musician and composer standing in front of Mendips, the house where he was mostly raised by his mother's sister Mimi, with his aunt standing behind him holding her large ginger and white cat, Timmy, that he grew up with. Signed lower left, 'S. Bower'; additionally inscribed with dedication verso 'To Mrs. Smith - Best Wishes, S. Bower', titled 'John Lennon with his Aunt Mimi and Tim at Mendips' and dated October 1982. This listed English plein-air painter, attended Manchester College of Art from 1970 to 1974 and currently lives in Totnes, Devon. He describes himself as "a colorist who is inspired by flower gardens, especially English cottage gardens in early summer. I have spent successive summers painting in Monet’s garden at Giverny, Northern France." Exhibitions: Nothern Young Contemporaries, Liverpool – 1974 Marlborough Gallery, London (Buddy Holly...

Bay Area artist Michelle Fillmore found her love of oil painting at the University of Las Vegas, where she graduated with a BA in Painting and Drawing in 2015. Fillmore’s tightly con...

Certificate of authenticity and artist catalogue are included. Bruno Paoli (1915-2005) Teaching the masters helped create this contemporary master. Bruno was a professor of art in F...