Impressionist seascape oil painting on canvasboard, 12" by 16" (16 1/2" by 20 1/2" framed) signed at lower right by Colorado artist ALFRED JAMES WANDS (1904-1998). On the reverse in pencil is written "Artist---Alfred Wands/2065 Ivanhoe St./Denver 7 Colo./Breaking Sea/$50.00". The work likely dates to the 1950's. Wands was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. He attended the Cleveland Art Institute, then went to Europe for studies in Brussels and Munich...

Oil on canvas laid on board, 14" by 18" (18" by 22" framed), the subject a California low desert landscape with distant snowy peaks, signed at lower left and bearing old pencil notation on reverse "Eug. Frandzen". This is a classic desert plein air painting, in need of a professional cleaning. There is overall soiling that dulls the colors and subtleties of this work. Frandzen was born in San Diego in the early year 1893. By the teens he was in Chicago at the Art Institute for training...

Oil on board, 21" by 31" (27" by 37" framed), unsigned, the view late autumn or early winter in high western mountains, snow already on the ground and peaks but brown leaves still holding on to a few trees. The work is really very nicely done and I believe it quite likely that the artist is listed, but unfortunately it is just not signed. The painting likely dates to about the 1950's or early 1960's at latest...

Lovely impressionist oil painting of trees bordering a small river or lake, painted on canvas, 22" by 18" (26" by 21 1/2" framed), signed at lower right "Michael Kawasaki", and signed again on the reverse and dated there 1997. I have not located information on the obviously talented and trained artist. The work's impressionistic brushstrokes, the handling of light and color, is just fabulous, reminiscent of the French impressionists of the late 19th century...

A classic painting of the California desert and mountains, oil on Masonite, 12" by 15" (15" by 18" in vintage old frame possibly carved by artist), signed lower left by noted California impressionist JOSEPH FREY (1892-1977). This is likely a view looking west towards the towering 11,000 foot high Mt. San Jacinto massif which looms over Palm Springs. The artist has interestingly painted in a "liner" border in a cream color; this is part of the painting and not a linen liner...

Oil on canvas still life of peaches and compote in the East Coast style of the latter part of the 19th century, 21" by 27", presently unframed, signed at lower left "C H Harmon" and dated what appears to be 1880 (or, 1880 something, difficult to read last digit). This is a skillfully painted still life in the tradition of eastern masters like the Ream's, or members of the so-called Fall River School. The table appears to be Eastlake Victorian, with its marble top...

Nan Greacen was the daughter of the well-known American artist Edmund Greacen. She was born in Giverny, France, where her father was an active disciple of Claude Monet in the art colony there. Nan attended the Grand Central Art School co-founded by her father, and received instruction from the likes of Arshile Gorky, Wayman Adams and Jerry Farnsworth, as well as from her father...

Oil on canvas painting titled on reverse "Iris and Poppies", 9" by 12" (16" by 19" in gold leaf frame) signed at lower right corner by noted contemporary northern New Mexico artist DON BRACKETT (1932-). The artist, born in Oklahoma and raised and educated in Albuquerque, (where he received a fine art degree from the University of New Mexico) is known today for his plein air landscapes of northern New Mexico around Taos and Santa Fe, as well as paintings of flowers and wildflowers...

Oil on canvas painting of waves breaking on the beach at sunset, (titled on reverse "Fading Sun"), measuring 16" by 20" unframed, signed at lower right by artist CARYL WOOD, the wife of famed landscape painter Robert Wood. Caryl was an amateur painter when she met the already famous Robert Wood in 1953 after he sustained serious injuries when hit by a car on Pacific Coast Highway. The couple married and Robert instructed her in painting, taking her along on painting trips...

Acrylic on canvas painting titled on reverse "Memory of Rosie", 17" by 24" (21 1/2" by 29" framed). The image is whimsical and rather mysterious, consisting of three white vases or pots each bearing an image, one of a cat, one a bird, one a jester; one speculates that perhaps, Rosie was a beloved cat. Highly stylized plants or flowers emerge from the pots. The artist signed at lower right and dated the painting 1984...

Oil on canvas, 24" by 36" (28" by 39" as framed), UNSIGNED, but certainly by the popular listed California artist HERBERT SARTELLE (1885-1955) (I will stand by this). This is a classic mountain scene favored by the artist (he seems to have painted that particular mountain over and over again), with large eucalyptus trees and a lake with distant mountains, all executed in Sartelle's unique impressionistic style and characteristic color palette. The painting probably dates to the 1940s or 1950s. I...

A Painting by the listed Arkansas artist, Maud Spiller Holt (1866-1952). Measures about 18" by 22", overall frame about 23" by 27". Shows wear and dirt to painting and wear to the finish on the frame. Signed lower right and Little Rock Frame shop stamp on back. Fine example of her work.

Oil on canvasboard, 16" by 20" (19" by 23" in its simple wood frame), the subject Motif #1 in iconic Rockport, Massachusetts harbor at the tip of artists' paradise Cape Ann, circa 1950's or 1960's, signed at lower right by the artist. This is rather typical subject matter for Garabedian, who worked on the north shore, in Maine, and even away from the coastal areas, always painting in an impressionistic hand. This painting has lots going on: the famous red shack itself, a number of boats, seve...

Oil on panel painting, 25 1/2" by 23 1/2" framed, the subject rather difficult to describe, but bridging abstract and realism with some surreal thrown in for good measure, by difficult to categorize American contemporary artist JERRY MCLAUGHLIN (born circa 1925), now a resident of Santa Cruz, California. McLaughlin's meandering career was described in detail in a Metro Santa Cruz article of 1998, and a New York Times article of 2001. The artist was an art director on Madison Avenue, but moved ...

Vintage circa 1950's oil on canvas autumn landscape of a creek surrounded by trees, signed lower right by listed California artist TERESA (TESS) RAZALLE-CARTER (1888-1972). Measurements are 24" by 30" (30 1/2" by 36 1/2" framed). The scene could possibly be somewhere in the San Gabriel Mountains or Santa Monica Mountains. The artist was born in early Los Angeles and lived in Southern California her entire life. She lived in Pasadena for many years, becoming strongly associated with Santa Monica...

A pretty circa 1950 still life on Masonite board, 18" by 24" (26 1/2" by 32 1/2" framed), the subject given on the reverse as "Red Camellia Bouquet", signed at lower right and again on the reverse by German-born artist JOHN WILLIAM ORTH (1889-1976). Orth was born in Bavaria and studied art in Europe before fleeing for the United States in 1923 for political reasons. For a time he was in Texas and later painted in California, and he is today most associated with those states. Orth painted a wi...

Late 19th c oil on canvas painting of a forest landscape scene in an aesthetic movement frame. Frame was made in Boston, Mass. Painting is unsigned. Painting has had some restoration. Some paint loss. Frame condition is very good commensurate with age. Measures in frame 20" x 17"

A turn of the century oil of red roses, signed at lower right "Myrtle Crittenden". There is a "Miss M. Crittenden" listed in Hughes' dictionary of California artists, and she was noted there to have exhibited at the California state fair in 1881. This painting came out of the Sacramento area, so, that makes sense. Not dated but likely dates to early 20th century when such works were still especially popular, as they had since Victorian times. This oil measures 18 3/4" by 15 1/4" plus 3 1/2" o...