Henry David Potwin

"Bird Cage" Blue Toned Contemporary Surrealist Portrait of a Man with Birds

2015

Naturalistic realist painting by modern Dutch artist Poen de Wijs. The work features a woman playing the flute in front of a woman with her hair pulled up set against an abstract bac...

Modern naturalistic portrait painting by well-known Houston-based artist Herb Mears. The work features a detailed rendering of a jockey wearing a yellow and blue outfit standing next to his wife and a young lion. Signed by the artist in the front lower right corner. Retains the original DuBose Gallery label on the reverse. Currently hung in a complementary frame. Dimensions Without Frame: H 48 in. x W 54 in. Artist Biography: Born in New York City in 1923, Herb Mears was interested in art from a young age. He studied under Fernand Leger in Paris and went on to paint and study in various studios in France and Italy before his arrival in Houston in 1951. With colleague David Adickes, whom he had met in Paris, Mears decided to open an art school. Their Studio of Contemporary Arts finally settled in an old building on Main Street with Mears and Adickes hoping to give classes to potential students. However money was tight and Mears found himself as a draftsman for Houston Lighting and Power Company, a job he excelled at and enjoyed. Later, Mears was involved in the Contemporary Arts Association, frequently making trips to ensure security in addition to enjoying the art scene the Association provided. From the CAA to the Art League of Houston and the Museum of Fine Arts, Mears began to gain recognition. An abstract, or non-objective piece as he called it, won a prize at a competition held by the Museum of Fine Arts, earning him a teaching position at the Museum School. Mears also taught at the Contemporary Arts Museum, University of Houston...