Alma McGovern

Mid Century Wyoming Teton Mountain Range Landscape

1961

Sweeping mid-century landscape of a lake and snow-capped mountains by Lillian Josephine Heath (American, 1864-1961). A gigantic, snow-covered mountain dominates the upper portion of the composition, rising above the rest of the landscape. In the shadow of the mountain is a valley lake, filled with snowmelt, with several smaller mountains in between. Signed "Lillian Heath" lower left. Displayed in a giltwood frame. Image, 20.5"H x 28"L. Lillian Heath was one of the Jolly Daubers at the turn of the 19th-century and as a young student, married the senior artist and instructor, Frank Heath in Santa Cruz, California. Artists Frank and Lillian [Heath] by Margaret Koch [transcribed from Santa Cruz Public Library website]….Frank L. Heath courted Lillian Dake Storey during painting trips around Santa Cruz County back in the 1890s. Those were the years when Lillian was riding a saddle horse daily from Santa Cruz to the Powdermill where she taught school. Today [1974] the Powdermill is Paradise Park. Frank's actual proposal of marriage was delivered at Rocky Falls, a beautiful scenic place on Carbonero Creek. There he had constructed a painting platform with a perfect view of the rushing waters, and it was there that he asked Lillian in that formal day and age, to be his bride. Frank was nearly 40 years old at the time, and Lillian was about 32. She had always been interested in art and had talent to a large degree. She took a year's leave of absence from teaching school to travel alone to New York where she visited relatives and stayed to study china painting and the painting of miniatures which is an art in itself. ‘When I returned from New York I enrolled in the art classes of a Santa Cruz artist who was making a name for himself,’ she once said with a smile. The artist was Frank L. Heath, and that was the start of their romance, she told me in 1959. She accepted Frank's proposal at Rocky Falls. At the Heath home on Third Street, Beach Hill, Frank added a wing with a large studio workroom downstairs and several bedrooms upstairs. That was his wedding gift to his bride. ‘The Studio’ had a fireplace and big bay windows that looked out over the town of Santa Cruz and back to the mountains they both loved and painted many times. Lillian painted a set of tiles for the fireplace; they showed darting swallows in the clouds above a stream where song birds perched on tulles and water lilies floated. In 1897 Lillian and Frank were married in the First Methodist Church and they moved into the home on Beach Hill, a house she continued to live in for 64 years. Frank's father, Lucien Heath, was the first Secretary of State of Oregon. He came to Santa Cruz from Oregon in 1866 with his wife, Jane, and sons, Frank and Henry. A daughter, Lina, had died in Michigan where the Heaths lived before crossing the plains to Oregon in 1852. [?] In Santa Cruz Lucien Heath opened one of the early hardware stores on Pacific Avenue in partnership with John Byrne...

Bold mid century impasto landscape of Mt. Rose in oil by Nancy Coe (American, 1932-1998), c.1968. This piece has evocative, heavy textures from the artist's use of a palette knife. Signed in pen in the lower right corner. Gallery sticker on back of frame. Presented in a copper-colored frame. Image size: 27.25"H x 28.38"W Nancy Patricia Coe (American, 1932-1998), was born in San Jose, California to Henry Surtcliff Coe and spent most of her life on Rancho San Felipe in a two-story, brick colonial residence, originally built by her father, on a commercial cattle ranch. With its weeping willow trees and picturesque red barn, it made for a happy home nestled in the heart of San Felipe Valley. Henry Coe State Park is named after her Grandfather Henry Willard Coe. She studied art at Stanford University and graduated in the 1950's. While there, she met S. Gainer Pillsbury, MD, a fellow alumnus, whom she married on June 19, 1956. While an accomplished user of charcoals and Conte crayons, Ms. Coe painted in primarily in oils, showing and winning awards in Reno, Nevada in the early 1960's. Her works, including landscapes and portraits, have been featured in numerous newspaper articles in the Reno Gazette-Journal. Her palette-knife painting of Salvador and Virginia Prado, two ranch hands, was featured on the cover of a Mexican-American history textbook, A Guide to the Study of the Mexican-American by Feliciano Rivera (1969) and published at San Jose State University. Her paintings of Sada S. Coe (her aunt) and Henry “Harry” W. Coe, Jr. are featured in the museum at Henry Coe State Park in Morgan Hill...

Gorgeous landscape of Sierra Mountains and lake in autumn by Oliver Glen Barrett (American, 1903 - 1970), circa 1940. Signed lower right corner; ti...

Robert Azensky is pleased to offer vivid mid century Original Oil painting of High Sierra Lake and Mountains A beautiful California landscape of the High Sierra mountains by Joseph ...

This vintage 1940s oil on canvas painting by Colorado artist Irene Fowler (1884–1969) beautifully captures the vibrant autumn landscape of Boulder Canyon. With a masterful eye for color and atmosphere, Fowler presents majestic mountain peaks framed by glowing Aspen trees in their fall brilliance, their leaves shimmering in radiant shades of gold, orange, and red. The scene reflects both the serenity and dramatic character of Colorado’s rugged wilderness, offering a timeless vision of the Rocky Mountains. Fowler’s keen observation of light and painterly brushwork bring the landscape vividly to life, evoking the crisp mountain air and golden glow of a Colorado autumn day. Her ability to balance natural grandeur with intimate detail makes this work an exceptional example of early 20th-century Western American painting. The painting itself measures 22 ¼ x 18 ¼ inches and is presented in a custom gilded frame with outer dimensions of 25 ¼ x 21 ¼ x 1 ½ inches, enhancing its elegance and making it ready for display. Signed by the artist in the lower right corner. About the Artist: Irene Fowler (1884–1969) was a pivotal figure in Denver’s early 20th-century art community. Born in Illinois, she later settled in Colorado, where she became both a respected public school teacher and a founding member of the Denver Artists Guild (now the Colorado Artists Guild). Best known for her en plein air landscapes, Fowler captured the beauty of Colorado’s mountains, Aspen groves, and mining towns with an extraordinary sensitivity to light, color, and atmosphere. She exhibited widely throughout her career, including at the Schlier Gallery, Chappell House, University Club...

This beautiful vintage landscape painting from the 1950s, created by the talented woman artist Zola Zaugg (1890-1983), showcases the serene beauty of the mountains near Colorado Spri...

Immerse yourself in the breathtaking beauty of the Rocky Mountains with this stunning mid-century oil painting by renowned artist Clarence Durham. Capturing the tranquil waters of Jenny Lake...

Snow-topped jagged peaks reflected in a mountain lake come together in this ethereal landscape painting by noted American artist Courtney Luther Miles (1887-1975). Self-taught and ac...