Nikolai Kraneis Paintings

Calm farm scene of a bucket filled with daisies by an unknown artist (20th Century). In the background a brick barn has a door open, with weeds and plants growing in front of it. A p...

Robert Wood (G. Day) (1889 -1979) San Antonio Artist Image Size: 28 x 36 Frame Size: 38 x 46 Medium: Oil on Canvas Signed Front Signed Titled on Verso Newcomb Macklin Frame Circa Late 1930s "Blue Heaven" Bluebonnets Biography Robert Wood (G. Day) (1889 -1979) A painter of realistic landscapes reflecting a vanishing wilderness in America, Robert Wood (not to be confused with Robert E. Wood) is reportedly one of the most mass-produced artists in the United States. His painting became so popular he was unable to meet all of the demands, and many of his works were reproduced in lithographs and mass distributed as prints, place mats, and wall murals by companies including Sears, Roebuck. He was born in Sandgate, Kent on the south coast of England near Dover, the son of W.L. Wood, a famous home and church painter who recognized and supported his son's talent. In fact, he forced his son to paint by keeping him inside to paint rather than playing with his friends. At age 12, Wood entered the South Kensington School of Art. As a youth, he came to the United States in 1910, having served in the Royal Army, and he never returned to England. He traveled extensively all over the United States, especially in the West, often in freight cars, and also painted in Mexico and Canada. His itinerant existence took him to Illinois where he worked as a farmhand, to Pensacola, Florida where he married, briefly in Ohio, Seattle, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. In 1912, he was in Los Angeles, and in the late 1920s and early 1930s, in San Antonio, Texas, where he lived and in 1928 exhibited in the "Texas Wildflower Competition." From San Antonio, he gained a national reputation for his strong colored, dramatic paintings. Some of that prestige has been credited to his association with Jose Arpa, prominent Texas artist. Wood also gave art lessons, and one of his students was Porfirio Salinas. During this period, Wood sometimes signed his paintings G. Day or Trebor, which is Robert spelled backwards. In 1941 he went to California and painted numerous desert and mountain landscapes and coastal scenes. He lived in Carmel for seven years, and then moved to Woodstock, New York, but he soon returned to California, settling first in Laguna Beach, then San Diego, and finally in the High Sierras, where he and his wife built a home and studio near Bishop and lived until his death in 1979. Robert Wood was born March 4, 1889, in Sandgate, England, a small town on the Kentish coast not far from the white cliffs of Dover. His father, W. J. Wood, was a successful painter who recognized Robert's unusual talent. At the age of twelve, his father enrolled Wood in art school in the small town of Folkstone. He then attended the South Kensington School of Art. While attending art school, Wood won four first awards and three second awards, one each year, a record. In 1910 after service in the Royal Army, nineteen-year-old Wood and his friend, Claude Waters, immigrated to America. Initially, he settled in Illinois and worked as a hired hand on a farm belonging to Water's uncle. He would then strike out on his own, living the life of an itinerant painter. Wood traveled as a hobo, hopping freight trains and selling or bartering small paintings to support him along the way. When times were hard, he worked at whatever job was available. In this manner, he saw most of the United States and fell in love with rural America. By 1912, Wood visited Los Angeles for the first time, arriving on the day of the Titanic tragedy. Later that year, he had met, courted and married young Eyssel Del Wagoner in Florida. The couple moved to Ohio where a daughter, Florence, was born. During World War I, the family moved to Seattle where a son, John Robert Wood, was born in 1919. In the early 1920's, the young Wood family was almost constantly on the move. They stayed for short periods in Kansas, Missouri, California and for a longer time in Portland, Oregon, where Wood's friend Claude Waters had settled. Wood's seemingly endless wanderings disrupted his family life and delayed his development as a painter. However, through his travels he developed an appreciation for the American landscape that would inspire him for the rest of his career. Although aware of the current movement away from traditional realism in American art, he elected to travel that solitary path and remain true to his own vision of American’s grandeur and beauty poetically translated through his landscape and seascape paintings. In 1923, the Wood family discovered the beautiful city of San Antonio, Texas and it was there that he and his family would finally settle. He studied briefly at the San Antonio Art School with Spanish colorist Jose Arpa y Perea (1860-1952), who had arrived in San Antonio that same year. In the latter part of the 1920’s, Jose Arpa’s influence quickly became evident. Wood after several years of experimentation was becoming fine easel painter, capable of great subtlety with a new mature original style. Like Texas painters Robert Onderdonk (1853-1917) and his son Julian Onderdonk (1882-1922), Robert Wood concentrated on the distinctive Texas landscape with its Red Oak trees and wildflowers that covered the hill country landscape. He developed a reputation for his scenes of Blue Bluebonnets, the state flower. In the spring, the Texas prairie is covered with wildflowers, especially in the hill country surrounding San Antonio and Austin. Wood incorporated native stone barns and rough wood farmhouses that added authenticity and romance to his compositions. In 1925, Wood was divorced from his wife. In 1932, he moved to the famous scenic loop on San Antonio's outskirts. While still living in Texas, he took extensive western sketching trips that brought him to California. It is evident that his 1930’s California...

Oil on canvas realized by Franco Marzilli (1934-2010) in 1970s. Hand signed lower right. Very good condition. Franco Marzilli was born in Rome in 1934. He received his first artis...

With a contemporary perspective on landscape painting and inspired by paintings created by old masters, German artist Katharina Husslein paints in a representational manner to captur...

Bold composition of two people on a porch by Majel McHugh Logan (American, 1916-1982). Two people sit facing each other on a porch, backlit by warm sun. The piece is sketchy but confident, with thick brushstrokes adding high contrast shadows and highlights. Although the subjects' faces are undefined, there is nonetheless an expressive quality in their body language. Signed "Majel Logan" in the lower right corner.\ Artist's tag on verso with title. Presented in a wood frame with a gold accent. Frame size: 14.75"H x 16.75"W Canvas size: 14"H x 16"W Majel Logan (nee McHugh) (American, 1916-1982) was born in Utah. After graduation from St. Mary of the Wasatch College in Utah, she studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. She continued to study at Idaho State University before eventually settling in Santa Clara, CA. Although she was a professional artist at the time, she nonetheless continued her studies at San Jose State University in the 1970s. By the mid-70s, she had won 43 awards in state, regional, and local competitions, including Fiesta des Artes (Los Gatos...

Title: Little Garden Medium: Oil on canvas Size: 24 x 24 inches Frame: Framing options available! Condition: The painting appears to be in excellent condition. Note: This paint...

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

A beautiful coastal painting by Massachusetts artist Joseph H. Greenwood, known for his evocative New England landscapes. This work captures the quiet charm of the Dartmouth coast ne...

Gorgeous mid century San Francisco Bay seascape oil painting by California artist Hartzell Harrison Ray (American, 1896-1991). Signed "H. Ray" lower right and on verso. Texture added...

Grace Collier American, 1886-1967 Bouquet of Yellow Flowers Oil on canvas 15 ⅞ by 12 in, w/ frame 19 ¼ by 23 in Signed "Grace Collier" lower left Grace Annie Collier was born in Co...

Oil on canvas realized by Franco Marzilli (1934-2010) in 1970s. Hand signed lower left. Very good condition. Franco Marzilli was born in Rome in 1934. He received his first artist...

Beautiful landscape painting of a California pond with Eucalyptus and Oak trees by Jesse Don Rasberry (American, 20th Century). Presented in a rustic wooden frame. Signed on verso. Acquired directly from the artist. Image: 8.25"H x 10"L. Rasberry was born in Oklahoma and soon after relocated to Lodi, California. Growing up in close proximity to wide open agricultural land and the scenic San Joaquin River Delta had a profound impact on Rasberry and influenced and inspired his paintings. Full Bio: Jesse Don Rasberry was born on November 10, 1940 in rural, picturesque Oklahoma. Shortly after his birth, his family relocated to California, living a short while in Palm Springs, before eventually settling in the grape-growing region of Lodi in San Joaquin County. Later, the family moved a short distance south to Stockton, California, where Rasberry's father supported the group as a builder and carpenter. They would remain in the Stockton/Lodi area throughout Rasberry's adolescent and formative years. Growing up in close proximity to wide open agricultural land and the scenic San Joaquin River Delta had a profound impact on Rasberry, and would later form the foundation and inspiration for his artistic endeavors. The family traveled frequently, which exposed him to the dramatic landscapes of the Southwest. As a young child, Rasberry showed a strong interest in art and the natural world. He attended grade school and high school in Stockton, where Rasberry pursued drafting and drawing. Throughout his life, he always found time in his leisure to draw portraits, wildlife, and architecture. Rasberry also enjoyed woodworking, eventually following in his father's footsteps, embarking on a career as a general contractor and home builder. In 1979, Rasberry relocated to Texas where he continued to work as a general contractor and home builder. During the early 1980s, he commenced a new career as a decorative and fine arts dealer. This career was more in keeping with his appreciation of art. As a dealer in the trade, he was exposed to all manner of art from the 19th and 20th centuries, which served to sharpen his eye and provided much inspiration for the soon-to-be artist. In the early 1980s, while in Texas, Rasberry started painting, primarily landscapes of Texas and California. He spent time with, and drew inspiration from, the regional artists Bill Warden, and Louise Collins. As time passed, Rasberry began to devote more time to his painting, and by the turn of this century, art had become his primary focus. Essentially self-taught, Rasberry received some instruction from the late Bill Warden of Texas. On occasion, he paints with other artists during classes and on plein air painting excursions, as with Ning Hou...