This was an ebay find from some years ago. I am calling it a plein aire sketch. It is actually quite striking from the proper distance, and well done, IMHO. There is another painting, another sketch, verso, along with an inscription, all of which is fairly clear, except for the name of the town where it was painted in New York. The artist recorded that she painted this work while spending the summer with her "Aunt Lilian". I believe the artist's last name is Ken, but it might be Kent. I have not been able to find an artist by either name. The name of the town appears to be Braincliff, and I wondered if it might actually be "Briarcliff" but can't quite make that fit with the artist's scribble. It is possible that it is "Briarcliff" and was misspelled by the artist.  I found several Helen Kens in searching records on Ancestry.com who are candidates to be this woman, but just don't have enough information to make the identification. Help!

    This was one of several paintings offered by a North Carolina seller on ebay in October 2013. Some were signed "Nina Hill" and some had no visible signature, but all were undoubtedly by the same artist. I purchased this painting, which had no visible signature. Upon taking the painting out of the frame, I discovered a monogram, "NR 43". My guess would be, based on the fact that one painting was signed by Nina Hill and dated 1958, that she married a man named Hill after 1943 and before 1958, though the name change could also have been the result of a divorce. The sellers of this painting could not remember where and when they purchased it:

"I wish I could have more to tell you, we are in our mid 70s and have been to many sales over the years. We purchased the painting approx. 15 to 20 years ago. Possibly from a sale in the Pinehurst, N.C. area. I have no idea as to time of year."

    Several of the paintings were in Art Deco frames, similar to the one on my painting. There are a half dozen women named Nina Hill in North Carolina in the Social Security Death Index, though none were in the vicinity of Pinehurst. Note that the style of the trees in the 1943 and 1958 paintings are very similar, which may indicate that this artist's work was mature by 1943 and that she had been working for some time. The 1958 painting was later resold at auction attributed as the Nina Hill 1877-1970 who is weakly listed on AskArt.com. This attribution seems very iffy, based on the lack of any other information about this artist on that site or in the auction listing. There is also no Nina Hill with these dates listed in the Social Security Death Index. There are several paintings at various auction houses attributed to a British artist named Nina Hill 1877-1970 and her work does bear some similarity to this artist's work but not similar enough, in my opinion, to conclude that all of these works are by this artist. Any help in sorting this out would be appreciated!

Nina Hill monogram and date

Other works and signature examples for Nina Hill:

unnamed, Nina Hill, 16" x 19", oil on canvas, 1958

    This was a $10 thrift shop find. I had forgotten to take my jeweler's loupe with me that day and was convinced that I would find this was a print, or maybe a very good quality lithograph, when I got it home. I was amazed to discover that it a was an exceptionally well executed watercolor on high quality rag paper, and probably about 50-60 years old. There was a framing shop stamp, verso, that dates the painting to the 1950s. The framer, Helen Ritter appears in several Peoria, Il city directories during the 1950s and the 5 digit telephone number in the stamp supports this date. Also, the two girls in the image appear to be holding a hula hoop, which was "invented" in 1958 and became a huge fad in 1958 and 1959. There are few other clues, though, as this painting is not signed. There is a penciled notation in the lower right corner of the painting that appears to be 144, or possibly the initials of the artist. The back of the mat bears the notation "Key West Watercolors Back Street". My guess would be that the title of the painting is "Back Street", but I am not sure what the significance of "Key West Watercolors" is, besides perhaps indicating that this is the location of the scene. This is obviously the work of a talented artist, but as it is solidly glued to the mounting, if there is any more information verso, we will never know. It may be that the framer copied information from the back of the painting to the mat, prior to laying the painting down. The mat was also glued to the backing and a bit of the mat stuck to the painting when I separated them. Any help is appreciated.

    I found this is a local thrift shop and paid only about $5 for it. It was well framed by a local frame shop that was in business in the 1950s to 1980s. There is what appears to be signature in the lower right corner, but I cannot make it out. It is painted on a commercial canvas board that has been cut down to this size. The canvas board does not have a manufacturer's mark on it. The framer, Chester Wonderlin, advertised himself as the largest framer east of the Mississippi River, a tongue in cheek claim based on his 300 pounds plus weight. Probably won't be  able to find out more about this piece. I like these kind of Fauvist, soft landscapes, which seem to have been in fashion in the 1940s and 1950s. I have several that can be traced to various parts of the country, so assume that there was some movement associated with this style.

    Don't really expect to find out anything about this painting, but it is a bit unusual. It is and odd size, painted on a home made canvas glued on a thick plywood board, which may be a clue for those who know this artist. The signature is a bit unique, too, composed of upper and lower case letters. I like the simplicity of this piece and the colors. It was purchased on ebay in March 2011 from the Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee.

verso




Signature

    Kind of a mystery artist. I have found a couple of other paintings by this artist, both with Washington state roots. Methow Valley is in Okanogan County, Washington, so my guess would be that Bodine was a Washington State artist. The other two paintings I have seen were mountain scenes and Methow Valley is in a mountainous region. One auction for another painting described Bodine as an artist who died in 1958, but I have not been able to confirm this.

    I found this on ebay and paid very little for it. I think it is a fairly well done portrait, at least the face. The signature is awkwardly signed, with the last letter of the name wrapped around the side of the canvas. The name is so odd the I doubted that I was reading it correctly until I found three other mentions of the artist's work, two figurative works of females, one identified as a "gypsy". The subject of the third painting, from a Swedish auction, was unidentified. The style of the painting makes me think this was painted in the 1970s, perhaps. The frame is a fairly interesting 1970s or 1980s vintage frame, made in Mexico. The seller was located in Woodland Hills, California. I'll get a better image of the painting and signature when time permits.

    I am generally not a fan of miniature or ACEO-type paintings, but this one was very nicely framed and matted, and as a package, quite striking. It is signed, titled and dated, verso. It was very inexpensive, as well, so hard to pass up. I like Fall scenes and this one is very well done, with lots of detail and nice use of light and shadow. Unfortunately, I cannot find out anything about the artist. Any help would be appreciated. I purchased this from a dealer in Ipswich, Massachusetts, so this may be a New England artist.

Framed painting




Inscription, verso

    This was an ebay find, purchased from a seller in Monrovia, California. I believe it is by a California artist, as the frame is a standard style that I have seen on several California paintings from this period. Other than that, there are no clues as to the history of this artist. The name almost seems to be made up. I have not been able to find any mention of this artist, though I did find mentions of an alternate spelling, Melody Song, though nothing for an artist. The Song surname appears to be either Chinese or Korean. The work seems to be more complex than that of an amateur, so I would suspect that there are other works out there by this artist. This is possibly Monument Valley, if an actual place.

    I purchased these two small paintings on ebay from a seller in London, Ontario, Canada. The bridge scene is not signed, but there is a notation verso that says "R. D. Montford".  This may or may not have been added by the artist. The paintings are in identical frames and well presented.

    These are obviously fairly contemporary paintings, probably painted in the past 20-30 years. The artist may be Canadian or British. There were, and are, several active artists named Montford, but I could find no examples of works or signatures that were similar to these works. I would appreciate hearing from anyone who can identify this artist.

Montford signature

    I purchased this from a seller who believed it to be done by a French artist. He also believed that he had seen or owned other work by this artist in the past, but could not remember the artist's name. Unfortunately, it is so lightly signed in pencil in the lower right corner that neither he nor I could make out the signature. Just a nice little watercolor.

    Paintings by H. Harvey are fairly common and were produced in apparently large quantities by this artist for the Woodstock Workshop, as shown by the label on the back of this painting, and several other examples of the artist's work that I have seen. Several artists created small paintings for this art colony, some later well known artists, and others, like Harvey, obscure. Much of this artist's work appears to be very crude, especially the small works. Some of the artist's larger works, and a few of his small works, are more well done, though I have seen only three or four examples of these larger works and all were in the 8" x 10" to 12" x 16" size range. It is difficult to date this artist's work as the Woodstock Workshop seems to have been active from the 1930s through the 1950s, but my guess is that these works were produced in the later years of this range.

Label, verso

    Paintings by this artist have been attributed to Harold LeRoy Harvey 1899-1971. I am not comfortable with this attribution at this time, I actually do not believe that this attribution to be correct, but list information for this artist as I found no comprehensive biography for him. Harold LeRoy Harvey was born 7 July 1899 in Baltimore, Maryland, a son of Harry D. and Mary C. Harvey. Harry D. Harvey was employed as "Secty. R. W. Supply Co. Maryland, USA." in Baltimore in 1900 and as a "manufacturer, chemical" in the 1910 Baltimore census. Harold LeRoy Harvey completed his WWI draft registration, giving his occupation as "commercial surveyor" and employer as "United States government". Harold was still living at home in 1920, and gave his occupation as "Art Student, Oil Painting". Harry D. Harvey was employed as a "manufacturer, Iron and Steel" in 1920. Harold applied for a passport in 1921 indicating his desire to travel to France, Greece, England, Spain, Italy, and Switzerland for the purpose of "Study of Art". This application contains a document signed by his parents attesting to his date of birth and place of birth as 606 North Carrollton Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland. Harold traveled to Europe in 1922 and left Cherbourg, France when he came home. Harold applied for a passport again in 1923, noting that he had last applied for a passport in 1921. He indicated his intent to travel to Portugal, Gibraltar, Spain, Monaco, France, Italy, Finland, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Greece, Constantinople, Palestine, Egypt, British Isles, Switzerland, Assyria, Damascus, Aleppo, and other places which were obscured by binding of the pages. His objective as noted as "Study and Travel". He appears on several passenger lists in the 1920s. He had adopted a very stylized signature which he used on his passport applications. I do not know if he continued to use this signature. His applications also included a photo, though the 1921 application photo was very poor.

Passport photo and signature

    Harvey is  listed in Davenport’s, Who’s Who in American Art, Who Was Who in American Art, Fieldings, etc. He was an illustrator, painter, photographer and designer, though perhaps best known as a photographer. According to Falk, Harvey studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art where he was a pupil of McCarter, Despujols, Baudouin, Turner, and M. Denis. I have read that he was an assistant to Man Ray from 1920-1923, but have not been able to confirm this. If true, this likely took place in  Paris, as Ray relocated there in 1921. This claim does not really fit well with the extensive travel plans noted in Harvey's passport applications, so I expect the truth is somewhere in between. I have also read that he was interested in experimental printing, and developed "777" liquid film developer and several toners. He later founded the Harvey Chemical Company in New Jersey, but his Social Security number was issued in Maryland in the early 1950s.

    This was an ebay find. I can't decide if it is amateurish or if it is sophisticated in its simplicity. Maybe I was simple for buying it. I really like the colors and all of the action in the piece, though. I think it is just a fun piece and it was very inexpensive. I guess I'll call it a good buy, because I think the entertainment value will repay the small price I paid for it. Unfortunately, it is not signed, so I bought it knowing that I will probably never know anything about it. I purchased it in October 2010 from a seller in Vermillion, Ohio, but I have also found that this seller has a Wilton, Connecticut address. Maybe an importer, though this is not a new piece. The seller is also connected to an art and picture frame restoration and interior decorating business, I discovered.

    I purchased three paintings by this artist out of about a dozen that the Tuscon seller listed on ebay. Some of the paintings that were sold before I discovered these auctions were quite striking. All three of mine are painted on Grumbacher Plyex Canvas Board. The seller found them at a church based thrift shop. I am undecided about the skill level of this artist. The paintings seem deceptively simple in style at first glance, but are well composed and complex when examined more closely.

unnamed, H. Larimore, 16" x 12", oil

    Both the seller and I suspect that the paintings came from the estate of a Tuscon citizen. The only Larimore with the first initial "H." who died in Arizona was, according to the Social Security Death Index, Harry J. Larimore. Harry J. Larimore was born in Plainville, Illinois on 13 January 1919, a son of Harry W. and Nellie M. Larimore. Harry W. Larimore was working as a farmer in Pike County, Illinois in 1920 and in Hand County, South Dakota in 1930. Harry Larimore was living in Seligman, Arizona at the time of his death. He died on 31 March 2004 at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Prescott, Arizona. There is a very brief obituary for Harry in a Prescott newspaper.

unnamed, H. Larimore, 12" x 16", oil

    I have been able to find out very little about Harry J. Larimore, so far. The search continues.....

    This painting was purchased from a seller in New York City who said "this is a antique oil painting i just acquired at a high end thrift in new york city just came out of a penthouse on central park west". I'll get a better picture of if by and by. What is apparently the title and date are lightly penciled on the dust cover where it is glued to the frame. I am not certain the second word in the title is "March", but the first two letters do appear to be "Ma". There are several Nichols artists listed in Davenport's Art Reference and Price Guide who had the first initial "J", and there were probably many more who were never listed. I guess I would say this is done in the Fauvist style, and the seller estimated it to be a 1940s vintage painting. I doubt that this seller has the knowledge to make this judgment and also they have not been particularly truthful with me and other customers in the past, so the seller's statement is not that credible. I do really like the painting, though, especially the colors, depth and style of it. I also like that it is thinly painted, except for some heavier work in the clouds. It did come in a vintage frame and it is obvious it had not been out of the frame for many years. It seems unlikely that I will be able to discover the identity of this artist.

    This painting was purchased at an auction in Allentown, PA. There were at least three listed artists named Clute who were active in New York City, which is not far away. One died in 1914, long before this painting was created. This painting probably dates from the 1940s. There may have been other artists with the same surname, so it is by no means certain that one of the two remaining artists created this painting. The bridge in the painting, if it is based on an existing bridge, may be a clue as to the identity of the artist. I suspect that the bridge is in either New York or Pennsylvania. I would appreciate hearing from anyone who recognizes it.

    This was an ebay find, which I purchased because I liked the painting and the frame it is in. The seller represented it as the work of either Edith or Herman Yaffee. I was pretty sure it was by neither of these artists since it was signed twice as "Yaffe", once on the back of the canvas and once on the back of the frame. When pressed the seller said it was definitely the work of Herman because it was in his style and in the type of frame that he used. When I asked where the seller had seen Yaffee's work before he replied that he had seen them on www.AskArt.com. No works for Yaffee are shown on AskArt's web site, and when I sent an email to AskArt, they said that they had no images of works by this artist. Enough said. The seller was located in Morrisville, PA.

Yaffe signature on back of canvas

    There quite a few artists named Yaffee or Yaffe, so I am not optimistic about finding out more about this artist. Especially since this piece is pushing 100 years old. It is a neat painting, in a neat frame, and it gives me the opportunity to tell the sordid story of Herman and Edith Widing Yaffee, who were man and wife. Sort of.

    Edith Louise Widing was born on Helsingfors, Finland on 16 January 1895, probably the daughter of Rudolph and Elvira K. Widing. They arrived in Boston on 19 May 1910 on the ship Saxonia from Sweden. Rudolph's occupation was listed as lithographer. Ivar Widing, probably Edith's brother, arrived from Sweden on the Saxonia on 21 April 1905. The Widing family was living in Boston, MA in 1914. At the same address were Ivar Widing, illustrator, of Munro and Widing, and Rudolph Widing, lithographer. All three were still at the same address in 1915 and 1916. Edith was not listed in the Widing home after 1916, probably because she married Herman Albert Yaffee. (in progress)

    Please excuse the reflection of my arms and camera in this one. This print is expensively framed, and I do not want to take it apart to get a better image. It is a pretty striking piece, on very expensive paper, with what appears to be gold foil edging. I am not normally a print person, but this one is so well presented that I could not abandon it to it's fate at the Habitat for Humanity store in Champaign, Illinois where I found it hanging. I can't make out the artist's first initial. It could be an "A" or a "C", or maybe even a "G". I am guessing that it is a serigraph created from a photograph or superimposed photographs. Prints are really not my thing, so this is a WAG. I guess you could say that the whole paper is the image, since it is mounted on a background with the watermark prominent in the lower right corner. This would make the dimensions of the piece 4-6" bigger than given above. It is an artist's proof for what that is worth. No idea who the artist is. This could be the work of a student at the University of Illinois, as the store where I purchased it is only a couple of blocks from the campus. Not too many students could afford this presentation, IMHO. Any help in identifying this artist would be appreciated.

       

Title, proof mark, signature

    I originally had this on my "Other Artists" page, as I was confident that I would be able to fairly quickly identify this artist. Oops! My preliminary research turned up three artists by this name who were active in the period, 1970-2000, when I thought the painting was done, even though the frame appears to be much older, perhaps dating to the 1950s. I quickly eliminated two of the Phyllis Millers, one deceased of Hendersonville, NC (she signed her works Rueggeberg Miller according to her family) and one very much living of Los Angeles, CA. The third artist I eliminated after viewing her work and signature. A little more digging disclosed several other artists by this name, one a Professor Emeritus at the University of Houston. So the search continues. 

Framed painting

    Here are the clues that I currently have about this painting. The seller of the painting was located in Monrovia, CA. The seller had had two other watercolors by this artist, one of a cat and one of a fox. This leads me to believe that this was a local (Los Angeles County) artist. The artist seems to have been a serious amateur or trained artist. There are pencil marks visible beneath the paint, so the work was apparently carefully planned and executed.

    This is an oil on canvas. The seller dated it to the 1950s. There was a French artist named Raoul Billon (1882-1956), who painted under the name Fred Money. Don't ask. I don' know why. There are some similarities to the signature on this painting to Fred Money's signature, but some dissimilarities, too. I do not think this is the work of Fred Money, AKA Raoul Billon, but thought I'd mention it.... I found several of his works on the Internet, and his style is not similar. Nothing in the painting to give clue as to the locale, just two kids flying kites. I like it because I only paid $5 for it, and also because it is interesting. I find myself straining to make out the faces of the children, but know I never will be able to. 

UPDATE: I was contacted by a lady who has two paintings similar in style, color palette, subject, and signature to my painting. They were purchased about 1970 by lady's grandmother in Texas. She was told by the seller that the performer Carol Burnett was a collector of this artist's work. One is signed "Fred Money" and the other "F. Money". Unfortunately, I also found several images of paintings that are proved to be by the French artist. The style and signature of these works are very different from my work and the two similar works. I suppose that it is possible that the French artist's style and signature changed over time, but think that this is a stretch. I did find a fourth work very similar in style and signature to my painting, and the other two paintings, that was offered in an online American auction as the work of the French artist, but I am not convinced that this attribution is correct. This remains a mystery, in my opinion.

    This small painting hung in a local thrift shop for several weeks, maybe months. I paid only a couple of dollars for it, and since it came in a decent, common sized frame, I don't regret it. It is rather oddly colored and though signed, the signature is largely illegible. I can only make out the first three letters of the artist's name, "B - r - u". It is painted on an "Anco Bilt" canvas, manufactured in Glendale, NY. I think that later these canvases were manufactured in Taiwan. I have no other information on this painting. It may be one of the thousands of paintings commercially produced for hotels, etc., in the last half of the twentieth century.

    The "ANCO BILT" stamp appears several times on the back of this painting.

    There are  a couple of numbers on the back of the canvas, one stamped and one in black marker, which may be inventory numbers. This strengthens my suspicion that this painting was commercially generated and once hung in a hotel, motel, etc. It may be by an American artist, judging by the age and origin of the canvas, I have several of these small commercial oils, and some are quite attractive. I am guessing that generations of frustrated, well trained artists, made extra cash cranking out these types of paintings, until much of this work went to other countries like Mexico and Taiwan, where they could be purchased in bulk for pennies, as opposed to a few dollars in the U.S. I am not sure that this happened, but is seems logical from the information I have seen.

Signature from this painting

    I found these two small monotypes in a local pawn shop. They are beautifully framed and matted. They have the framing label of a local framing shop, that is no longer in business. I took them to a framer who sometimes does some work for me, and coincidentally it turns out that he worked for the same framer at this time, but could not tell me anything about them. They are quite striking.

    Both are signed and numbered 1/1 below the print, but I cannot read the signatures. The first initial appears to be a "D".

    This is an ebay find, purchased from a dealer in Los Angeles, CA. The seller speculated that it might be the work of California artist Jewel Cooper. Her work pops up on ebay fairly regularly, but little information about her is available. All of the other works by her that I have seen are fully signed "Jewel Cooper" and dated similarly to the work in my collection. The signature is very similar to my painting, though, and I am more and more leaning toward accepting the seller's attribution. All of the other works I have seen are from the 1960s and 1970s, so it is very possible that she changed her signature, at some point, adding her last name. The other paintings that I have seen are in a similar, though more sophisticated style, and of similar subject matter. It is likely that this is one of her earlier works.
    There is very little information available about Jewel Cooper, so I compiled a biography for her, though I have not been able to absolutely confirm that there were not two Jewel Coopers working as artists in California.
    Jewel Ida Kelton Cooper was born on 25 November 1902 in Ridge, Fayette County, AL, a daughter of Lytle Alexander and Ellen Janette Bynum Kelton. Lytle Kelton was working as a coal miner in 1910. Jewel married Ottis Lee Cooper on 6 October 1951. Ottis was also born in Alabama and was first married to Abbie Lee. Cooper is mentioned several times as State Commander of the American Legion, living in Red Level, Alabama in the mid and late 1940s. I do not know where Jewel and Ottis were married. They may have married in Alabama. I have not been able to locate Ottis and Jewel as a couple in records prior to 1952 when they appeared in the voter registration records of Los Angeles, CA.  They were registered as Democrats, living at 11608 Archwood St. in 1952 and 1954.  Jewel is mentioned several times in the Van Nuys News in the early 1960s in connection with her work as an artist. She was an art teacher and Art Chairman of the North Hollywood Women's Club. She held a one woman show at the Security First National Bank on Ventura Blvd. in Studio City, CA in 1961. The newspaper reported that she had won many awards for her work as a landscape artist. Jewel was the Recording Secretary of the Valley Art Guild in 1961 and "Otis" Cooper was mentioned as an honorary member of that organization. I have found no record of where Jewel received her training as an artist. She is not mentioned in any art reference work.
    Jewel Cooper died on 18 October 1992 in Sun City, CA. Ottis died in Sun City on 1 July 1985. Ottis Cooper was a 2nd Lieutenant in WWI and he and Jewel are buried in the Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, CA.

    This was an ebay purchase. There was a well known artist of the same name, whose signature is very similar, but I have not been able to confirm that this painting is by that well known artist. It could be another artist of the same name. I just liked the colors and style of this painting. The seller said that the painting came from the San Francisco area and the well known Joseph Sacks lived in California at some point in Pasadena, Los Angeles, and Altadena. I have seen one reference that places him in San Francisco. I am including a biography of the well known Joseph Sacks below.
     Joseph Sacks was born on 1 September 1887 in Shavli, Russia, a son of Isaac and Ida Sacks, Russian Jewish immigrants. Isaac came to the US in 1888 and was joined by his wife and son in 1891. Isaac worked as a peddler in 1900 and 1910, in Philadelphia. Joseph's birth month and year are given as July 1886 in the 1900 census but in 1910, his age was given as 22 which fits, as the date of the census was 21 April 1910. Joseph's occupation in 1910 was "artist, studio". Sacks declared his intent to become a U.S. Citizen on 4 June 1909, while residing at 401 Dallas Street, San Antonio, Texas. His occupation was given as "artist" and his description as 5' 4" tall, 120 lbs., brown hair, and blue eyes. It was noted the he arrived in New York City on the ship Arizona on 3 August 1892 from Liverpool, England. On page two of his petition for naturalization dated 22 May 1914, he was residing at the same address as that in his WWI draft registration. His father, Isaac, and a neighbor, Louis Miller, witnessed his petition.  He was granted citizenship on 15 September 1914. Sack's WWI draft registration gives his birth date and place, marital status as single, and his occupation as "artist painter", employed by "Kimsey 1026 Chesnut Street", Philadelphia. The registration also contains a very nice example of his signature, as do his declaration of intent and petition for naturalization. I was not able to  locate the Sacks family in the 1920 census, but I did find them in Philadelphia in the 1930 census. Isaac was deceased and Ida was the head of the household. Ida owned the home, which was valued at $17,000, a lot of money for the time. Of her four children living at home, three were employed in the tailoring business, which may indicate that Isaac was a tailor. Joseph was employed as an "artist, portrait shop". I next find Joseph in records in his WWII draft registration. He was living in Philadelphia, and gave his contact as Ida Sachs. I don't know if this was his mother or wife of the same name. They were living at the same address, though. He was employed as "artist, portrait painter".
    Sacks attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and was supposed to be a student of Thomas Pollock Anshutz, William Sergeant Kendall, and William Merritt Chase. Sacks was a member of the Philadelphia Sketch Club and the Philadelphia Art Alliance. He also studied in Europe for several years. He lived in California in the 1930s. He is mentioned in Who Was Who in American Art by Falk, Artists of the American West by Dawdy, Mallett's Index of Artists, Dictionary of American Painters, Sculptors, and Engravers by Fielding, and Davenport's Art Reference and Price Guide.
    Sachs died in May 1973 in Philadelphia.

    The image of the first signature above is from my painting. The next image is of Sacks signature from a painting the was signed lower left, like mine, and was stamped verso with the estate stamp from Sacks' estate. They are very similar. I have seen several other examples of his signature that are also very similar and a few paintings on the same size canvas. I'll get a better image of the signature from my painting, when time permits.

    I have had this painting for quite some time, but only recently put it back together after taking it apart for cleaning. There is a framer's label on the back of the painting for Robert Richard Toth's gallery and framing services. It is not signed, but I felt certain it was his work as it is very similar to a couple of paintings from his archive of works from private collections on his web site.

Business card, verso

    I was eventually able to contact Mr.Toth, and he told me that this is not his work, but probably something that he framed for someone. He could not tell me anything else about the work. Since it is not signed, I will probably not be able to find out any more about it. It is very well done, obviously the work of a talented artist, and I like it very much.

    This was an ebay find, purchased from a seller in Nottingham, England. The seller estimated it to be a 1930s or 1940s painting. It is not signed on the front, but is signed verso, E. P. Becher, which may or may not be the artist. There is a framer's label that reads: "W. F. Gadsby Ltd, Thrale Galleries (late Humphreys) 326-328 Streatham High Road, S.W.16, London". This should help to date the painting, if anyone out there is familiar with this gallery. W. F. Gadsby Ltd. still exists, and I have sent them an inquiry about this label. The seller described the style as "vintage abstract impressionist" which doesn't fit with the seller's age estimate, since this was a 1950s movement. I'd class it as more impressionistic. I think it evokes the same feeling as one of Monet's haystack paintings. I'll get a picture without the glare in the center of the painting, when time permits.

    I found this painting at a local thrift shop. It appears to be a scene at the Wailing Wall. It was very well framed in a modern metal frame and archivally matted, and seems well painted, but in a primitive style. It is signed in Hebrew in the lower right, but I have not been able to translate it using what on line resources I have been able to find. I would appreciate if someone could translate the signature for me. I removed the painting from its frame to examine the back, but there is, unfortunately, nothing written there, so these are all the clues we get. I looked at this painting for several weeks as it migrated from a place on the wall beside the checkout register, to less glorious places, and finally to an odds and ends painting pile. I always liked the colors and style, but kept putting off buying it, until "next time". I finally decided that I couldn't live without it, so here we are.

Signature?

    I found this at a local thrift shop for $18. It appears to be signed "Mimmoy". I have been able to find out nothing about this artist. It appears to be coastal scene, judging by the fact that this seems to be painted at low tide. It could be a Maine scene. It is painted on a Grumbacher 24 canvas, and has kind of a 1950s or 1960s feel to me. Just a guess. Any help on this one would be appreciated.

    I found this one on ebay from a seller in Rockport, MA. I am still researching this artist. The seller read the name as "Cataldo", but I think it is Catallo. What do you think?

    An ebay find. These two paintings were not on stretchers, and were part of a lot of 13 wildlife paintings by the same artist. They are pleasant, pretty well done, and were cheap. I really liked the squirrel painting, and thought this bird painting was the second best of the lot. A quick Internet search revealed nothing about this artist. Research in progress.....

"Squirrel in the branches", F. A. Bixler, 9" x 15", oil

    These paintings are old enough that the canvas they are painted on have some age toning, which cannot be seen in the paintings, themselves. They are just pleasant little paintings. The seller was located in Bridgeport, CT.

    I purchased this painting on ebay for a small sum from a seller in Southgate, Michigan. I like portraits, though many folks don't. I did not expect to find out much about it, as it is not signed. A little research, however, revealed that the name Ysobel is very rare.  Since this painting is dated 1931, I thought I'd take a stab at finding something out about the subject. There were only 16 men and women by this name in the 1930 US census, and lo and behold one of the women, Ysobel Crue Lopez, lived in Detroit, about 21 minutes from Southgate. Possibly just a coincidence, but I am including the information about her and the main members of the household she lived in, in case this rings a bell with someone who may see this web site.
    Ysobel Crue Lopez was born about 1901 in Mexico, of Mexican parents and emigrated to the US about 1915. She married Elis Lopez about 1919 and their first child, Beatrice, was born in Michigan about 1920. Elis was an inspector in an automobile factory. Ysobel's father, Benigno Crue was living with the Lopez family in 1930. He had no occupation and was a widower. Elis and Ysobel also had; Pola, Juana, Luis, Cresensio, and Eline. Unfortunately, I was unable to locate any of these folks in any other record.

    I found this one at a local thrift shop for a couple of dollars. It looked like a sepia toned watercolor, as opposed to a print, and it was cheap, so I took a chance. It is indeed a sepia colored watercolor. That is all that I know about it. Taxco was a popular town for art minded Americans in the 1950s and maybe 1960s. I have several paintings in my collection by artists who moved there to live and pursue their art, or visited to pursue their art. Any information about this artist would be appreciated.

Sanchez signature

    This was an ebay find. It is signed with monogram "EK" in the lower right. As I recall, I purchased this from a seller in Tennessee. It is very dirty, but also varnished, so lots of glare as seen on the left side of the painting, and it sat in my difficult painting pile for many months, until I had time to fuss with getting an acceptable image of it. In general fairly well done, I think, but the artist seems to have a problem with painting hands, which I think are awkwardly done. The artist does a fair job with light and shadow, though. I don't feel that there is much of a sense of motion in the painting, given that the pot is supposed to be spinning on the potter's wheel. I paid very little for this one, just tossed out a minimal bid and won it. My gut says that this may be a work by a student in some art program, probably at the university level. Not sure why I feel this way, just an impression. What appear to be scratches on the painting are actually glare from the texture of the artist's brush strokes.

    I found this at a local thrift shop. It is extremely well framed and sealed, so I have not taken it apart to look for a signature or title. No signature is visible on the front of the painting. This appears to be a loose copy of "May Day, Central Park", by Maurice Prendergast. It is not an exact copy, and is not signed where Prendergast's painting is signed. This may be an homage to Prendergast by an admiring artist. It was framed by Beach Arts of Bonita Springs, Florida. The glass was so dirty that it appeared quite washed out, but I was surprised at how rich the colors were, once the glass was cleaned. A pleasant surprise. I looked at it for several weeks, before deciding to buy it. It is a painting that grows on you. There is certainly a lot going on in this painting. I have no real hope to find out more about it, so just going to enjoy it. I made a place for it on my wall, even though I have many other, more sophisticated works looking for a place to hang.

    The artist signed this painting simply "Mary Alice". I think that the figure is pretty well done, and I like the colors. The use of light and shadow, though understated, is nice, too. It came in pretty cool frame, as well. Someone, not necessarily the artist, included a Bible verse using an ink pen on the back of the dust cover, Galatians 6:9, "And let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.". It is hard to to tell how old this painting is, but probably from the 1970s or 1980s, I'd guess. The seller claimed it came from a high end estate sale. I suspect that this may be a piece done by a member of a religious order. Communities of religious orders often commit extensive resources to the creation of art, often not religious based art. This may well be a work by "Sister Mary Alice".
    Any help in identifying his artist would be appreciated.

    This was an ebay find. The seller said that his father purchased this painting on his way back from WWII in 1944. That is all I know about it. This signature is a bit hard to make out, but I believe it is Spisso. The person I purchased it from read it as Sasso. There was an Argentinian artist named Liberato Spisso, but he was born in 1930 and I find no evidence that he ever traveled to Europe. Any help in identifying this artist would be appreciated. Tartanes were barques, or small ships that were used on the Mediterranean. I have read that they went out of use in the late 19th century.

Spisso signature

    The only artist that I can find listed that could possibly be this artist is Clark M. Agnew, but this is just a guess.  Clark Mansfield Agnew was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on 20 June 1905 a son of William Livingston and Laura Jay Waynick Agnew. Both his father and brother were employed as "Advertisers, general practice" in the 1920 census of Chicago, Illinois. Clark Agnew attended the Art Institute of Chicago, paying his way by playing the clarinet in Dixie-land and Chicago style bands. He married a woman named Gloria about 1929. She ways born in Hungary. They were living in Manhattan in 1930, where Clark was employed as an "artist, commercial". He produced advertising art for several prominent magazines. Agnew was later a television producer and wrote a book about television advertising in 1958. Using Google, I found the following link that has information about Agnew's life and some examples of his advertising art. Clark M. Agnew is listed in Who's Who in American Art, Who Was Who in American Art, and Davenport's Art Reference and Price Guide. I was immediately drawn to this painting because it reminds me of a place where I go hiking.
    Clark Mansfield Agnew died on 2 May 1959 in Norwalk, Connecticut. Gloria B. Agnew died on 6 August 1996 in Westport, Connecticut.

    This was $9.95 ebay find. The seller was in Des Plaines, Illinois, but I am not sure that this is an American artist. It could be a German immigrant or a souvenir of a trip to Germany. The signature is rather distinctive, though I don't expect to find out anything about this artist. I just like the style of the painting and the colors.

Signature

    D. Duclair seems to have been a fairly prolific Haitian watercolor artist who was active in the 1950s and 1960s. At least that is how he has been characterized on various auction web sites and artprice.com. The value of his work varies wildly from auction to auction, sometimes selling for tens of dollars and other times for hundreds of dollars. I have not had a chance to take this painting apart to get a good picture of it, and there is a lot of glare in the photo above, notably around the figures in the foreground. I was able to use the Gimp to clean up the glare in the other parts of the photo. I'll get a decent image of it by and by. Any information on this artist would be appreciated.

    Another little ebay find. I like small paintings, because I don't have much free wall space. So small is among the first things I liked about this work. Then I liked the colors and motion in it. And lastly, I liked the $9.99 price, which is what I paid for it. The signature is close to readable, and is a good research opportunity. The name looks like "A. Zosber" or "A. Zesber". It could also be Zesbet or Zosbet. It came in an interesting frame that makes me think it is a 1950s, or early 1960s work. Just a guess. The seller was in Gouldsboro, PA, but this kind of feels like a California painting to me. Help!

    No idea who this artist is, but I love this painting, and it is one of my favorites. I purchased it from a seller in Townsend, MA, who estimated the board it is painted on to be pre-WWII. It is a small painting in a really nice vintage frame, was cheap, and I am a sucker for bleak winter scenes, especially with a small pop of color like the red in the woman's shawl.

  
 The dark frame really makes this painting pop.

    I researched a man named Spragg who I though might be the artist, but it was a false lead. What I did learn is the name Spragg is Norwegian and pronounced the same as the surname "Sprague". Any help in identifying this artist would be appreciated.

    This painting was sold to the folks I purchased it from as the work of well known Canadian artist Peter Shostak. I contacted the artist, however, and he confirmed that this is not his work. The painting is signed verso both "P. Shostak" and "Peter Shostak". The sellers took the painting back to the people they had purchased it from to ask for a refund, and they were apparently rudely turned down, even though I sent them the email from Mr. Shostak, claiming they had sold it as his work in good faith, believing it to be a painting by him. The question now becomes did the original sellers sign the work in an attempt to pass if off as the work of Canadian artist Peter Shostak, or were they also duped, or is this work by another artist also named Peter Shostak? I like the painting and the cost was very little, so I decided to keep it and use it as a research opportunity. The painting depicts the Syracuse Mony Towers, as they were then known (now the AXA Towers) as seen from Onondaga Road in winter.
    My initial research showed that there are up to nine men named Peter Shostak now living in the US. I also found the record of another Peter I. Shostak 1913-1989 who was born in New Hampshire, lived in New York state, and died in Orlando, Florida. His WWII enlistment record shows that he had four years of college and was working as an actor at the time of his enlistment. He was the son of Russian Jewish immigrants John G. and Annie Shostak. He married Anna Yaroush on 11 October 1964 in Stratford, CT. There were also several other men by the same name, who were too old to be the creator of this painting. I have not been able to find contact information for the nine living men, but will keep trying.

    The painting is titled verso. The second seller is from Baldwinsville, NY and the original sellers live nearby. I tried unsuccessfully to find an image of the Mony Towers from this perspective.

Signature verso

    I purchased this painting on ebay from a seller in California, which may indicate she was a California artist. The seller had a few paintings by this artist and on some the surname appeared to be Heyer as opposed to Meyer. I am not really certain which is correct. The paintings were all rather well done and in a distinctive style. Three women named Esther Heyer died in California between the late 1980s and late 1990s. She may have been one of these women. There was a prominent California artist named Esther Meyer (1897-2000), but she appears to have been a graphic artist working mostly with engravings and etchings. I have seem a couple of examples of paintings by her, and they did not greatly resemble this artist's work, though the subject matter was very different. This is a pleasant painting, though, and it appears to be the work of a practiced artist, so I hope to eventually discover more about her.

    I found this one at a local thrift shop and paid very little for it. For such a small painting, it is very complex and colorful. It was simply but nicely framed and matted, and I half expected I would find it was some kind of print when I removed the cardboard backing to replace it, I have this one hanging to the right of my kitchen sink, so get to look at it a lot and never get tired of it. I have not been able to find out anything about this artist, though the signature is very unique. I think this dates from the 1980s or 1990s.

    I purchased this painting from a seller in Bulgaria. The seller estimated that it was painted in the 1920s. The signature is in Cyrillic and the seller speculated that the artist was Russian. There are a couple of listed Russian artists by this name who were active at this time. A search of Wikipedia for this surname showed that the surname of Konstantinov was also in use in Bulgaria. I don't expect to find out much about this one. I liked the bright colors and loose style of this painting, but also purchased it to check out this seller. He has a large inventory of interesting artwork, some at very reasonable prices. The painting was recently re-framed in a good frame and cost very little. Even though I have a pretty extensive collection, I have only a couple of floral still lifes, so this was a good opportunity to pick up an interesting one.

    I purchased this painting from an ebay seller in Alhambra, CA. This artist is identified as a Pasadena, California artist, William John Clemons, by Edan Hughes in his book on California artists. Mr. Hughes told me that this was the second work by Clemons that he had seen in 49 years. The other is in his possession. I am not convinced that Mr. Hughes is correct in his identification of this artist, though he may be. Regardless, I agree with Mr. Hughes that Clemons was a talented artist and share his curiosity about the fate of the rest of Clemons' works. The fact that only two of his paintings have been found, albeit both in or near Pasadena, and that his subject matter is so diverse is puzzling.
    A search of census and other records revealed that William J.Clemons worked as a house painter in Pasadena from 1910 through 1944. He arrived in California between 1900 and 1910. His 1917 WWI draft registration gives his birth date as 10 August 1875, but not his birthplace. His description is given as medium height, medium build, dark hair, blue eyes, and deaf. He gave his next of kin as Mary Martha "Mamie" Barrus nee Clements of Athol, Massachusetts. She was living as a ward of Amos and Lucia Worrick in Athol in 1900, aged 18. She is the right age to be William's sister, but the birthplace of both parents is given as Massachusetts, while William consistently gave his father's birthplace as Massachusetts, and his mother's as Ireland or Irish Free State in census records in 1910-1930. He may be the William Clemons who was living as a lodger and employed as a house painter in the 1900 census of Colebrook, Coos County, New Hampshire. This man's birth date was given as March 1876, and his and his parent's birth places as Massachusetts. There is no sign of this man in later censuses, though, so the discrepancies in the census could be mistakes. No records that can be identified as belonging to this William Clemons before 1900 have been discovered.
    There is no record that indicates that he ever worked as a fine artist, though it is certainly possible that he did. I have found no record to indicate that he ever traveled outside of the United States, especially to South Africa, though this painting could have been painted from a photograph. In every census, but one, he was living as a lodger in a boarding house and did not seem at all prosperous, though he may have just been thrifty. He was living in a rescue mission in 1930. California voter registration records indicate that he voted Republican and retired from his work as a house painter between 1942 and 1944. He last appears in records in the California Death index.
    William John Clemons died in Los Angeles, CA on 4 October 1958.

    I found this watercolor at a local furniture consignment shop. Based on the frame, glass, and framing materials my guess is that this painting dates to the 1930s. There were no labels and the painting is laid down on a card. Despite the age, there does not seem to be any toning or darkening of the painting. This may be attributable to the fact that a piece of dark paper the same dimensions as the painting was laid down on the back of the card it was mounted on. I have never seen this done before. This paper seems to have protected the painting and the card it is mounted to from the backing material. I was able to break the card free from around the edges of the painting, but could not free the painting from the card. It is thoroughly laid down.
    The painting is signed A. Ford. My feeling until I took the painting apart was that it was likely English, especially since it has a French mat, but now I am not so sure. I have disassembled numerous English paintings of this age and the materials do not really feel like anything I have seen on an English painting. The glass is very thin and flexible. And the frame is thin and in the Arts and Crafts style. This may be American.
    The only listed American artist named Ford whose first named started with the letter "A" was Arva Naugle Ford 1890-1979, wife of Vincent Ford of Dallas Texas. She was married by 1920. She is listed in Davenports, Mallett's Index of Artists, Dawdy's Artists of the American West, and Dictionary of Texas Artists by Grauer. I have been able to find only one example of her work and no examples of her signature. The work I found was an oil, so did not give much to compare against. Arva was the daughter of Leonidas L. and Emma L. Naugle. Leonidas Naugle was a minister in Howe, Grayson County, Texas in 1910.
    I like this painting. It has a lot going on in it and together with the frame and French mat is nice period piece. I am still researching this painting and artist.