🔥 RARE Antique Old California Impressionist Desert Landscape Oil Painting, KIRK

Description: This is a vibrant and RARE Antique Old California Impressionist Desert Landscape Oil Painting on Artist Board, by the esteemed seldomly seen on the market California plein air painter, Frances Celeste Kirk (1884 - 1984.) This artwork depicts a majestic and vivacious Southwestern desert landscape scene. Lushly painted desert shrubbery, cool blue mountain peaks, and speckles of assorted wildflowers and vegetation are visible throughout this work. This artwork likely depicts the area around Bishop, California, a small mountain community in the Sierras, near the California - Nevada border, where the artist retired to in 1940. Signed and dated: "F.C. Kirk '52" in the lower right corner. This small gem is approximately 12 1/4 x 15 inches (including frame.) Actual visible artwork is approximately 8 3/8 x 11 inches. Good condition for over half a century of age, with some speckles of brown soiling, and a few faint scuffs and scratches to the surface of the painting. Additionally, there is some mild scuffing and gilding loss to the original period gilded wood frame (please see photos.) Acquired in Pasadena, California. If you like what you see, I encourage you to make an Offer. Please check out my other listings for more wonderful and unique artworks! About the Artist: Frances Celeste Kirk Born: 1884 - IllinoisDied: 1984 - Los Angeles, CaliforniaKnown for: Plein-air landscape painting, art education Frances Celeste Kirk (1884 - 1984) was active/lived in California, Texas. Frances Kirk is known for Plein-air landscape painting, art education. Miss Frances Kirk (1884-1984), was chair of the Committee on the Constitution in 1914 and an early leader of efforts to organize an art league for adults and a school art league for students, both established in 1914.If anyone inherited Mrs. Kimball's role in forming an art league, it was probably Miss Kirk. She was the author of an article, Art in Public Education, published in the School Board Journal (38(2), March 1909) a year after she arrived in Galveston from Decatur, Illinois, to assume a position as supervisor of drawing in the Galveston City Schools. (See Appendix 2 for a copy of that article.)Miss Kirk was a leader in both school and community art activities until 1915, when she requested a year's leave of absence from the schools. She never returned to Galveston, but moved to California where she resumed her career as an art educator in the Los Angeles school system.She married in 1931, but was divorced and retired by 1940, spending much of her remaining years living between Los Angeles and Bishop, a mountain community in the Sierras near the California-Nevada border. Although she was a prolific artist, examples of her work are difficult to find and most of those located were done in her later life and given to friends and relatives as gifts.She died at the age of 100 and is buried with her sister's family in the Los Angeles area. Her gravestone reads, simply, "Frances Celeste Kirk, Artist, 1884-1984."Biography text is from Galveston Art League: A Century of Island Art. Submitted by Pat Jakobi, co-author of the book. Biography from the Archives of askART Frances Celeste Kirk was born in Illinois on March 13, 1884. Frances Kirk worked as a salesclerk while studying at the Art Institute of Chicago. In 1920 she exhibited with the California Art Club. She taught at Hollywood High School from 1925 until her marriage to Howard Davis in 1931.She then continued at David Starr Jordan School in Los Angeles. By 1940 she was a divorcée and a freelance artist. She died in Los Angeles on August 6, 1984 at age 100.Edan Hughes, author of the book "Artists in California, 1786-1940"AAA 1925; CA&A. Biography from Nancy Moure - special bio account Painter active in Paso Robles 1948-49. Kirk, Frances (notices in Paso Robles Press) 1948 -- “Sketch Club Bid Given Local Artists,” Paso Robles Press, Nov. 19, 1948, p. 4, and article says, “Mrs. Loron Squire and Miss Frances Kirk are sponsoring a call to organize a sketch club for the mutual pleasure and encouragement of members and the organization of field trips. Anyone who is interested may bring easily handled sketching materials to Miss Kirk’s studio, 310 15th street at 1:30 p.m. tomorrow, November 20”; “Art Group to Hold Evening Meeting,” Paso Robles Press, Nov. 23, 1948, p. 4, and article adds, “At the meeting Saturday afternoon of those interested in forming an art organization in Paso Robles, it was decided to hold the next meeting in the evening of Friday, December 3, at the studio of Miss Frances Kirk, 310 15th street, and that each member would bring a picture for exhibit and discussion, preferably a recent one of a local subject. Should the membership number as many as seems possible, a larger meeting place will be needed. The possibilities of a show before Christmas were discussed. Mrs. Loron Squire and Mrs. James Colyer were delegated to make inquiries and report as to locations for the meetings and the show. The advisability of dividing the group into two sections, those with some art experience, already in action, and those desiring instruction, was discussed. The second group planned tentatively to meet at Miss Kirk’s on Tuesday and Friday afternoons from 1:30 till 4:30 either or both days, to ‘start from where they are.’ For details, interested persons may call Miss Kirk”; “Local Artists Exhibit Here,” Paso Robles Press, Dec. 7, 1948, p. 12, and article reads, “Charlotta Riedeman, Frances Kirk and Jim Colyer are among the members of the Paso Robles Art Club now exhibiting paintings at Cliff Bickell’s stationery store on 12th street. Frances Joslin of the Atascadero Art club is another exhibitor. Then members of the local art group met at Miss Kirk’s studio last week and reviewed more than a dozen paintings of Paso Robles artists. Regular meetings of the club have been set for the second Friday of each month. The January meeting will be at the home of Mrs. Carey [Sic. Carrie] Smith where members will inspect a new pottery kiln. An art study group meets every Tuesday at Miss Kirk’s”; “Local Artist Injured in Crash,” Paso Robles Press, March 4, 1949, p. 1 near Twenty-Nine Palms and is now recuperating with relatives in Canoga Park; “Local Art Display at Morro Bay,” Paso Robles Press, Sept. 9, 1949, p. 3, col. 5, i.e. Mrs. Squire and Frances Kirk will exhibit at Castleweave Bazaar; “Painting of Local Artist Purchased,” i.e. Kirk’s “A Small Child’s Bouquet” was purchased by Lillian Huebner for the Calif. Federation of Women’s clubs from their ‘penny art fund,’ per Paso Robles Press, Feb. 24, 1950, p. 4.Source: Nancy Moure

Price: 975 USD

Location: Orange, California

End Time: 2024-09-03T20:29:08.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD