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Bodega Bay Heritage Gallery Monthly
May 2017
an Online Gallery based in Bodega Bay, California
celebrating Historic California painting


Browse our Archives
(previous articles and exhibitions)
Museum Exhibitions Gallery Notes
Sonoma County Galleries

Voicemail and Text: 707-875-2911 | Email: Art@BodegaBayHeritageGallery.com
An online gallery serving our clients in Bodega Bay, in your home, or online.

Click here for more information

Now Available (click photo)
Call us, 707-875-2911
Joshua Meador Taos Pow Wow
Taos Pow Wow
Joshua Meador

Taos Society of Artists
The Taos Society of Artists Celebrate the Nobility of the Taos & Pueblo People


Dorothea Lange Don Coen
Migrant Workers ...
Photographer Dorothea Lange
& Painter Don Coen

Archibald_Motley_Self_Portrait_Thumb.jpg
Grand American Tour ...
Archibald Motley 1891-1981,
"Jazz Age Modernist"

Now Available (click photo)
call us, 707-875-2911
Robert Rishell The High Trail
The High Trail
Robert Rishell



Western Spirit, Scottsdale's Museum of the West

The Taos Society of Artists, Celebrate
the Nobility of the Taos and Pueblo People

In late April, I visited Scottsdale's Western Spirit Museum and saw the tail end of their exhibition, The Taos Society of Artists. It featured works done by the Taos Society of Artists, focusing on the group's six founding members ... Daniel Rohlfing

On a dirt road about 20 miles outside Taos in 1898 , an unlikely pair of stranded travelers suffered a broken wagon wheel, and a chapter of Southwest Art History was born.

Blumenshein and Phillips Broken Wagon
Blumenschein and Phillips broken wagon

Bert Phillips (28) and Ernest Blumenschein (24) met when they were studying art in Paris. Then, while on a painting excursion of the West, they hit a bump in the road that changed their lives.

Repairs on their wagon wheel took longer than expected, giving them more time to be seduced by the beauty of New Mexico's Sangre de Cristo Mountains and immerse themselves in the interwoven Taos, Pueblo and Hispanic cultures.

Original six Taos Society of Artists Blumenshein, Berninghaus, Couse, Phillips, Dunton, and Sharp
Ernest Blumenschein, Oscar Berninghaus,
E. Irving Couse, Bert Phillips, Herbert "Buck" Dunton
and Joseph Henry Sharp (Seated)

Twelve years later, the Taos Society of Artists was formed. Six like-minded artists joined their resources to market their paintings in the East. Their goal was to capture the character and spirit of the Taos people and share it with art loving people in the East.

Member artists had to meet qualifying requirements.
Original six Taos Societh of Art Artists plus newcomers
Original six Taos Society of Art artists - plus ...

Back ... Walter Ufer, W. Herbert Dunton, Victor Higgins, Kenneth Adams Center ... Joseph H. Sharp, E. Martin Hennings, E. Irving Couse, Oscar Berninghaus
Front
... Bert G. Phillips and Ernest Blumenschein

They had to have painted in Taos for at least three years and have shown their work in reputable galleries or New York salons.

Originally, the group's six members included the two broken wagon wheel artists Bert Phillips and Ernest Blumenschein along with Joseph Henry Sharp (who had been to Taos in 1893), E. Irving Couse, Oscar Berninghaus and W. Herbert "Buck" Dunton.

As years passed, other well known artists took up residence in Taos and joined the group. The Taos Society of Artists remained active for a dozen years, disbanding in 1927.


Dr. Mark Sublette offers a brief video introduction of the Taos Society of Artists. Twenty-five years ago, Mark founded the Medicine Man Gallery and has written of Native American art and history.
Bert Phillips, 1868-1956
Bert Phillips
Bert Phillips
While Bert Phillips grew up in Hudson, NY, he loved stories of the American Indian. He loved drawing and was quite accomplished before he could write, even winning awards for his watercolors.

Building on his natural talents, he studied at the Art Students League and the National Academy of Design in New York and the Academie Julian in Paris. There, he met fellow American students Joseph Sharp and Ernest Blumenschein, a trio who possessed a fascination with the American Indian. Sharp had been to New Mexico in 1893, telling Phillips and Blumenschein tales of its beauty.
Bert Phillips Aspens in Fall
Bert Phillips, Aspens in Fall

Phillips said, "I believe it is the romance of this great pure-aired land that makes the most lasting impression on my mind and heart." 

His paintings of Indians are infused with his close relationship with the Indians, his deep respect and love for them, their history and and their culture.

Bert Philllips Scout with White Horse
Bert Phillips, Scout with White Horse

Bert Phillips Untitled
Bert Phillips, Untitled
Taos Fisherman Bert Phillips
Bert Phillips, Taos Fisherman
Moonlight Vigil Taos Bert Phillips
Bert Phillips, Moonlight Vigil Taos

While studying in Europe, Phillips loved painting French peasant women. In his Corn Maidens, Phillips transfers his reverence for the dignity of French Peasants to these Indian women. Grouping them walking in a line gives this painting a mural like sense, giving motion to his classically drawn figures.

/images/TSA1_Phillips_Bert_Prid_of_the_Reservation_1910_320.jpg
Bert Phillips, Pride of the Reservation, 1910,
The Peterson Family Collection
/images/TSA1_Phillips_Bert_Relics_of_his_Ancestors_1913_320.jpg
Bert Phillips, Relics of his Ancestors, 1913
Koshara Museum, La Junta, CO
/images/TSA1_Phillips_Bert_Corn_Maidens_1917_320.jpg
Bert Phillips, Corn Maidens, 1917,
Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, OK
Ernest Blumenschein, 1874-1960
Ernest Blumenschein was trained in New York and Paris at the Academie Julian where he met Joseph Henry Sharp and Bert Phillips. He is known for his successful illustration career in New York as well as his work in Taos.

He was a musician, playing for the symphony in New York, and in 1894, played first violin for visiting composer and conductor Antonin Dvorak. Four years later, he and his artist companion Bert Phillips suffered that fated broken wagon wheel near Taos.

Blumenschein's compositions are filled with daring bright bold colors and strong geometric elements. He strived to capture the magic and myth of the Taos experience. In attempting to express why he painted, he said, "I can't explain why I paint and draw. It is as necessary for me to do as for an apple tree to produce fruit. Just a job I love.  But a good many bad apples came off my tree - and were often destroyed."

He also said, "Nature moves me most. But, nature is not art. One phase of art is man's ability to express his profound love he has for nature, to interpret in his particular language - and it matters not what particular language he uses - the beauty, the joy, the drama or the despair of life."
Ernest Blumenshein Easel and Pallet
Ernest Blumenschein, easel and pallette
Ernest Blumenshein Superstition
Ernest Blumenschein, Superstition
Ernest Blumenshein Dance of the Taos
Ernest Blumenschein, Dance of the Taos
Ernest Blumenshein The Peacemaker
Ernest Blumenschein, The Peacemaker

He also wrote of an experience while painting outdoors, "The sky was clear, clean blue, with sharp, moving clouds. The color, the effective character of the landscape, the drama of the vast spaces, the superb beauty and serenity of the hills stirred me deeply. I realized I was getting my own impressions from nature, seeing it for the first time with my own eyes, uninfluenced by the art of any man."

/images/TSA1_Blumenshein_Ernest_The_Lone_Fisherman_1933_320.jpg
Ernest Blumenschein, The Lone Fisherman, 1933
James R. Park Collection
/images/TSA1_Blumenshein_Ernest_Church_at_Ranchos_1920's_320.jpg
Ernest Blumenschein, Church at Ranchos, 1920's
Taos Historic Homes, The Blumenschein Home
/images/TSA1_Blumenshein_Ernest_The_Cheif_Speaks_1917_320.jpg
Ernest Blumenschein, The Chief Speaks, 1917
Private Collection
Joseph Henry Sharp, 1859-1953
Henry Sharp
Henry Sharp
Joseph Henry Sharp is considered the father of the Taos Art Colony. Although deaf since a childhood accident, he was known for his cheerful nature and he loved travel. He was among the first Americans to visit Alaska, and he first arrived in Sante Fe in 1883.
Henry Sharp Moonlight and Firelight
Henry Sharp, Moonlight and Firelight
Henry Sharp Studio Visitors
Henry Sharp, Studio Visitors
He also traveled extensively in Europe, studying in Antwerp, Munich and Paris. At the Academie Julian he met Bert Phillips and Ernest Blumenschein, filling their young enthusiastic and adventurous ambitions with stories of Taos.

In the 1890's, Sharp's portraits of Indians were published in Harpers Magazine. President Theodore Roosevelt was impressed
Henry Sharp An Indian Burial
Henry Sharp, An Indian Burial
Henry Sharp Three Taos Indians
Henry Sharp, Three Taos Indians

with Sharp's paintings. He hired him to do some portraits of the Sioux Indians still alive who had participated in Custer's Last Stand. Roosevelt had a cabin studio built for Sharp on the Battle Field site. Sharp eventually did about 200 portraits.

After making Taos his home, Sharp continued to travel, often to Hawaii and California, but loved returning home. His greatest love was painting Pueblo Indians as they went about their daily activities.

One of Sharp's artistic interests was painting figures by firelight. He wrote, "I am interested in firelight things now, and have a little teepee interior rigged up in the studio, where I can pose a model by lamp light and work by daylight. Awfully hard, but lots of fun and interesting."

Joseph was quite aware of the Plains and Pueblo cultures, often writing about the issues which Indians faced such as governmental bureaucracy and the harsh realities of Indian reservation life, disease and alcoholism.

/images/TSA1_Sharp_Joseph_H_Bowling_Dear_320.jpg
Joseph H. Sharp, Bowling Dear By Firelight,
Collection of the Big Cedar Lodge
/images/TSA1_Sharp_Joseph_H_Governors_on_the_Portal_1894_320.jpg
Joseph H. Sharp,
Governors on the Portal
, 1894, Private Collection
/images/TSA1_Sharp_Joseph_H_Broken_Bow_1912_320.jpg
Joseph H. Sharp, Broken Bow, 1912,
Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, WY
E. Irving Couse, 1866-1936
E Irving Couse Elk Foot of the Taos Tribe
E. Irving Couse, Elk Foot of the Taos Tribe
Eanger Irving Couse was born in 1866. As a young artist, he did sketches of native Chippewa Indians in his hometown of Saginaw, Michigan. He honed his talents at the Art Institute of Chicago and New York's National Academy of Design. In 1887, he attended the Academie Julian in Paris, studying under William Adolphe Bouguereau, and where he met his wife, Virginia Walker.
E Irving Couse The Historian
E. Irving Couse, The Historian
E Irving Couse
E. Irving Couse
Virginia's family owned a sheep ranch in Oregon. While on his first visit to his in-laws, Couse painted Yakima, Umatilla and Klikitat Indians using pastel colors in a Barbizon style. But at that time, there was little interest in paintings of Indians. The young couple returned to France where they took up residence on the English Channel in the town of Pas de Calais. There, he painted bucolic genre compositions of sheep on hillsides, but determined that rwhat he really wanted to do was to create a uniquely American art, focusing on his lifelong fascination with Indians.
E Irving Couse Indian by Firelight
E. Irving Couse, Indian by Firelight
E Irving Couse Contentment
E. Irving Couse, Contentment
In 1902, Couse finally took advice he received from Joseph Henry Sharp, to visit Taos, New Mexico. Couse was thrilled he found the right subject matter for him.

At first, he had difficulty convincing Indians to pose for him as they held a belief that the soul of one passes into a picture once it is captured on canvas. Over time, Couse found his way around this issue.
When the Taos Society of Art was formed, Couse became its first president. He moved to Taos full time, occasionally visiting neighboring Arizona to paint the Hopi and Walpi. By 1914, his work was being published by the Sante Fe Railroad, becoming the root of their Southwest Art Collection.
/images/TSA1_Couse_E_Irving_The_Pottery_Decorator_1924_320.jpg
E. Irving Couse, The Pottery Decorator, 1924
The Peterson Family Collection
/images/TSA1_Couse_E_Irving_Music_of_the_Waters_1910_320.jpg
E. Irving Couse, Music of the Waters, 1910
Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA
/images/TSA1_Couse_E_Irving_Hopi_Flute_Dance_1903_320.jpg
E. Irving Couse, Hopi Flute Dance, 1903
Stark Museum of Art, Orange, TX
Oscar Berninghaus, 1874-1952
Oscar Berninghaus
Oscar E. Berninghaus

 

St. Louis artist Oscar Berninghaus first visited Taos while on assignment for McClure's Magazine. There, he met Bert Phillips who invited him to return. He spent winters in St. Louis, working for clients which included the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Association, but saved his summers for Taos.

He did illustrations for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, depicting Colorado and New Mexico landscapes to be used in sales promotions of the West.
Oscar Barringhaus Indians on Horseback
Oscar Berninghaus, Indians on Horseback

/images/TSA1_Berninghaus_Oscar_Mother_and_Child_early_20th_cent_320.jpg
Oscar Berninghaus, Mother and Child, early 1920's, Private Collection, The Peterson Family Collection

Stylistically, he used short quick brush stokes, giving his paintings a unique texture. He considered the art produced in Taos to be distinctly American. He painted Indians in a realistic manner, unromanticized, going about daily life.

He said of his approach to painting, "The painter must first see his picture as paint-as color-as form, and not as a landscape or a figure.  He must see with his inner eye, then paint with feeling, not with seeing." 

To achieve this effect, Berninghaus took liberties with color and form in his pieces, omitting details when he desired and painting impressionist riffs on the landscape in the background at times.
Oscar Berninghaus Winter in Taos
Oscar Berninghaus, Winter in Taos
Oscar Berninghaus Dance at the Pueblo
Oscar Berninghaus, Dance at the Pueblo
Oscar Berninghaus Corner of Taos Plaza Oscar Berninghaus, Corner of Taos Plaza
/images/TSA1_Berninghaus_Oscar_Apache_Encampment_at_Boulder_Lake_1946_320.jpg
Oscar Berninghaus, Apache Encampment
at Boulder Lake
, 1946, Private Collection
/images/TSA1_Berninghaus_Oscar_Glorieta_1927_320.jpg
Oscar Berninghaus, Glorieta, 1927
Berninghaus Family Collection
/images/TSA1_Blumenshein_Ernest_Return_to_the_Pueblo_320.jpg
Ernest Blumenschein, Return to the Pueblo
Ray and Kay Harvey Collection
William Herbert "Buck" Dunton, 1878-1936
Herbert Dunton
Herbert "Buck" Dunton

Herbert "Buck" Dunton grew up on a farm in Maine. He often roamed the woods carrying his gun and a sketchbook. At age 16, he was selling drawings and stories of outdoor life to local papers and even to the Boston Sunday Globe.

In his late teens, he had an opportunity to visit Montana, Oregon and Old Mexico where he worked on ranches and collected frontier artifacts.

Back in New England, he studied at Boston's Cowles School and in New York at the Art Students League where one of his teachers was Ernest Blumenschein.

Herbert Dunton The Lonely Vigil
Herbert Dunton, The Lonely Vigil
Herbert Dunton Untitled.
Herbert Dunton, untitled
New Mexico Museum of Art
Herbert Dunton Simple Passtimes
Herbert Dunton, Simple Passtimes

Of course, Blumenschein filled young Dunton with tales of Taos, and invited him for a visit. Dunton opened his studio there in 1921.

His career progressed, especially in the field of illustration. Some of his best known illustrations were for Zane Grey novels.

Later in life, he took on the nickname "Buck." Unlike others of the Taos Society of Artists, he focused on painting cowboys, animals and the vanishing frontiersman, perhaps to distinguish his work from his artist friends.

/images/TSA1_Dunton_W_Herbert_Buck_1930_320.jpg
W. Herbert "Buck" Dunton, October Gold, 1930
Stark Museum of Art, Orange, TX
/images/TSA1_Dunton_W_Herbert_Buck_1929_320.jpg
W. Herbert "Buck" Dunton, Philosopher of the Hills,
1929, Stark Museum of Art, Orange, TX
/images/TSA1_Dunton_W_Herber_Buck_Cowboy_1916_320.jpg
W. Herbert "Buck" Dunton, Cowboy, 1916
The Peterson Family Collection
The six founding members of the Taos Society of Artists were soon joined by joined by other artists who spent time in residence at Taos.
In coming a coming issue of our newsletter, we will share works produced by the Taos artists listed below.

 

Julius Rolshoven, 1858-1930
Walter Ufer, 1876-1936
Victor Higgins, 1884-1949
Catharine Carter Critcher , 1868-1964


E. Martin Hennings, 1886-1956
Kenneth Miller Adams, 1897-1966
John Sloan, 1871-1951
Robert Henri, 1865-1929
Albert Groll, 1866-1952
Gustave Baumann, 1881-1971
Randall Davey, 1887-1964
Sven Birger Sandzen, 1871-1954
B. J. O. Nordfeldt, 1878-1955
Western Spirit: Scottsdale's Museum of the West | Back to the Top

Migrant Workers ...
Photographer Dorothea Lange and Painter Don Coen

Dutch painters of the 17th century often depicted peasants in their hovels sharing a meal or going about the chores and errands of their daily lives.

Two hundred years later, 19th century French artists painted peasants at sunset gleaning fields after the day's harvest. Both the Dutch and the French artists seemed to know that the lives and labors of peasants had an honorable and worthy story to tell.

Peasant Family in an Interior Louis LeNain 1642 the Louvre, Paris
Peasant Family in an Interior, Louis LeNain, 1642, Louvre Museum, Paris

The Gleaners Jean Francois Millet 1857 Musee d'Orsay
The Gleaners, Jean-Francois Millet, 1857, Musee d'Orsay, Paris
Dorothea Lange, photographer, 1895-1965
Dorothea Lange was born with the name Dorothea Margaretta Nutzhorn. Two events helped forge an incredible sense of independence and belief in her own indomitable spirit.

At age seven, she contracted polio which left her with a weakened right leg and a permanent limp. She said of her limp, "I've never gotten over it, and I am aware of the force and power of it."

At age 12, her father abandoned the family and Dorothea responded by dropping his name, choosing instead to go by her mother's maiden name, Lange. She attended Columbia University where she studied photography.
Dorothea Lange on top of car photographing migrants
Dorothea Lange

While setting off on a round-the-world tour, she and a friend stopped off in San Francisco. Due to a robbery, the tour ended in California and Dorothea worked as a photo finisher in Berkeley.

In short order, she opened her own portrait studio. In 1920, she married San Francisco painter Maynard Dixon.

In 1935, she divorced Dixon and married economist Paul Schuster Taylor, a Berkeley professor in economics.


150 Photos Migrant workers during the Great Depression Era by Dorothea Lange
Dorothea Lange Corn Boy
Corn Boy

For the next five years, Dorothea and Paul left Berkeley, traveling the country and documenting the exploitation of sharecroppers and migrant workers. While Paul collected economic data, Dorothea took photos of sharecroppers and migrant workers.

Dorothea Lange 13 year old sharecropper, Americus, GA
13 year old Sharecropper, Americus, Georgia
Dorothea Lange Cotton Picker San Joaquin Valley
Cotton Picker, San Joaquin Valley
Dorothea Lange Salinas
Salinas
Dorothea Lange Pulling
Pullling
Despairing Migrants Untitled Dorothea Lange
Despairing Migrants, untitled
Woman with make-shift hat, untitled Dorothea Lange
Woman with Make-shift hat, untitled

In 1960, Dorothea commented on Migrant Mother, her most famous photo of depression era migrants.

She said, "I saw and approached the hungry and desperate mother, as if drawn by a magnet. I do not remember how I explained my presence or my camera to her, but I do remember she asked me no questions.

I made five exposures, working closer and closer from the same direction. I did not ask her name or her history. She told me her age, that she was thirty-two. She said that they had been living on frozen vegetables from the surrounding fields and birds that the children killed.

Dorothea Lange Migrant Mother
Migrant Mother
- 1936

She had just sold the tires from her car to buy food. There she sat in that lean-to tent with her children huddled around her, and seemed to know that my pictures might help her, and so she helped me. There was a sort of equality about it."

Don Coen, contemporary painter, b. 1935
Don Coen with Manuel
Artist Don Coen in studio with Manuel

Don Coen currently teaches art in Boulder, Colorado. He strives to create art of the rural west without a trace of "western art cliche."

His large scale realistic acrylic paintings of the west seek to draw attention to the dignity of the commonplace.

Don Coen with Victor
Don Coen with Victor

For the past twenty years, Don Coen has set upon doing a series of large sized portraits of migrant workers, capturing the life and spirit of individual workers.

Coen seeks to raise the consciousness of America to the overlooked workers who provide a vital function in our society. So often, Americans drive by and see workers in the fields, but don't notice them. With these large canvas portraits of migrant workers, we get to know them, cheerful, honorable, and hopeful, portraits with character lines on suntanned faces, and bright confident eyes which speak volumes.


Forgotten Migrants, One Canvas at a Time ... Colorado artist Don Coen has spent more than two decades painting portraits of migrant workers, giving identity to the nation’s invisible people who labor day after day to put food on Americans’ tables. (Harry Smith, NBC News)

Don Coen Lilianna
Lilianna
Don Coen Pablo
Pablo
Don Coen Victor
Manuel
Don Coen's Website | Back to the Top

Grand American Tour ...
Archibald Motley 1891-1981, "Jazz Age Modernist"

from our February 2015 issue, by Daniel Rohlfing
Archibald Motley, Self Portait
Archibald Motley, Self Portrait
Art Institute of Chicago

"Archibald Motley, Jazz Age Modernist" is making the grand American tour. First shown at Duke University's Nasher Museum, it is presently at the Los Angeles Museum of Art through January 31, and then on to New York's Whitney Museum this fall [2015].

Archibald Motley Photo Archibald Motley Photo with Self PortraitArchibald Motley
with his self portrait, "Me at Work."
Archibald Motley, Nightlife Art Institute of Chicago
Nightlife
Art Institute of Chicago

My first experience with Archibald Motley came as a surprise. Having just walked through the Art Institute of Chicago's French Impressionist and Post Impressionist paintings, and hanging close to Picasso's "The Guitar Player," there I saw Archibald Motley's lively and captivating "Nightlife." The whole of the painting was a visual delight, with colorful rhythm and percussion equal to the jazz reverberating among the figures.

The scene's movement drew me in. Throbbing with life, jazz and color, here was a party I wanted to attend. I knew this was a painting I wanted to remember and I vowed to learn more of the artist. And now, with this touring exhibition, you too can get to know of Archibald Motley, and visit this fascinating American painting exhibition.


This brief video introduction of "Archibald Motley, Jazz Age Modernist" features
Professor Richard J. Powell of Duke University, guest curator of this traveling exhibition.
Archibald Motley was a native of New Orleans and graduated the Art Institute in Chicago in 1918 at the age of 27. He is best known for painting the vibrancy of African American life in the jazz age of the 1920's and 1930's.

Although Archibald Motley never lived in Harlem, he is recognized as a major contributor of the Harlem Renaissance. His specialty was portraiture which he believed gave him an avenue to elevate the dignity of his race, showing the strength, beauty and character of his subjects,
He enjoyed success early in his career. His painting "Mending Socks" was voted the favorite exhibition 1927 at the Newark Museum of Art. His paintings sold well at exhibition and he was awarded the Harmon Foundation Award in 1928
Archibald Motley, Grandmother Portrait
Grandmother Portrait
He applied for a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1927 and won the fellowship in 1929. He found his greatest inspiration among the great Renaissance painters exhibited at the Louvre and among the artists of the Dutch Golden Age. Inspired by these styles, he applied them in new ways to the African American experience.
He was among the first to paint black female nudes, which up until his time, had not been done.
Archibald_Motley_Brown_Girl_After_the_Bath_320.jpg
After the Bath
Archibald Motley Mending Socks
Mending Socks 1927
Archibald Motley, Between Acts
Between Acts
Archibald Motley Nude Portrait of my Wife 1930
Nude Portrait of my Wife
, 1930
Archibald Motley, Self Portrait Me at Work
Self Portrait Me at Work

Motley was of mixed racial heritage and was fascinated with skin color, exploring it in many of his paintings.

He never really fit or felt comfortable in any category. He didn't think of himself as being "white" or "black." His wife was white, but certainly her race did not concern him. He instead explored his own racial identity by painting the range of colors found across the racial spectrum.

He explored skin color with paintings of "octoroon," "quadroon," and "mulatto." But the subjects in these paintings cannot be riveted to one definition or another. Without the title of "octoroon," racial mix doesn't matter in appreciating these pleasing portraits on their own merit.

Archibald Motley, Octoroon Girl
Octoroon Girl
 Archibald Motley, Octoroon
Octoroon
This was Motley's way of saying in a very compelling artistic manner, that such distinctions are useless. To define anyone with physical markers of blackness is an unstable, unreliable, and a meaningless and degrading exercise.
Archibald Motley, Portrait Hot Rhythm
Portrait Hot Rhythm
Archibald Motley, Jazz Singers
Jazz Singers

His most popular paintings depicted the black jazz culture in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood. His lively and colorful street and club scenes show individuals interacting with one another while simultaneously showing viewers the big picture, giving a full context for the joy and life for his subjects.

The observer can't help but noticing something is going on, something inviting and lively. One can't help but want to join in the fun. His works speak for themselves. It is Motley's visual invitation to recognize and celebrate and dance to rhythms and the beauty of it all.

If you hadn't known of him before, please remember the name Archibald Motley and count him among those you consider to be among the pantheon of great American painters.

Archibald Motley, Getting Religion
Getting Religion
Archibald Motley, Black Belt
Black Belt
Archibald Motley, Barbecue
Barbecue
Archibald Motley, Blues
Blues
Archibald Motley Saturday Night 1935
Saturday Night 1935
Past Exhibition Nasher Museum, Duke University | Past Exhibition LACMA | Past Exhibition at the Whitney Museum in New York | Back to the Top

GALLERY NOTES ...
At the Landmark Gallery
in the town of Bodega
Linda Sorensen Inverness and Mt Vision

Linda Sorensen's
Inverness and Mt. Vision
Tomales Bay 12 x 12

Linda Sorensen's paintings can now be seen at ...

the Bodega Landmark Gallery Collection,
located inland in the town of Bodega, west end of town a half block from the Casino, and just across from the General Store and the Bodega Volunteer Fire Department.

Corrick's "Art Trails Gallery,"
located in downtown Santa Rosa on 4th Street, just steps from Santa Rosa's newly opened town Square.

At Corrick's in Santa Rosa
" Art Trails Gallery"
Linda Sorensen Hawks Hill to Point Bonita
Linda Sorensen's
Hawk Hill to Point Bonita 24 x 30
Linda Sorensen's Cabin Stuido
Linda Sorensen's cabin studio
coming soon

In the coming weeks, Linda Sorensen's creative side will take up residence in her new artist's cabin/studio, located near Monte Rio, among redwoods near the Russian River. Humble though it may be, it is a throwback to the idea of less is more, and a desire for quiet contemplative surroundings. For now, a dream in progress, but look forward to new works and news of an event or two over the summer.

Salmon Creek Artwalk is Saturday and Sunday May 6 and 7 along the twisting streets and dunes of Salmon Creek just off Coast Highway One on the North end of Bodega Bay. Come for the excellent arts and crafts and charming locale. Among our favorites are sculptor Lillian Lehman, photographers John Hershey and Francesca Scalpi, and painters Robin Hale and Janet Elmore. http://www.salmoncreekartwalk.com

Bodega Bay Heritage Gallery is not at present a "brick and mortar" storefront gallery. We've moved out and now exist solely as an online gallery. You may make arrangements to view specific artworks by emailing or calling us. Contact us by by phone 707-875-2911 or email us at Art@BodegaBayHeritageGallery.com. We continue to host our website and Linda's site, LindaSorensenPaintings.com, and publish our online newsletter every month.

Pacific Bay Gallery is Bodega Bay's newest gallery featuring the works of Noki Jones. It is located next to The Ren Brown Collection in Bodega Bay. You may remember it as our most recent storefront location ... easily identifiable by Bodega Bay's newest and tallest palm tree. They've made some vast improvements to the property. Stop in and enjoy!


What's showing in Bodega Bay?
Bodega Bay Heritage Gallery Sign

Bodega Bay Heritage Gallery
featuring Joshua Meador and Linda Sorensen
and Historic Paintings of California


online only (and by arrangement)
http://www.BodegaBayHeritageGallery.com | Voicemail and Text 707-875-2911
email: Art@BodegaBayHeritageGallery.com

Joshua Meador Composed by the Sea
"Composed by the Ocean"
Joshua Meador
Ren Brown
Ren Brown
The Ren Brown Collection
"Beginning a New Year"
1781 Coast Highway One, Bodega Bay, 94923
707-875-2922 |  rbc4art@renbrown.com
http://www.renbrown.com |
Back to the Top
Reb Brown Sign Thumbnail
Bodega Bay's Jean Warren Watercolors
Bodega Bay resident Jean Warren says her paintings
are reflections of the places she has lived and traveled.
Jean is a signature member of the National Watercolor Society,
California Watercolor Association
and full member of Society of Layerists in Multi-Media. Visit Jean's site
.
http://www.JeanWarren.com

Jean Warren Watercolor

What's showing nearby?
in Sonoma, Napa & Marin Counties
Lorenzo de Santis
Landmark Gallery's
Lorenzo de Santis
IN BODEGA Bodega Landmark Gallery Collection - renovated and reopened
including the paintings of Linda Sorensen
17255 Bodega Highway Bodega, California USA 94922 Phone 707 876 3477
Fri-Mon, 10:30 - 5:30
http://www.artbodega.com | Lorenzo@ArtBodega.com | Back to the Top
Bodega Landmark Gallery Thumb
Sebastopol Center for the Arts

IN SEBASTOPOL, Sebastopol Center for the Arts
the home for Sonoma County's Art @ the Source and Art Trails
282 S. High Street, Sebastopol, CA 95472  707.829.4797
Hours: Tue - Fri 10am - 4pm, Sat & Sun 1 - 4pm

Corricks Kevin Brown
Corrick's Keven Brown

IN SANTA ROSA Corrick's Art Trails Gallery | http://www.corricks.com/arttrailsgallery
637 Fourth Street, Santa Rosa, CA 95401 | Contact:: http://www.corricks.com/contact-us

Corricks has been a Santa Rosa Treasure since 1915,
a downtown stationery store serving the community ... "a cultural hub."
Corricks has long supported local artists with its impressive "ART TRAILS GALLERY,"
including the paintings of Linda Sorensen.

located on Fourth Street, steps away from Santa Rosa's new town square
and Fourth Street's Russian River Brewery

Corricks
BBHPhoto Dennis Calabi
Dennis Calabi
IN SANTA ROSA Calabi Gallery | http://www.calabigallery.com
456 Tenth Street, Santa Rosa, CA 95401 | email: info@calabigallery.com | 707-781-7070


Famed master conservator Dennis Calabi brings his rare knowledge and experience
to present a tasteful and eclectic array of primarily 20th century artwork.

http://www.calabigallery.com | Back to the Top
Easton Crustacean Dancing Dream 144
Easton, Crustacean Dancing Dream, American Alabaster
Annex Galleries Santa Rosa IN Santa Rosa The Annex Galleries
specializing in 19th, 20th, and 21st century American and European fine prints
The Annex Galleries is a member of the International Fine Print Dealers Association (IFPDA).
http://www.AnnexGalleries.com | Back to the Top
Linda Ratzlaff IN GRATON Graton Gallery
http://www.gratongallery.com

Graton Gallery | (707) 829-8912  | artshow@gratongallery.com
9048 Graton Road, Graton CA 95444 | Open Wednesday ~ Saturday 10:30 to 6, Sunday 10:30 to 4
Christopher Queen Gallery IN DUNCANS MILLS Christopher Queen Galleries
3 miles east of Hwy 1 on Hwy 116 on the Russian River
"Artistic Endeavor" a collection of new paintings by our award winning aritsts -- through July 9
Early California and Contemporary Paintings

http://www.christopherqueengallery.com |707-865-1318| Back to the Top
Hammarfriar Gallery Thumb IN Healdsburg Hammerfriar Gallery
http://www.hammerfriar.com

 (707) 473-9600  | Jill@hammerfriar.com
132 Mill Street, Healdsburg, CA 95448 | Open Tues - Fri 10 to 6, Sat 10 - 5, Sun 12 - 4


john Anderson
Vintage Bank Petaluma Thumbnail
IN PETALUMA Vintage Bank Antiques
Vintage Bank Antiques is located in Historic Downtown Petaluma, corner of Western Avenue and Petaluma Blvd. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Warren Davis and the rest of the team at Vintage Bank Antiques has assembled a spectacular inventory of paintings. From the 18th Century to Contemporary Artists. We have paintings to suit every price point and collector level.
If you have a painting for sale, please consider Vintage Bank Antiques. Contact Warren Davis directly at WarrenDavisPaintings@yahoo.com, 101 Petaluma Blvd. North, Petaluma, CA 94952, ph: 707.769.3097

Back to the Top
Petaluma Arts Council Art Center IN PETALUMA Petaluma Art Center
"... to celebrate local artists and their contributions and involve the whole community"
Petaluma Center for the Arts

Links to current museum exhibits relevant to Early California Art
The Greater Bay Area
The Walt Disney Family Museum
This museum tells Walt's story from the early days.
(on the Parade Grounds) 104 Montgomery Street,
The Presidio of San Francisco, CA 94129

-- view location on Google Maps
--
Disney Museum Exterior Thumbnail San Francisco
de Young Museum
Permanent Collection

De Young Museum Thumbnail
San Francisco
California Historical Society


California Historical Society Thumbnail San Francisco
Legion of Honor

-Permanent European and Impressionist Paintings
-Monet: the Early Years
through May 29
San Francisco Legion of Honor Museum
San Francisco
Contemporary Jewish Museum

San Francisco's Contemporary Jewish Museum Thumbnail Oakland
Oakland Museum of California

-- ongoing Gallery of California Art
-showcasing over 800 works
from the OMCA's collection

Oakland Museum Thumbnail

San Francisco
SFMOMA

http://www.sfmoma.org

SF Museum of Modern Art

Santa Rosa
The Museums of Sonoma County

Sonoma County Museum Thumbnail
Santa Rosa
Charles M. Schultz Museum


Charles M Schultz Museum Santa Rosa

Moraga
St Mary's College Museum of Art
Hearst Art Gallery
 

Hearst Art Gallery Thumbnail
Sonoma
Mission San Francisco de Solano Museum

featuring the famed watercolor paintings
of the California Missions
by Christian Jorgensen
Mission San Francisco de Solano in Sonoma CA Sonoma
Sonoma Valley Museum of Art

551 Broadway, Sonoma CA 954
(707) 939-7862
Sonoma Museum of Art Exterior Thumb
Ukiah
Grace Hudson Museum

"Wild Fabrications" through June 25
http://www.gracehudsonmuseum.org
Grace Hudson Museum

Bolinas
Bolinas Museum

featuring their permanent collection,
including Ludmilla and Thadeus Welch,
Arthur William Best, Jack Wisby,
Russell Chatham, Alfred Farnsworth
.

Elizabeth Holland McDaniel Bolinas Embarcadero thumbnail
Walnut Creek
The Bedford Gallery, Lesher
Center for the Arts
Lesher Ctr for the Arts Walnut Creek CA San Jose
San Jose Museum of Art

approximately 2,000 20th & 21st
century artworks including paintings, sculpture,
new media, photography, drawings, prints, and artist books.
San Jose Museum of Art Thumbnail
Monterey
Monterey Museum of Art

Ongoing exhibitions ...
Museums Permanent Collection
including William Ritschel and Armin Hansen

http://www.montereyart.org
Monterey Museum of Art Palo Alto
Cantor Art Center at Stanford University
Cantor Art Center at Stanford University

Monterey
Salvador Dali Museum

Salvador Dali Museum Monterey Sacramento
Crocker Art Museum
& their marvelous Permanent Collection
http://www.crockerartmuseum.org
Sacramento
Capitol Museum

Governor's Portrait Gallery
Permanent Exhibits

(including one of our galllery's favorite artists,
Robert Rishell's portrait of Gov. Ronald Reagan
Capitol Museum Sacramento Thumbnail Stockton's Treasure!
The Haggin Museum!

-Largest exhibition of Albert Beirstadt paintings anywhere,
plus the works of Joseph Christian Leyendecker,
Norman Rockwell's mentor.
see our Newsletter article, April 2011
Haggin Museum Stockton
Southern California (and Arizona)
Los Angeles
Los Angeles Museum of Art

Art of the Americas, Level 3:
Artworks of paintings and sculptures
from the colonial period to World War II—
a survey of of art and culture
& "Levitated Mass"
Los Angeles County Museum of Art Irvine
The Irvine Museum
Along El Camino Real
through May 18
The Irvine Museum

Irvine Museum Thumbnail
Los Angeles
Hammer Museum (at UCLA)
Hammer Museum Orange
Hilbert Museum, Chapman University
The Hilbert Collection focuses
on California Scene Painting,
including most well known
20th century California artists

Hilbert Museum Chapman University Orange CA
Santa Barbara
The Santa Barbara Museum of Art
Santa Barbara Museum of Art Thumbnail
San Diego
San Diego Museum of Art
Permanent Collection

San Diego Museum of Art Thumbnail
Pasadena
Norton Simon Museum

-an Impressive Permanent collection,
European impressionist and post impressionist paintings
See our newsletter from March 2014
Norton Simon Museum Pasadena

Pasadena
Pasadena Museum of California Art

Pasadena Museum of California Art Exterior thumb
Palm Springs
Palm Springs Art Museum

Permanent Collection
American 19th century Landscape Painting
Palm Springs Art Museum Thumbnail San Marino (near Pasadena)
The Huntington Library

American Art Collection
Paintings by John Singer Sargent,
Edward Hopper, Robert Henri,
Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Moran,
William Keith, Mary Cassatt,
Thomas Hart Benton and many more.

Huntington Library Art Collection Pasadena
Laguna Beach
Laguna Museum of Art

-California Art and only California Art
Permanent collection includes many historic
California Artists of the Laguna Beach Art Association
Laguna Art Museum Phoenix, AZ
Phoenix Art Museum
an excellent sampling of
Artists of the American West
Phoenix Art Museum
Prescott, AZ
Phippen Museum
Phippen Museum Entrance Hwy 89

 
& Beyond
Honolulu, HI
Honolulu Museum
(see our Newsletter article
from February, 2015)


Honolulu Museum of Art Kamuela, HI (Big Island)
Issacs Art Center
65-1268 Kawaihae Road
Kamuela, HI  96743
(See our Dec '16 article "Hawaii's Paul Gauguin," 
modernist Madge Tennent, 1889-1972)

Isaacs Art Center
Seattle, WA
Seattle Art Museum
Seattle Art Museum Portland, OR
Portland Art Museum

Permanent Collection: American Art

Portland Art Museum Thumbnail
Washington D.C.
The Renwick Gallery

Permanent ... Grand Salon Paintings
from the Smithsonian American Art Museum
Renwick Gallery Washington DC Chicago, IL
Art Institute of Chicago
Permanent collection:
the Impressionists
Art Institute of Chicago Thumbnail
Cedar Rapids, IA
The Cedar Rapids Museum of Art
Grant Wood: In Focus

is an ongoing permanent collection exhibition.
Cedar Rapids Museum of Art

Bentonville, AR
Crystal Bridges
Museum of American Art


Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
Washington D.C.
The National Gallery

Permanent collection
American Paintings
Tha National Gallery Washington DC Thumbnail Philadelphia , PA
The Philadelphia Museum of Art
Philadelphia Museum of Art Thumbnail
Philadelphia , PA
Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia Campus
Barnes Foundation Campus Philadelphia Brooklyn, NY
The Brooklyn Museum
American Art
Permanent Collection
The Brooklyn Museum Thumbnail
New York , NY
The Whitney Museum of American Art

The largest selection of works by Edward Hopper
The Whitney Museum of American Art New York Detroit, MI
Detroit Institute of Arts
American Art
Permanent Collection
Detroit Institute of Arts
Ottawa, Ontario
National Gallery of Canada
Canada National Gallery of Art    

Serving our Clients several different ways ...
in Bodega Bay, in your home, or on-line.

Voicemail and Text: 707-875-2911 | Email: Art@BodegaBayHeritageGallery.com

IN BODEGA BAY

... Using Voicemail, TEXT or Email, leave a call back time and number. Once we arrange a time and place, come to Bodega Bay and view the art which interests you and take a treasure home. PLEASE NOTE WE ARE HAVING DIFFICULTIES WITH THE PHONE AT THE PRESENT TIME, so email or text is better.

IN YOUR HOME

... Using Voicemail, Text, or Email, request an pre-arranged in-home appointment. We will discuss which artists and paintings interest you, and make appropriate arrangements. After you make your choices, we will bring the art to you.

ON-LINE

... Voicemail, Text, or Email us about pieces which interest you. We will answer your questions and process your purchase over the phone. We offer free FedEx shipping in the U.S for major purchases.

Pop-Up Galleries

... On occasion, when temporary opportunities fit, we will take Bodega Bay Heritage Gallery on the road.


How to Sell Paintings to Us

At present, we are acquiring few paintings. We are interested in considering works by Joshua Meador, or exceptional paintings by Historic California artists. We do not do miscellaneous consignments but do represent artist estates.

DO NOT CALL TO SELL ... Please EMAIL US (Art@BodegaBayHeritageGallery.com) along with a high resolution jpeg image of your painting. A picture is worth a thousand words. Include the name of the artist, its title, dimensions and condition. Please include any history or provenance. We will read your note, do our homework, and write back and let you know if we wish to acquire your painting or give you our our ideas on how to sell your painting through other resources.