A small pencil sketch on irregularly shaped scratch paper, roughly 4 1/4" by 4" (5 1/2" square in its simple wood frame from which it was removed for photography). The subject is an empty vase casting a shadow while resting on a narrow tabletop. Of possibly great interest to any researcher of the artist's life and career, the work is clearly a sketch, perhaps for a finished painting or pastel...

Large impressionist painting of violet mountains, pond and green meadow with white fence, 24" by 30" (31" by 37" framed), signed at lower left by artist HENRIETTA S. RUDDER, further titled "Mountains" on reverse where there is a label of the 1989 Artists Guild of the Norton Gallery Fifth Annual Exhibition (probably West Palm Beach, Florida), providing the artist's name, and the original price of $500. The painting is created primarily with palette knife, the paint richly and generously applied...

Irving Amen's works are most commonly prints, as he is considered a master print maker in woodblock, etching, lithography and silk screen; this example appears to be etching or etching with aquatint. He also executed oils and acrylics in the course of a long career. This work, titled at lower left in pencil "Love & Peace" and numbered there 31/200 examples, is signed in pencil at lower right. The print measures 20 1/4" by 14 3/4" inside the mat (32" by 23" as framed)...

A pencil drawing of an elegant interior scene with chairs and credenza, center mural and flanking high panels, 15" by 11 1/2" framed in black metal and matted, signed with initials "JRM" at lower left and dated there 1943. On the reverse a previous owner wrote "JOHN RICHARD MOORE 1925-2009 University High Arts Co Founder Panavision Co.". This early work would date to the artist's teens...

A nicely worked watercolor of a church dominating over its obviously European village, 15 1/2" by 18 3/4" (21 1/2" by 25" framed), signed at lower right with what appears as "W Kuns" or "Whuns" or similar. The watercolor is clean, with some browning at the very edges from long contact with the mat. Probably executed circa the 1960's, possibly, in the Baltic states (possibly, Latvian) or another part of eastern Europe.

Old, vintage print, somewhat resembling a chromolithograph when viewed with a magnifier, 26" by 20 1/4" as framed, the subject lush red roses and fresh green leaves. I thought that this might have been an original work but determined that it is actually a print, though a very good one. If you are decorating in Shabby Chic style, or just like roses and still life works, you might add this to your collection...

An old etching of Notre Dame cathedral in central Paris, viewed from the south bank of the Seine river, titled at bottom "Pont de l'Archeveche Paris", artist name K. Gautier (LUCIEN GAUTIER, 1850-1925) at lower left margin. The print measures 9 3/4" by 14 3/4" (13" by 18" in silvery metal framing). There are some fox marks in the field and typical browning/light soiling seen on an antique print; also a slight bit of raising of the paper surface at extreme right corner...

Pencil signed by the artist at lower center and numbered 274/450 at lower left, is this contemporary black and white print, 8 3/4" by 10 1/2" inside the mat, 17" by 19" framed, the poetic and whimsical subject a young woman gently cradling in her arms a black cat, while seated on steps in a vaguely defined setting, perhaps a back garden. BARBARA A. WOOD, the artist, is from Ohio but also has spent considerable time in California, and, I believe, Georgia...

Likely painted for the southern tourist trade between about 1920 and 1950 or so, is this oil on a slice of palmetto wood, roughly oval shape, approximate dimensions 10" by 13", the slab 1" thick, signed at bottom left in the image "A. Donhauser". This locale could be anywhere from Texas through Georgia, given the Spanish Moss on the tree. The palmetto slab is unusual and adds interest. An unusual item. There is a small loss on the tree trunk.

By the noted illustrator artist RICHARD STINE (1941-) this is a print, "I am an alien creature", hand signed in pencil at lower left near the printed signature. This does not seem to be a limited edition but it is hand signed. Stine is a familiar name due to his uniquely humorous and whimsical images, which though cartoonish delve into philosophy, and, an online description writes, "love, art, freedom, isolation, desire, conflict, dreams, creativity"...

A rare print by surrealist print maker Ozaku Seishi, professor emeritus from Tama Art University. He is best known for small edition prints, usually up to 30 copies, limitless experimentation with printing techniques and surrealist, often graphic imagery resembling distorted reality ¬neither quite explicit nor quite horror, but rendering a fairly dark version of dreams. This aquatint is from a 1974 portfolio titled “World of Children” (子どもの世界), which consisted of 30 aquatints...

ONE OF A NUMBER BY THE ARTIST IN MY SHOP**This is a small etching (the sheet 4 7/8" by 6 1/2" inside the reddish mat, 9 1/2" by 11" framed), pencil signed at lower right by the noted California artist HARRIET GENE ROUDEBUSH (1908-1998), and titled at lower left margin "Cypress Trees at the Beach". The scene is dominated by an old, impressive coast cypress tree with lots of character, its sheltering branches framing more distant offshore rock and a church with twin steeples...

ONE OF A NUMBER BY THE ARTIST IN MY SHOP**This is a small etching (the sheet 6" by 8 1/4", presently in an old tired mat but not framed), by the noted California artist HARRIET GENE ROUDEBUSH (1908-1998), titled at lower left margin "View From Top of the Mark" and pencil signed at lower right by the artist. The artist depicts a bird's eye view looking north towards Alcatraz and Marin County beyond, from the top of Nob Hill, on which the Mark Hopkins Hotel so famously sits...

Drawing in blue ink and watercolor, 14" by 11", in an inexpensive temporary protective frame, unsigned, a second drawing of a female head on the reverse. Judging from the appearance, hairstyle, this probably dates to before World War II. The anonymous artist created an interesting study with skilled use of shadow and line. Allow for a few reflections in the image, appearing as a dark shadow in a few images...

A watercolor and gouache painting of colorfully attired drummer musicians standing on the street, titled at bottom "Candombe Uruguay"...

Oil on canvas painting of a tabby cat, 7" by 5" (12" by 10" framed), circa 1970 to 1980 judging from the framing, signed lower right "Jody". The artist was certainly talented; the likeness of the cat to reality is well above average. Condition is excellent. Needs to be nailed more tightly into frame.

Watercolor on paper painting of a large sailboat off a lighthouse at the coast, some industrial looking electrical towers completing the scene, 9 3/4" by 13 1/2" inside the mat, 16 1/2" by 21" framed, signed "DNadson" or similar at lower right. This is well painted by a skilled but unidentified artist. Found in Los Angeles. Condition is excellent.

An oil on canvas painting of white flowers in a glass vase on a table top, two small porcelain vessels nearby, the work signed at lower right by artist Minerva Smithers. On the stretcher in pencil is written "Matilija Poppy" and then the artist again wrote her name in longhand. A google search shows a Minerva Smithers born in 1877 in Wisconsin, the woman's residence given in the 1940 census as Hawthorne, in Southern California (very near where this was found). The work measures 18" by 14" (20...