(ONE OF SEVERAL BY MERRIAM IN MY SHOP) An oil on canvas, 30" by 40", unframed), the subject a Southern California desert mountain wash and canyon, a cluster of desert palms grouped towards the center of the composition, the painting unsigned by undoubtedly by the talented California painter JAMES MERRIAM (1880-1951). This brushstrokes, size and subject matter of this particular example is very typical of the artist's work; I will stand by its being "a Merriam"...

A late 19th century small oil on artist board, unsigned, the subject a quiet glen with small waterfall and pond or creek in a forest. The work measures 14 1/2" by 9 1/2" in likely the original gold frame (now with a missing area at top right corner). A cleaning would work wonders. Old Kansas City framer's label and art board shows a Chicago origin.

Oil on canvas painting of a forest interior in browns and greens, 14" by 20", unframed, signed at lower left by the noted American late 19th century painter ARTHUR PARTON (1842-1914). Parton was born on the Hudson River and went on to become a well known painter of that river and the Adirondack and Catskill Mountains. He is described as a second generation Hudson River painter, who also moved into impressionism and Tonalism...

Finely painted oil on canvas still life of beautiful red apples spilling from a basket, 10" by 12", 15 3/4" by 17 3/4" framed, signed lower right by the noted American painter, ELBRIDGE AYER BURBANK (1858-1949). The work is in the tradition of many others who painted fruit, from the Fall River School of Massachusetts, through such artists as William McCloskey, Edward Chalmers Leavitt, and Levi Wells Prentice...

A well-painted oil on canvas (laid on board), 19 1/4" by 25 1/4" in later silvery-gold frame, signed at lower left "Lillian Reynolds" and dated there 1953. The scene is the timeless, shifting sands of the California desert, likely in the Palm Springs region. There does not appear to be information on an artist by this name, but that does not mean that she was not talented. There are a few light surface scratches and light soiling naturally accumulated over sixty plus years...

Oil on canvas, 24" by 36" (28" by 39" as framed), UNSIGNED, but certainly by the popular listed California artist HERBERT SARTELLE (1885-1955) (I will stand by this). This is a classic mountain scene favored by the artist (he seems to have painted that particular mountain over and over again), with large eucalyptus trees and a lake with distant mountains, all executed in Sartelle's unique impressionistic style and characteristic color palette. The painting probably dates to the 1940s or 1950s...

Oil on panel, 9 1/4" by 12 1/2" (14 1/4" by 17 1/4" as framed), signed at lower left in red "Karla Mirabal", and inscribed on label on reverse, "Judge M. R. Mirabal Homestead in New Mexico" "Artist Karla King--So Calif and New Mexico--Artists of West--WHAA". This is probably of historical interest, depicting as it does an early home. The work is very impasto and impressionistic. The painting is a bit soiled but could be placed on the wall as is. Note the two young girls on the porch.

Oil on canvas nocturne style painting of a wave, 24" by 30" (28" by 34" as framed) by listed California artist ERNEST BROWNING SMITH (1866-1951). Smith is a familiar artist on the plein air scene and I believe his works are presently underrated in the marketplace. The artist had a trademark style; often the scenes in my experience are simplified, devoid of figures, and in a limited color palette. This nocturne is executed in shades of blue...

Oil on canvas, 18" by 25" (19 1/2" by 26 1/2" as framed) signed lower left "F. Glyndon". This is a nicely painted landscape of the edge of the forest, with pink blossoms on one of the trees, by FRANK GLYNDON (1847-1937). Glyndon was born in Prague, Bohemia and arrived in New York by ship from Liverpool in 1892. Shortly after 1900, Glyndon lived in Alameda, California. He was known for genre, landscapes, and portrait paintings...

Oil on canvasboard painting titled on backing paper "LAVISH FALL PALETTE/LONGS PEAK", signed at lower right by artist RUTH ERWIN (1904-1994). The work, featuring flaming aspen in the Colorado high country in high autumn, a view to monumental Longs Peak in the distance, measures 10" by 8" (18 1/2" by 16" framed). I've gathered a few nuggets of information on the artist through the net...

This is a stunning, classic plein air style seascape painting (24" by 30", 29 1/2" by 33 1/2" as framed) signed at lower left by California master artist HENRY LEOPOLD RICHTER (1870-1960). A probable original title, "SURF", is written on the stretcher. The handling of color, motion, and especially the balance of sunlight and shadow is quite impressive. Having viewed a number of other works by the artist online, this one really seems to stand out...

An American 19th century oil on canvas still life, circa 1870-1890, measuring 10" by 16" (12 1/2" by 18 1/2" as framed), unsigned, featuring a metal pot with green and red apples, a pitcher, and a glass, in the classic style of nineteenth century American still life art. I wish the artist had signed his or her work, as he or she was quite skilled. The painting has a patch on the reverse, approximately 3 1/2" by 2", corresponding to a repair in the red apple...

This unframed 20" by 24" oil on canvas landscape painting is something of a mystery...

PAIR of unframed, unstretched oil on canvas paintings, the larger 20" by 24", the smaller one 17 1/4" by 22", both signed at lower right "Allen H. Newton" and bearing inscriptions on the reverse showing the locations in Andover, Connecticut (east of Hartford, between there and Willimantic in the northeastern part of the state). Both paintings are in need of restoration, since they've been carelessly handled by past owners, including, probably, rolling. There is paint loss, creases, craquelure,...

Oil on canvas painting of a matador in his suit of lights, 31" by 23", unframed, not signed but inscribed on the stretcher with the name of the artist and title "portrait of a matador".. This is a circa late 1940's or perhaps 1950's work I would guess, by noted listed artist JOSEPH WEISMAN (1907-1994). Weisman was born in the east but was already in California as a young man. He studied with well known California artists Millard Sheets, Barse Miller, and Clarence Hinkle, and exhibited at such...

Oil on Masonite painting, 18" by 7 3/4" (24" by 13 3/4" as framed, with liner), the subject two young girls and their classic olla-type water or grain pots. of the Southwest. This is likely a New Mexico or Arizona scene, executed in tan and brown earth tone colors. The painting is signed in black at lower left "Ch. Bragg"; I believe this to be the work of the well-known California-based American illustrator artist Charles Bragg (1931-2017), though, this is perhaps best offered as "attributed" ...

Oil on canvas, 9 1/2" by 13 14" (18" by 22 1/2" as framed), signed in red at lower left "J. A. McClurg" and dated there with what looks like "1900" or "1908". There's a vintage Denver artists materials sticker on the stretcher, Considering the scene and the sticker, I am tempted to call this one a Colorado plains/edge of the Rockies picture, in the nineteenth century tradition of Bierstadt, Worthington Whittredge, Samuel Colman, and so many others in that school......I do not see a listing for...

This is a late 19th century American painting by an anonymous artist, from the heart of the Victorian age. It measures 16" by 24" on the original stretchers (21 1/4" by 30" including the frame and probably original red velvet liner). The peaceful scene includes a lake with eight ducks in the foreground, a shore in the foreground, two rowboats at right, a quaintly undersized man and woman in Victorian garb at left, overhanging dark trees, a small waterfall emanating from a mill, and distant low...