Oil on canvas painting of a stand of trees by a small pond or lake in early autumn, 20" by 24" (25" by 29" as framed), signed at lower left by the listed California artist RICHARD VERNON JOHNSON (1905-2001, death date sometimes given as 2007). Johnson was born in Montana and moved with his family to Long Beach, California by 1920. He studied at Chouinard Art Institute and the University of Montana. Johnson taught at various institutions in Orange County...

Oil on canvas painting of grouse in the snow among pines, 16" by 20", signed at lower right "Berta C. Richards 50", and titled in ink on the reverse "Spring Around the Corner/in Colo Foot Hills/Berta C. Richards/1950". I do not see a listing for the artist but this vintage oil is competently executed by a talented hand. The condition is excellent, since this has been protected actually behind glass, in the veneer-type frame often seen on Currier and Ives prints...

Oil on canvas impressionistic painting of an idealized street with old houses, trees and a few strolling figures, 24" by 36" (unframed), signed at lower left "F. H. McKay" and further identified in old penciled handwriting on the stretcher "Village on the Cove--Vermont" (and original $95.00 price is also written in two places). The artist is FRANCES H. McKAY (circa 1880-possibly 1969---biographical information is scarce online)...

Oil on canvas painting, signed at lower left "Charles T. Harris", late 20th century, the subject a red rock dramatic cliff of the Southwest, framed artistically by a large overhanging branch arching in from the right side. The work is very clean and ready to hang. This came from a local estate. The artist is talented but from what I can tell not listed. Size is 20" by 30" plus 2 1/2" wide on a side wood frame.

Oil on board painting of four wild horses in a corral under an immense western American sky, 17 1/2" by 21 1/2" framed, signed at lower right by American artist GRACE LORING BASSETT. There is some mention of the artist on the internet, most specifically as an illustrator in 1915 of a "Black Beauty" type book called "Don: His Recollections", a work about a horse, intended for children...

Large oil on canvas, 30" by 40" (34" by 44" framed), unsigned, in its vintage original frame, the subject a desert track through sandy scrub, distant purplish mountains filling the background. Though unsigned, the heavily impastoed, impressionistic style and the scene and colors used are unquestionably the work of JAMES MERRIAM (1880-1951). Merriam was born in Canada and was studying in Detroit, before arriving in Southern California...

Large acrylic on canvas contemporary painting, 56" by 48", unframed, titled on reverse "St. Sebastian", also dated 3/81 and signed there, by the well listed, widely-exhibited American artist, RUSS WARREN (1951-). The painting is striking, the figure shot full with arrows in a strange and surreal, magical landscape, mystery and symbolism and allegory surrounding the scene...

This is an unsigned oil on paper laid on board work, quite possibly an oil study for a more finished painting, circa 1870's, by the 19th century American painter JUNIUS SLOAN (1827-1900), the subject trees silhouetted against an extensive landscape, two ladies in period dress at center left, several houses in the middle distance, and two tiny cows grazing at right...

Oil on thin canvas painting of a classic American Indian with chief's feather headdress, executed in a charmingly naive style by an amateur artist around the year 1960 I would guess. The work measures 17" by 14" in its oak simple sturdy frame. When purchased it was behind broken glass, so has survived in excellent, clean condition. There might be a signature "Viv" at lower right corner...

This is a pleasant unsigned oil on canvasboard landscape, 16" by 20" (20" by 24" simply framed), the subject a lake surrounded by low hills, a church at right and a few strolling figures at left. The work might be by an amateur or a listed artist but due to the lack of a signature the truth will never be known. There is a little even soiling consistent with an age of at least 40 years, and a small hairline abrasion at center which is not obtrusive...

For the collector of early, 19th century California art, here is an east coast-style still life work, 10" by 14 1/2", unframed, signed at lower right "Bertie L Emery" and dated there 1892. The shallow dish holds oranges, grapes, a banana, and possibly slices of cake or bread, the dish resting on a white cloth, on an unseen tabletop. Interestingly for art history, Emery signs her first name as "Bertie"...

Works by ALBERT HORATIO SLADE (1843-1922) are quite rare in the marketplace. The few that have come to auction feature coastal scenes of Los Angeles, San Diego and Ventura Counties...

Oil on canvas painting, 20" by 28" (24" by 32" framed), the subject a great clipper ship of the 19th century silhouetted against the setting sun (or dawn) on a calm sea. The painting is signed at lower left by the artist, William P. Lawrence and is dated below that either 1938 or 1928; difficult to discern. I don't see that he is a listed artist but obviously he was talented. The scene has a fine luminosity and clearly shows the painter's understanding of light and backlighting. CONDITION: ...

This is a very nicely executed decorative impressionistic painting of a pond in spring within a groomed park-like setting, complete with mini-island with pagoda type rock formation, all surrounded by flowering springtime trees. There might even be orange koi fish in the pond. The painting, most likely American in origin, is oil on canvas laid on board. It is signed at lower right but I cannot seem to make it out. Size is 12" by 16", unframed. This being a "standard" size, you should be able...

An oil on canvas painting of garden flowers in a glass vase in an interior near a window, not signed on the front but on reverse stretcher is written in pencil "Rena Patterson" and a phone number with Southern California area code. This is a work of contemporary artist RENA PATTERSON, presently of Malibu, CA but previously a resident of many states from coast to coast. The artist has her own website, showing a number of her works, which include seascape, landscape, still life, and genre subjec...

A rare circa 1930 oil by the noted Northern California woman artist GRACE ALLISON GRIFFITH (1885-1955), the subject a tawny field among rugged hills. The unframed oil on canvas board measures 12" by 15 3/4". The artist signed in red at lower right with her distinctive signature. Griffith was born in Sebastopol, California, near Santa Rosa, in idyllic Sonoma County farm and ranch country. Her father, a fruit rancher, was credited with introducing the Gravenstein apple variety to the area. He...

For those seeking an early California painting featuring the Golden Gate, consider this circa 1900 (possibly as early as 1880's?) unsigned work on gray artist's board, 18" by 24" (22 1/2" by 28" as framed), the subject the Golden Gate looking north from approximately the Land's End area, Civil War-era Fort Point in the middle distance, and Mt. Tamalpais in the far distance in Marin County, a steam powered boat and a three masted ship in the channel. The world famous Golden Gate Bridge now spans...

Oil on canvas painting of high snowy mountains framed by aspen in late autumn, 12" by 16" (17 1/4" by 20 1/2" nicely framed) signed in the wet paint by well listed American artist EDWARD NORTON WARD (1928-). This might well be a scene in northern New Mexico or southern Colorado, but the artist was known to have painted in many locales in the American west, including Montana, Oregon and Alaska. Ward, a native Californian, moved to the Monterey area in the mid 1950's. A Joshua Meador student, h...