Oil on masonite painting of grapes, apples and pitcher/plate on a table top, 16" by 20" (20" by 24" in oak frame), signed at lower right and again on reverse in pencil by California artist Marion Ellison (1898-1997). Ellison was a Midwesterner who moved to Southern California, becoming involved there in the art scene...

A very beautiful, elegant landscape painting of a somber, late autumn day in the Northeast, probably Connecticut, 14" by 26" (19 1/2" by 31 1/2" framed), signed at lower left by the quite well regarded American artist WILLIAM MERRITT POST (1856-1935). The scene is of a small brook running in a boggy meadow area, scattered trees either bare of their leaves or about to lose them in the growing autumn chill. Colors used are somber and respectful of the season portrayed...

Oil on canvas painting of vegetation and a structure in center, subdued elegant grays predominating, in a surprisingly modern style for the year in which it was painted, 1924. The artist signed at lower right, near the date, "Sanita" or a close variant. The area around the signature being very dry and "blanched", I moistened the area in order to make it easier to photograph the signature and date. Very surprisingly I have been unable to attach the work to a listed artist...

Oil on 8" by 10" canvasboard painting of an autumnal landscape, a fertile apple tree at left ready to yield its riches, golden leaves at right partially obscuring a distant arid mountainside, (12 1/2" by 14 1/2" in deep light oak framing), signed at lower right "MIRIAM K. PARKER" and dated there 1966. My first impression was that this might be a New Mexican scene, and research of the artist name suggests that this hunch might be right. Google shows a Miriam K...

This is an oil on board painting of a small house in a forest landscape, apparently unsigned, in the general tradition of the Hudson River School, 13 1/2" by 21 1/2" plus gold framing about 1 1/2" on a side. The work could date from about 1900 to maybe the mid 1920's, I would think. It is a decorative work that gives the feeling of a more expensive painting, when viewed from a distance...

A decorative oil on canvas painting of a winter forest and pond scene, executed in predominantly blues, browns and white, the generous and liberal amount of paint quite vigorously and impressionistically moved around by the artist, JULIAN RHINEHARDT (1915-), who signed at lower right. The 24" by 20" work (34 1/2" by 30 1/2"as framed) is in excellent condition. Painting probably dates to the 1970's or early 1980's. Rhinehardt's biographical information seems to be elusive...

Oil on canvas painting of a vase on a window sill, 20 3/4" by 16" (25 1/2" by 20 1/2" in gold frame), signed at lower right "Guy Wiggins". Faintly visible on the reverse is painted "Guy Wiggins/Window View/ New York City". There is a history to the painting. I acquired it in 1990 in central California, and had it repaired in San Francisco...

An ORIGINAL PAINTING on canvas, 20" by 38" (30" by 48" framed), the subject a panoramic view of a quaint coastal cliffside village complete with tidy white church and homes. Signed at lower right by noted native-California artist NICKY BOEHME, the work is not titled, but the scene depicted is the much-loved small town about 150 miles north of San Francisco, Mendocino, in the county by the same name (which is north of Sonoma County)...

Oil on canvas unframed painting of two chairs and a glass-topped table on a peaceful terrace overlooking an extensive landscape, likely California, 16" by 20", unsigned. The artist is anonymous but his/her work is quite skilled and pleasing. The impressionistic handling of this scene makes for a most decorative and appealing painting. The regular size should make framing easy and inexpensive.

Oil on board painting of a waterside building with dirt road, small boat, fences and tree, extensive water in the distance, signed at lower left twice, with a signature that appears to be "M G Johnston". The work appears to be of a coastal New England view, which leads me to believe that it would be by the hand of listed artist MARY GRANT JOHNSTON of Massachusetts and New York, but I have no other works with which to compare it...

A wonderful oil painting on canvasboard in naive/primitive style, 12" by 16" and featuring happy children sledding down a hill in Central Park in New York City one cold winter afternoon near dusk. The work is titled at lower right "Central Park" and is signed at lower left by artist MARY RUBY ORKIN (1894-1987). On the reverse is written "Copyrighted 1958 by Mark Orkin/Central Park West NYC 10023/#7 Sledding Hill at Sunset behind the Met"...

Unframed oil on paper on board painting of a desert Southwest landscape, 8 1/2" by 12", signed at lower right M. Edwards. The painting probably dates to the 1920's or 1930's I would guess. It has accumulated a lot of soiling and varnish has yellowed, so it desperately needs a cleaning...

American (likely California) oil on canvas painting, 5" by 4" (8 3/4" by 7 5/8" in stained oak period frame), signed at upper right corner with initials "M.W." and dated there '87 (or, possibly, '97). Stamped on the stretcher is "Fred Rhoda/Fruitvale, Cal", and written in pencil in an old hand is " Whitney"; we can probably assume therefore that the artist is one M. Whitney. A googling of the stamped name shows Fred Rhoda (1810-1886) was a Civil War veteran who owned some 400 acres in the Oakl...

Oil on masonite highly detailed still life painting of a cut melon, apples of various colors surrounding it on a table, a spilled salt shaker and knife completing the arrangement. The work, 16" by 20" (24" by 28" framed), likely dates to the 1970's and as such would be one of the earlier works by this artist. Katon was born in Michigan and received a B.A. from Ursuline College in Ohio. For many years he has been a resident of Southern California, where he is a familiar figure in the arts comm...

A classic work of 19th century American art: oil on artist's board painting of an elderly lady, apparently lost in thought, as she contemplates a bill and a paltry few coins in her palm, the proceeds from her sales of apples at two cents apiece (they seen in the right background). The 11 1/2" by 9 1/2" oval shaped painting (14" by 11 3/4" in the frame) is signed at right center "C. C. Markham" (CHARLES COLE MARKHAM, 1837-1907). The work is not dated but was likely created in the 1880's or 1890'...

Very large (36" by 23 1/2", 45" by 33" framed), decorative, attention-getting squarely Mid Century oil on canvas of two "Big Eye" children, painted in his usual whimsical fashion, by the French mid century impressionist artist ROGER ETIENNE (1922-2011). The painting is signed at lower left by the artist and dated there 1973. This is one of the largest works I have seen by this French artist, and it (including all framing) is in amazing, near-mint condition; hard to believe it is nearly a half ce...

Oil on board painting of a peaceful lake surrounded by forest and peaks in the distance, 11" by 18" (16 1/4" by 23 1/2" in wood frame), unsigned, circa late 1940's to 1950 or so, but executed in an earlier style that goes back to the early years of the century. These freely executed impressionistic works met the demand for affordable original art in the first half of the 20th century, and many are still around, though they have suffered the ravages of time. This example is very clean and in ge...

A circa late 1930's to early 1940's painting titled on the reverse "Molas Lake and Needle Mountains, Silverton Colorado", signed at lower right by artist C. H. Rising. The oil on canvas measures 12" by 16" and is unframed. A light cleaning would be helpful but you could just throw a regular sized frame around this and enjoy it on your wall. Nicely executed work by a talented yet apparently unknown artist. The mountains are well painted, streaked with snow of the previous winter. The lake re...