Watercolor on paper drawing, 15 1/2" by 21 1/2" (18 3/4" by 24 3/4" framed), the subject an ancient stone monastery perched on a dramatic cliffside with high coastal mountains in the distance at right. The work is signed at lower right "Balke-Gry" /1919/Pantocrator". My research online has led me to conclude that this scene is of a monastery at Mount Athos, the holy peninsula in northern Greece which is the home of numerous famous monasteries, open just to males...

One of three works in my shop by the same artist, F. KENWOOD GILES (1899/1900-1972), is this watercolor on paper painting, 14" by 19 1/2" inside the mat, 20 1/2" by 26 1/2" as framed, the subject several pink-walled, white-roofed island homes on a bluff overlooking the sea, flowering shrubs and bushes completing the happy scene. The paintings are not dated, but I believe they would have been created in the 1950's. Giles was a versatile English artist who lived in Bermuda from 1950 onward...

Watercolor on paper, 20 1/2" by 27 1/4" inside the mat (26 1/2" by 32 1/2" as framed), signed at lower right "Roy E. Swanson", dated there "84" This watercolor is by a skilled hand (see other works by him in my shop), though I cannot seem to find a listing for the artist. There is a listing for a RAY Swanson (Cowboy Artists of America), but this is not that artist...

Watercolor painting on paper, 29 1/2" by 21 1/2", (37 1/2" by 29 1/2" framed behind Plexi, in simple gold metal framing), signed at lower right "Julia R. Ayres" (and copyright symbol and 1985 date). The subject is the world famous Grand Canyon in Arizona. Ayres might be a listed artist, there being another Julia Ayres on google known as an artist, but further research should be conducted to see if there might be a relationship...

Watercolor on paper, 9 1/8" by 6 3/4" inside the mat (14 1/4" by 11 5/8" in its simple green frame), unsigned, the subject a Spanish (most likely) church tower with arched and arcaded breezeways. I've opened this and don't find a signature nor other information. My best guess is that this would be one of the famous buildings in the south of Spain, such as Granada, Sevilla, etc., though I suppose it possible that it could be elsewhere in the Mediterranean region...

A contemporary watercolor painting of banana tree or giant bird of paradise, in harmonious green, yellow, violet and brown-red colors, 22" by 19" (29 3/4" by 25 3/4" in blond wood frame), signed at lower right corner by artist Elizabeth Schleich, or Schleichner or similar, followed by "PTL" (meaning unknown). The work is in excellent condition, the colors rich. The artist displays a keen sense of color and some passages in the composition appear almost cubistic...

Ink on rice type paper, approximately 13" by 11" inside the mat, the subject appearing to be a child, with a bird above, signed at lower right "Serisawa" in ballpoint, inscribed "To Gertrude & Jim from Sueo" at lower left in ballpoint. This is an example of the artistry of the American-Japanese artist SUEO SERISAWA (1910-2004). Serisawa is considered to be one of the principal figures in California modernism...

Watercolor on paper painting of flowers in a short vase in a dish, a piece of fruit and a small book nearby, 11" by 15" inside the mat, 19 3/4" by 24" as framed, signed at lower right by the artist and dated there 1970. I do not see a lot of biographical information on the artist, but he did apparently work in a modernistic style, as Paul Klee or Lionel Feininger inspired semi-abstract or abstract works have appeared at auction in Germany...

Watercolor painting of a sunny meadow by the sea, vegetation partially obscuring a distant view to a coastline, 9 1/8" by 13 1/4" (16 1/2" by 20" in wood strip frame), signed at lower right by American artist HARRIET WINSLOW HAYDEN (1840-1926)--some give date of death as 1906. Hayden worked in both Massachusetts, and, later, in Colorado, where she became an active member of Denver-area art groups...

Watercolor on paper painting of the famous belfry towers and facade of the St. Louis Cathedral on Jackson Square in New Orleans, Louisiana, possibly signed at lower right (illegible), 10 1/4" by 7 1/2" inside the mat, 16" by 10" framed, circa 1960's or 1970's I believe. The work is framed in an old, beveled dark oak quality frame that likely considerably pre-dates the art. When framed, someone wrote the title "St. Louis Cathedral, New Orleans" on the mat below the image...

Watercolor on paper, 12 1/2" by 9 1/2" inside the mat, 18 1/2" by 14 1/2" as framed, the subject the Museum of Wooden Architecture in Suzdal, Russia. Suzdal is in the province of Vladimir, approximately 150 miles northeast of Moscow. The work is signed at lower right by the talented contemporary Russian gallery artist NIKOLAI TROSCHENKOV (1961-) and dated there 1989, and at lower left, I'm told, is the name of the town (all this related to me by Russian speakers)...

Watercolor on paper, with skilled use of wet-on-wet technique, 19" by 27" (31" by 38" as framed), the subject quite possibly a city with figures, (but that is just a guess---only the artist knew for sure), signed at lower right "G...

Vintage (circa 1910 or 1920---possibly earlier---) old watercolor landscape of a log bridge over a small creek in a woodland, nicely framed, signed at lower left by listed upstate New York artist ELBRIDGE J. FENN (1857-1934). Fenn seems to have executed landscapes in oil and watercolor, in the area around the old Skaneateles art colony near the Finger Lakes, west of Syracuse. There is not a lot of biographical information to be gleaned from the net, but he was obviously talented. This work me...

Watercolor on paper painting, 18" by 12 3/8" (24" by 18" as framed), unsigned, the subject classic red roses, buds and leaves, all in a pleasing vintage gold frame which is in very good condition, with just a little bit of loss at bottom margin. The painting likely dates to the late 19th or early 20th century. It has survived in fine shape, with no foxing nor water stains. If you fancy the Shabby Chic style, this is a natural.

ONE OF SEVERAL WORKS BY THE ARTIST IN MY SHOP---Watercolor on paper of a principal street in the French Quarter of New Orleans,14 1/2" by 10 1/2" inside the mat and 21 1/2" by 17 1/2" as framed, signed at lower right by the listed New Orleans artist TOM LANE (1916-1991). Lane was born in Toledo, Ohio but became a familiar figure in the French Quarter, painting in oil and watercolor the familiar and much-loved scenes frequented by tourists. This example is titled in the mat at lower left "Rue Roy...

Watercolor on paper, unframed, 9" by 11 3/4", signed at lower right in pencil, and signed again and apparently titled on the reverse, by the noted, long-lived American artist, THERESA FERBER BERNSTEIN (1890-2002). The watercolor likely dates to about the middle years of the 20th century, I would guess. Writing on the reverse seems to say "Israel/Yarkon River". In upper corner in different hand is "Yarkon, B./Israel". This is a scene on the Yarkon River which winds through Tel Aviv on its way...

At first glance this might appear to be a print, but it is not: it is an amazingly crafted quite large hyper-real watercolor painting, 29" by 19 3/4" inside the mat, 37 1/2" by 26" framed, signed at lower right by the artist, JAY RATHER. From my internet research, this appears to be a work by the son of Texas artist Herb Rather (1930-), who painted in a similar style, though the online reference mentions Jay as Herb's father, not his son. I am guessing that Jay is the son because the work doe...

An impressively large (26" by 39", and 40" by 53" in a fine high quality gilded oak style frame of the period) watercolor landscape of a fascinating primeval, mystical forest interior, signed at lower right by English Victorian period artist JOSHUA RENSHAW, who was active in the 1880's and 1890's, though little biographical information is available. The painting is not behind glass but has survived into the 21st century in exceptional condition nevertheless; I note just a few insignificant foxi...