Untitled (Smoke Tree; Palm Springs), c. 1930
- Oil on canvas
- 24" x 30", artwork
- 30.125" x 36" x 1.25", framed
- Historic
$3,200
Provenance
On consignment with American Legacy Fine Arts from a Pasadena, California corporate collection. The painting was displayed at Mutual Savings and Loan on Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena. A 1955 photo showing Bickerstaff paintings on display at the same Mutual Savings and Loan office in Pasadena can be seen through the online resource at Pasadena Digital History
Label on verso: Mutual Savings No. 3107
Description
This painting is untitled, however, the landscape appears to be of California's Palm Springs Desert area with a scattering of smoke trees and tumbleweeds. Bickerstaff primarily painted plein air scenes of California's pristine landscapes. The desert was among his favorite subjects.
Biography
Landscape painter, George Bickerstaff (April 12, 1893, Marianna, Arkansas - July 12, 1954, Ukiah, California) was primarily a self-taught artist except for a brief period at the Art Institute of Chicago. He led a peripatetic life before moving to California in 1922. His early years were spent in San Diego, Los Angeles, and Van Nuys. In the latter part of his life, Bickerstaff frequently exhibited with California landscape artist, Paul Lauritz. A prolific oil painter of mountain and desert scenes, his landscapes often include eucalyptus trees as well as California's rolling hills with fields of wildflowers. Occasionally, he painted seascapes, still lifes, and western and Indian genres. He was adept at promoting his own work and sold many paintings to hotels, hospitals, mortuaries, and rest homes.
Resource AskART from interview recorded on CD of George Sanders Bickerstaff by Elmer E. Taylor
Exhibitions
California Highlights; A Collection of Curated Favorites Showcasing Quintessential California Inspired Subjects, American Legacy Fine Arts, May 7 – June 20, 2021
Aspects of Life: The Art of Observation, American Legacy Fine Arts Satellite Gallery at the Arroyo Chop House, Pasadena, California, May 10 - October 11, 2016
Publications
Artists in California: 1786-1940 (2 Volumes) by Edan Milton Hughes; page 1249; published 2002
Who Was Who In American Art, 1564-1975 by Peter Hastings Falk; page 3424; published 1999
Painters of the Desert (Exhibition Catalogue) by Jim Willoughby; page 54; published 1998
