Paul Forster (American, 1925-2012). "California Valley" oil on board, n.d. Signed on lower left. An entrancing view of the Great Valley of California painted by Paul Forster. Also known as the Central Valley and among the most notable natural land depressions in the world, California Valley is bordered by mountains of Los Padres National Forest and the San Andreas Fault. What's more it is California's most fertile agricultural region, and among the most productive throughout the world, responsible for providing more than half of the fruits, nuts, and vegetables grown in the U.S. Forster most certainly did this agricultural mecca justice with his captivating vista of barns and farmhouses nestled in the valley, as well as groves of verdant trees bordering the tended land, all delineated in his impressionistic manner and rich color palette. Size: 14.125" L x 21.5" W (35.9 cm x 54.6 cm)

At the age eight, Paul Forster became the youngest member of the Albright Art Gallery Association and also started studying at the Museum School with watercolorist Robert Blair. During World War II, Forster served in the Army Air Corps, and in 1952, he graduated from Brigham Young University with a Fine Arts Degree. In the late 1950s, Forster had a studio in Nevada painted murals for the Mormon Church. In the early 1960s, he taught art and became Chairman of the Art Department of the L.D.S. Schools of the South Pacific in Tonga. In 1969 he left Brigham Young University to paint full time. For the greater part of the next decade, Forster traveled throughout the American Southwest in an Airstream trailer to paint the environment and its inhabitants. In time, he moved to Oregon followed by Kansas City, but eventually returned to Arizona.

Provenance: ex-private Bishop Family Trust collection, the Trust of the late Bill Bishop, a noted antiquarian with shops in Scottsdale, Arizona and Allenspark, Colorado, USA, acquired before 2010

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#173772

Signed by the artist on lower left. Scuffs/abrasions, minor stains, and losses to peripheries as shown but painting will present nicely in a frame. Some water stains on verso as shown, but these do not impact the painted image. Old labels on verso with title and price listed at $1000.