Phil Dike
(1906-1990)
"Shore Tapestry"
Oil on canvas
Signed lower right: Phil Dike; signed again, titled, and inscribed in pencil along the upper portion of the stretcher: 157 E 10th / Claremont, CAL.
26" H x 36" W
Provenance: An ink notation along the upper portion of the stretcher states that the painting was once owned by a J. B. Laughlin

Other Notes: In the early 1940's, Phil Dike and fellow artist Rex Brandt began holding summer art school in Corona Del Mar. Included in this talents pair would be visiting artist/instructors Phil Paradise, Millard Sheets, and Milford Zornes, to name a few.
Fortunately, Brandt had purchased a lot near the Newport Jetty, overlooking the entrance to Balboa Harbor in 1940. Located in Corona Del Mar and nicknamed "Blue Sky" this location proved to be a springboard over the next decade for Dike and Brandt, serving as a center of California watercolor paintings and providing an endless well of beach- themed inspiration for the artists and their circle of close friends

Painted in 1954, both "Shore Tapestry" and "Shore Texture," exemplify the vibrant coastal lifestyle that Phil Dike sought to capture in his works, dominated by bright sunshine, vibrant colors, and constantly changing patterns of movement. In a 1940's catalogue foreword for a Biltmore Gallery exhibition, noted Los Angeles Art Critic Arthur Millier describes Phil Dike's talent:

"One of Dike's favorite painting grounds is Newport Bay, alive with sails. In his pictures one often glimpses its breezy activity though the window of some seaside cottage where holiday makers relax in the beach air. He has the faculty of combining effects of light on the sea and shore, which are both beautiful and dramatic, with harmonious observations which give life and lightness to his pictures."

Visual: Overall good condition. Areas of very fine craquelure scattered throughout the brown pigment, and other areas of stable craquelure scattered in the thicker application of pigment, mostly the lighter colors. A soft dime-sized pressure mark in the lower right corner.

Blacklight: No evidence of restoration.

Frame: 28" H x 38" W x 2.5" D Condition reports are offered as a courtesy and are typically published in Moran's catalogue or can be made available upon request. The absence of a condition report does not imply that an item is free from defects or restoration, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of others. Buyers are responsible for determining to their own satisfaction the true nature and condition of any lot prior to bidding. Though buyers are not legally required to inspect lots prior to purchase, failure to do so may constitute a waiver of complaint that an item was not delivered in a condition equal to the existent condition at the auction.