Claude Coats (California, 1913 - 1992) Oil on board painting of a 1921 harbor scene. Initialed lower left, with inscription verso. Sight size: 4.5 x 6.5 inches. Coats was raised in Los Angeles. At USC he studied with Paul Sample and Dan Lutz. Upon graduation in 1934, he studied at the Chouinard Art Institute under Millard Sheets. He then worked at Disney Studios as a background painter and sketch artist for many years. During the 1930s he painted watercolors of old buildings, alleys, and circuses; after 1945 he began to use other media. Coats lived in Los Angeles until his demise on Jan. 9, 1992. Exh: Calif. WC Society, 1933-34; Santa Cruz Art League, 1934; Painters & Sculptors of LA, LACMA, 1934; Nat'l Scarab Sketch prize, 1934; Oakland Art Gallery, 1934. In: USC