**Originally Listed At $125**

Milford Zornes (American, 1908-2008), "Olive Trees" watercolor, ink and pencil, 1956 CE. A beautiful Milford Zornes work on paper depicting a close-up view of olive tree trunks in a minimal color palette of black, brown, and grey hues as well as the white of the paper, signed and dated by the artist in pencil on the lower right. On the verso is "Sketch Book" among other notes and the artist's signature. Zornes was an American watercolor artist who is widely revered as a leader of the California Style watercolor movement that began in the 1920s. Zornes' style departed from the traditional use of watercolors. Rather than adding color to detailed pencil drawings, Zornes applied transparent washes of color to large sheets of paper and allowed the white to show through using this white space to define shapes as demonstrated in this example. Set in a creamy off-white mat. Size: 6.5" W x 4.5" H (16.5 cm x 11.4 cm)

This piece is a wonderful example created by Milford Zornes, an American treasure. Follow this link to watch a wonderful video of Milford Zornes in his home studio in 2006 - (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehte4qAxK_c)

Zornes was educated at the Otis Art Institute were he studied with Millard Sheets and F. Tolles Chamberlin. He later taught at Otis as well, making a name for himself as a talented educator. Highlights of his career include a one-man exhibition at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. and having one of his watercolors selected by President and Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt to hang in the White House. In addition to being a prolific watercolorist, Zornes created murals under President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal program for post offices in El Campo, Texas as well as his hometown of Claremont, California during the era of the Great Depression. Zornes was also an active member of the California Water Color Society, becoming president of that organization in 1942. Zorne's works have been acquired by esteemed institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the White House, and the Library of Congress.

Provenance: private Orange County, California, USA collection; acquired from Anderson Art Gallery, Sunset Beach, California, USA

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#128450

Signed and dated by the artist on the lower right corner. The composition is taped to the mat on the verso. Signed and labeled by the artist on the verso.