Caroline Van Evera | Oil Under Glassy
Golden Hours depicts a wooded landscape in autumn. Trees fill most of the composition, with areas of green and warm seasonal tones visible throughout the foliage. Gaps between the branches reveal a blue sky with scattered white clouds.
The work is recorded as oil under glass and is signed at the lower right.
Collection records note that the artist studied at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. They also record that she worked in Utah, New Mexico, and California during the 1920s and 1930s.
John Costigan | Oil
The Old Oak Tree depicts a large oak tree with dense foliage filling most of the composition. The leaves show autumn coloration, with areas of sky visible through the branches. A small human figure appears near the base of the tree.
The work is executed in oil on board and is signed at the lower left.
Collection records note that the painting was purchased in 1954.
The artist is documented as having worked early in his career as a sketch artist for a lithographic firm in New York City and later focused on woodland scenes and figurative landscapes.
Torlief S. Knaphus | Oil
Aspen Grove captures the peaceful beauty of a stand of aspens in full summer foliage.
Knaphus was a well-known Salt Lake artist and religious sculptor. He made his home here after emigrating from Norway. His talents were many and varied.
A popular and well-known work is the bronze School Children’s Monument and flagpole erected at the west entrance of the Salt Lake City and County building.
A modest man, you sometimes have to search to find his name on the numerous bronze figures he has shaped with loving care.
Aspen Grove offers a glimpse of another side of his artistic talent, demonstrating the same care and craftsmanship that distinguished his celebrated sculptures.
Florence Ware | Oil
Mount Moran captures the grandeur of one of the American West’s most iconic peaks in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Towering above a foreground of mature trees and shrubs, the snow-covered mountain rises into soft clouds beneath a brilliant blue sky. Ware’s thoughtful use of color and light conveys both the majesty of the landscape and the quiet sense of wonder it inspires.
The life of Miss Ware was one of artistic harmony. Best known for her paintings of Utah and western landscapes, Ware said “Probably the most interesting phase of art to me is the subtle beauty of color as it is shown and developed in pictures. Interior fabrics, gardens, and nature. I like to arrange, so far as I am able, the perfect setting for a work of art.”
Mount Moran is a fine example of her ability to capture the beauty, atmosphere, and enduring spirit of the western landscape.
1977 | Harold “Jack” Vigos | Oil
Mountain Scene by Harold “Jack” Vigos captures the beauty of Utah’s mountain landscape from a hillside overlooking a narrow valley. Painted in a realistic style, the work reflects Vigos’s appreciation for the natural beauty of the American West.
Born in Salt Lake City in 1914, Vigos studied under Florence Ware and Mabel Frazer before graduating from the University of Utah. He also continued his artistic studies in France. A dedicated educator, Vigos taught at the Salt Lake Art Center School, known as the “Art Barn.” This center came into existence during the depression and provided employment, exhibition opportunities and companionship for artists from its inception. Under the auspices of the Salt Lake City Arts Council it continues to do so today.
As an active member of the Association of Utah Artists, Vigos devoted his life to both creating art and inspiring future generations. Mountain Scene is a fine example of his realistic approach to painting and his lifelong admiration for Utah’s landscapes.
Orson D. Campbell | Oil
“Mt. Timpanogos on a Cloudy Day” by Orson D. Campbell portrays one of Utah’s most recognizable peaks beneath a dramatic, cloud-filled sky. Green grasses, trees, and a gently flowing stream lead the viewer toward the towering mountain, creating a landscape that is both peaceful and majestic.
Born in Fillmore, Utah, in 1876, Campbell studied at Brigham Young University, the Art Students League in New York, the California School of Fine Arts, and the Art Institute of Chicago. A dedicated artist and educator, he taught at Brigham Young University, Ricks College, Dixie College, and Provo High School before becoming the art supervisor for the Provo City Schools, a position he held until his death in 1933.
“Mt. Timpanogos on a Cloudy Day” reflects Campbell’s ability to unite strength and poetic beauty — delicacy without loss of vigor. the scenes of Utah, especially her mountains, were interpreted by him with understanding and sympathy.
Paul Kuhni | Oil
Mr. Kunhi was a graduate of Brigham Young University with a B.S degree. He studied art under O.D Campbell, E.H Eastmond and B.F Larsen, then later at the University of Utah under LeConte Stewart.
Mr. Kuhni taught various phases of art in Wasatch and Jordan District High School for a period of 33 years. Landscape painting was a favorite as it took him out-of-doors. He exhibited in various places in Utah– both watercolor and oils. After retirement from public schools, Mr. Kuhni was a member of the BYU faculty for Continuing Adult Education in Salt Lake City. He was also a member of the Associated Utah Artists.
As seen from Wasatch County, Mount Timpanogos, with all her loveliness, is beautifully captured by Mr. Kuhni.
William J. Parkinson |Oil
Also titled “Rolling Hills” by the artist
William J. Parkinson, was one of Utah’s pioneering modern artists. While Parkinson is often remembered for his surrealist and modernist paintings, Sombre Hills (which the artist also referred to as Rolling Hills) demonstrates his remarkable ability to capture the quiet beauty of Utah’s landscapes.
Sombre Hills portrays the rolling foothills and rugged mountains of northern Utah in soft, muted tones. Rather than emphasizing dramatic light or vivid color, Parkinson creates a contemplative landscape through subtle transitions of lavender, gray, olive green, and warm earth tones.
The composition leads the viewer’s eye from clusters of trees in the foreground through gently sloping hills to a striking mountain peak in the distance. Atmospheric perspective softens the far ridges, creating a convincing sense of depth and space. The result is a landscape that feels quiet and reflective, inviting viewers to slow down and appreciate the subtle beauty of Utah’s terrain.
William Jensen Parkinson was born in Hyrum, Utah, on February 14, 1899. From an early age he showed an extraordinary talent for drawing, sketching people during church meetings and filling notebooks with studies of figures and landscapes. Although he attended the University of Utah, he did not formally study art there. Instead, he became largely self-taught, building his skills through extensive study of the Old Masters and a remarkable personal collection of art books.
During the 1930s, Parkinson participated in federal New Deal art programs, creating landscapes and later receiving commissions to paint murals for public buildings in Utah. He also contributed detailed watercolor reproductions of pioneer needlework to the federal Index of American Design, where his meticulous craftsmanship earned national praise.
As his career progressed, Parkinson became one of Utah’s most innovative artists. While grounded in strong traditional drawing, he gradually embraced Surrealism, Cubism, and modern design, helping lead Utah art away from strict realism and toward more experimental forms. Today, his work is represented in the Springville Museum of Art and other public collections throughout the state.
Herman Struck (1887-1944) | Oil
Refugees is a deeply moving painting. Words hardly describe the mood created. The lonely, lost attitude of the figures, trudging along, carrying their pathetic bundles, brings home the hopelessness and despair felt by the homeless. The heavy ominous cloud sweeps down to envelope them.
Upon closer examination and in a brighter theme, the light could be pushing the gloom away, and the figures could be moving away from oppression into the light of freedom.
Herman Struck studied at the Hopkins Art Institute in San Francisco, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Fredric M. Grant (1886-1959) | Oil
This was one of the last paintings bought by a graduating ninth grade class. Mr. Jay Shurtliff, later to become known for his own sculpting, was the art teacher and advisor who helped select this beautiful and unusual painting.
Mr. Grant, originally from Iowa, was known for his interpretations of music into paintings. He felt that every artist should experiment and discover.
In his words, “In the Beethoven I tried to give a mood or feeling of an adventurous journey– a feeling of being uplifted into a world of wonderful harmony. There are almost sails, almost people, etc.”
If viewed with intent, it is to be appreciated as a wondrous work of art– thunderous, musical, jolting, uplifting, with all the moods that are felt when actually listening to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.
Paul Salisbury | Oil
California Desert is a landscape which bears the strength and hardness of the mountains as a background for arid desert. The fragility of the desert flowers adds a bit of color and softness. This picture has a great deal of distance and depth and is pleasing to the eye.
Born in Richfield, Utah. Paul Salisbury is the nephew of Cornelius Salisbury, a well-known Utah artist. There is much artistic talent in the Salisbury family.
Paul Salisbury | Oil
The figure in the fore-ground of a stoic Indian woman watching her flock as they graze upon the scant grasses of the canyon immediately catches the eye. The dry wash or river bed, center and the jutting rocks of the canyon seem to typify harshness; yet the animals and the misty haze in the distant reaches of the canyon under a bit of lightly clouded blue sky soften the effect.
Mr. Salisbury used as a source of inspiration such artists as Charles Russell, Fredrick Remington and Frank Tenney Johnson. Some modern-day art critics suggested that he has equaled at least two of these ideals of his early youth.
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