Lot 229: JESSIE PALMER (1882-1950)

JESSIE PALMER (1882-1950)
Still Life, 1930s
Oil on canvas
20in. x 16in.
Signed lower right

Jessie Palmer wanted to be an artist all her life. It wasn't until she was in her forties and had raised a family that she had an opportunity to pursue her avocation. In the 1920s, she began classes with Martha Simpkins and Frank Reaugh. She was one of Frank Reaugh's students on his famous sketching trips to West Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado in the "Cicada" (his traveling studio on wheels). Her painting, Springtime Near Dallas, was exhibited in the Texas Wildflower Competition. In 1927, her painting, Old Bridge, appeared in the French Journal La Revue Moderne.

Palmer was enormously important in the development of art in the state of Texas. She was a member of the Texas Fine Arts Association and the Amarillo Society of Artists, was secretary of the Frank Reaugh Art Club, and was the Director of the Southern States Art League.

This still life is typical of her characteristic soft palette. Like many paintings of the Great Depression, it was executed on a "homemade" strainer instead of a commercial stretcher (times were tough and art supplies originating from the "East Coast" were expensive). The period frame is a simple molding hand-painted by the artist, rather than a commercial gold-leaf frame.

Provenance:
Acquired by descent from the artist by the present owner

Unlined canvas. One minor scratch in background. Period frame in excellent condition.