Artist Catalogue: Frances Gearhart

American, 1869-1959

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A Stark Country -  GEARHART

A Stark Country
Block print printed in colors, 1937, Pasadena catalogue pg. 104, edition probably 30-50. 11 x 11 7/8 in. Signed and titled in pencil. This is a superb impression printed on her typical fibrous Japanese paper. The margins are full. The condition is fine apart from a thin spot in the upper left corner of the margin away from the image. This large, majestic print is one of her finest works.
SOLD

April -  GEARHART

April
Block print printed in colors, circa 1925-28, edition probably 30-50. 9 x 5 in. Signed and titled in pencil. This is a fine impression printed on thin, cream-colored Japanese paper. The condition is very good other than a couple of small holes in the full margins. (Gearhart printed with oil based inks so there is often a bit of toning or staining along the edges of the images in her prints. Such is the case here.) Other prints by Gearhart are currently available.
SOLD

Columbia Crags -  GEARHART

Columbia Crags
Block print printed in colors, 1935, edition probably 30-50. 12 5/8 x 11 in. Signed and titled in pencil. This is a fine, luminous impression printed on cream-colored Japanese paper. The condition is very good apart from minor wrinkling in the lower left margin and the occasional touch of color in the margins from the printing process. The title for this print had been previously unknown and it is listed only as "Rugged Mountains" in the Pasadena catalog. The scene depicted is the Columbia River Gorge in the Pacific Northwest.
SOLD

Eucalyptus Grove and Stream -  GEARHART

Eucalyptus Grove and Stream
Block print printed in colors, circa 1930, edition probably 30-50. 6 1/2 x 3 5/8 in. Signed in pencil. Here we have a fine impression printed on her typical sturdy, fibrous Japanese paper. The margins are full. The condition is fine other than for a very faint suggestion of light toning just outside the image within an early mat opening. This small, charming work is not listed in the Pasadena retrospective catalogue from 2009.
SOLD

Incoming Fog -  GEARHART

Incoming Fog
Block print printed in colors, probably 1930-31., edition unknown. 10 x 10 7/8 in. Signed and titled in pencil. This is a superb impression printed on her typical, fibrous wove paper. The margins are full and the condition is fine. This stellar work is illustrated on page 83 of Behold the Day, The Color Block Prints of Frances Gearhart, published by the Pasadena Museum of California Art, edited by Susan Futterman. The prints were made primarily from linoleum blocks but the artist liked to call them "block prints".
$8,500

Into the Blue -  GEARHART

Into the Blue
Woodcut printed in colors, circa 1930, edition probably 30-50. 10 1/4 x 8 15/16 in. Signed and titled in pencil. This is a fine, luminous impression printed on fairly thin, off-white Japanese paper. The margins are full. The condition is good but with a few very subtle, soft creases in the image. The best and most recent source of information on Gearhart prints is, Behold the Day, The Color Block Prints of Frances Gearhart, published by the Pasadena Museum of California Art (2009) edited by Susan Futterman.
SOLD

Mount Hood -  GEARHART

Mount Hood
Block print printed in colors, undated (circa 1930), edition unknown. 6 1/8 x 4 in. Signed and titled in pencil. This is a fine impression of this uncommon print. The margins are full and the condition is very good apart from three hinges at the top edge of the sheet. Gearhart often referred to her prints as simply "block prints" and they were mostly printed from linoleum blocks as opposed to wood. Furthermore, the inks are oil-based and not watercolor. The editions are generally unknown but the prints are less common than one might think, especially the earlier work.
$5,250

November Textures -  GEARHART

November Textures
Block printed printed in colors, 1933, Pasadena catalogue page 96; edition unknown. 10 x 11 3/8 in. Signed and titled in pencil. This is a superb impression with fresh colors. The margins are full and the condition is fine. This print is the cover illustration for the first major retrospective of Gearhart's work. "Behold the Day, the Color Block Prints of Frances Gearhart" was published in conjunction with the 2009-2010 exhibition at the Pasadena Museum of Art. Authors include Susan Futterman, Victoria Dailey and Nancy Green.
$9,000

October Splendor -  GEARHART

October Splendor
Block print printed in colors, 1930, Pasadena catalogue page 100, edition probably 30-50. 9 1/2 x 8 1/8 in. Signed and titled in pencil. This is a fine impression with vibrant colors printed on Japanese paper. The margins are full. The condition is very good other than for some stray printing ink in the water at right and some of the same in the left margin.
SOLD

Quiet -  GEARHART

Quiet
Block print printed in colors, circa 1925-28, edition 30. 5 1/2 x 9 in. Signed and titled in pencil. This is a fine, rich impression printed on fairly thin Japanese paper. In fine condition apart from a couple of small ink spots in the margins from the printing process. The margins are full. This impression is inscribed "edition 30" in the margin at bottom.
SOLD

Rain Tomorrow -  GEARHART

Rain Tomorrow
Block print printed in colors, circa 1930-31, edition probably 30-50. 10 1/8 x 11 in. Signed and titled in pencil. This is a superb, luminous impression with full margins. The condition is excellent. This gorgeous print is illustrated on page 64 of Frances H. Gearhart; Color Block Prints in Wichita 1922-1937 (2019) by Roger Genser.
SOLD

Seaward -  GEARHART

Seaward
Block print printed in colors, 1933, Pasadena catalogue page 67, edition probably 30-50. 13 x 9 1/2 in. Signed and titled in pencil. This is fine impression printed on medium weight Japanese paper. The margins are full and the condition is very good. (There are two specks of printer's ink in the left margin which is narrow to begin with.) This is a large and exemplary work with bright, fresh colors.
SOLD

South Mountain -  GEARHART

South Mountain
Block print printed in colors, circa 1930, edition probably 30-50. 12 1/2 x 10 3/16 in. Signed and titled in pencil. This is a superb, luminous impression printed on fairly thin Japanese paper. The condition is quite good apart from a couple of soft creases in the margins and a speck of printers ink here and there. The sheet is full and untrimmed. South Mountain is in Modoc County, CA. which is located in the far northeast corner of the state.
SOLD

The Peach Orchard -  GEARHART

The Peach Orchard
Woodcut printed in colors, 1929, Daily/Green/Futterman pg. 68; small edition. 9 x 10 in. Unsigned. This is a fine impression printed on fibrous Japanese paper. The margins are full and the condition is excellent. The recent exhibition at the Pasadena Museum of California Art (2009-2010) is a welcome addition our knowledge and appreciation of this fine color woodcut artist. Many unsigned impressions of Gearhart's work exist.
SOLD

The Trail Home -  GEARHART

The Trail Home
Block print printed in colors, circa 1930, edition probably about 30-50. 12 3/8 x 8 7/8 in. Signed and titled in pencil. This is a superb, luminous impression with the inking and printing of the sky done with great success. The paper is a fairly thin, Japanese with full margins. The condition is excellent. This large work combines all the elements of a great Gearhart print: refined composition, vibrant color, atmosphere and a panoramic vista. We are drawn into the landscape by design.
SOLD

The Wind is Up -  GEARHART

The Wind is Up
Block print printed in colors, circa 1924-26, edition probably 30-50. 9 1/4 x 10 1/8 in. Signed and titled in pencil. This is a fine, luminous impression printed on a somewhat thin, fibrous Japanese paper. The margins are full and the condition is excellent. This view of the central California coast reminds us of the woodcuts Margaret Patterson was doing on Cape Cod around the same time. The sky is beautifully depicted which is trademark of Gearhart's success as a printmaker. Gearhart often referred to her prints as simply "block prints" and they were mostly printed from linoleum blocks as opposed to wood. Furthermore, the inks are oil-based and not watercolor. The editions are generally unknown but the prints are less common than one might think, especially the earlier work. (We thank Roger Genser for his assistance in answering our questions about this important California artist.)
SOLD

Untroubled Waters -  GEARHART

Untroubled Waters
Woodcut printed in colors, 1931, Pasadena catalogue pg. 85, edition perhaps 50. 10 1/2 x 9 in. Signed and titled in pencil. This is a fine impression printed on Japanese paper. The margins are full and the condition is fine. This is one of Gearhart's best works and it's not often signed in pencil.
SOLD


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