Douglass Parshall - Thunder Storm - Oil on Board - 1967 - P2987
A terrific oil of a storm coming on by the great Douglass Parshall. Measures 12" x 10", frame 16" x 14 1'2".
Douglass Parshall, N.A. [1899-1990].
Born: New York City, NY. Douglass Parshall grew up in New York and began receiving art instruction from his father at an early age. He continued his education at the Art Students League, and in 1917, moved west with his family to settle in Santa Barbara. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, he traveled with his family to China, North Africa, Italy, France and Mexico. He painted extensively on these travels and had a chance to view a wide variety of art.
In 1933 he was appointed local district supervisor of the New Deal’s Federal Art Project. Some 25 to 30 local artists earned $77 a month to produce murals and other works of art for public buildings and schools. Parshall estimated that more than 60 schools were graced with art from this program. In 1939 he served as Santa Barbara chairman for the Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco and for the New York World’s Fair.In 1952, he became the first president of the Santa Barbara Art Association. The association was dedicated to promoting and encouraging the best of artistic talent and to expanding exhibition space to give these artists greater exposure to the public. In his own work, Parshall moved to a more impressionistic style, with an emphasis on a brighter palette.In addition to painting watercolors, Parshall produced oil paintings, limited edition lithographic prints and portraits. Occasionally, he instructed small groups of advanced art students and in 1947, was president of the California Water Color Society. As early as 1918 he exhibited at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art also in 1921; at the National Academy of Design in 1924 and 1927; the De Young Museum in 1935; the Crocker Art Gallery in Sacramento in 1942 and with the California Watercolor Society in 1958, 1962 and 1965. Parshall was a member of the National Academy of Design; the Society of Western Artists; the California Art Club; Painters of the West; Santa Barbara Art Association; Los Angeles Art Association and the California Watercolor Society, serving as their President in 1947-1948.Douglass Parshall died at age 91 in 1990.
