Lot 274: ETHEL SPEARS (1903-1974)

ETHEL SPEARS (1903-1974)
Untitled Skating Rink, 1940s
Gouache
19n. x 24in.
Unsigned, letter of provenance from the estate

Ethel Spears was a noted mural painter with more than twenty-three WPA murals in Chicago alone. She was also known for her whimsical genre scenes in gouache and watercolor. She spent her summers in Navasota, Texas, with her long-time companion, Kathleen Blackshear, and eventually retired there in 1961.

This fanciful watercolor of children sledding, ice skating, playing in the snow, and building snowmen, uses a flattened perspective to create a decorative effect. It is typical of Spears's style in the 1940s.

Provenance:
Estate of Ethel Spears and Kathleen Blackshear
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Estate Inventory Number verso:
ES17

Excellent condition. Matted but not framed.