Maurice Mazeilie, French Impressionist Watercolour, Beach Landscape

"Watercolour Beach Scene" by Maurice Mazeilie (French) Watercolour painting on paper, unframed Stamped verso Painting: 5 x 7 inches A delightful original oil painting by the...

"Watercolour Beach Scene" by Maurice Mazeilie (French) Watercolour painting on paper, unframed Stamped verso Painting: 9 x 12 inches A delightful original oil painting by th...

A large and evocative circa 1950 framed impressionist landscape oil painting on canvas titled “Princeton Beach [Boat Repair]” by noted northern California artist William “Will” E. Frates (b. 1896–1969). Captivating coastal setting depicts an unassuming barn-like structure beside a pair of fishing boats in dry dock, one of which is on stilts with figures discernible on deck going about their repairs. Sandy shoreline terrain in the foreground and turquoise-colored waters in the cove lead to a sliver of beach below verdant foothills in the distance that rise up into a cloud-filled sky. Earthy palette punctuated by reddish-orange pops of color that capture the warm glow of an inimitable California sunset on the building, boat hulls, and a section of water. Artist’s loose yet assured brushwork on wonderful display throughout, with impressionistic details and textures that reward those who lean in for a closer look. Based on Frates’ San Francisco Bay Area roots and the title, the setting could be somewhere near Princeton-by-the-Sea just north of Half Moon Bay, which is a short drive south of San Francisco on scenic Highway 1. Signed on front at bottom and signed, titled, priced, and notated in pencil on verso. Title on verso appears to have originally been “Princeton Beach Boat Repair”, with “Boat Repair” having been crossed out. Original circa 1950 price was possibly overwritten from “$200” to “$300”, which in either case translates to nearly $4,000 in today’s dollars. Presented in its original plaster-coated wood frame with painted faux-stone finish and painted white wood interior border. Canvas backed by stiff paperboard. Will Frates was born in Hayward, California in 1896, and was an active, versatile, and very skilled oil, watercolor, pastel, and etchings artist from the 1920s until his passing while on a painting excursion in Myrtle Creek, Oregon in 1969. His subjects were mostly San Francisco Bay Area and California “Mother Lode” landscapes, though he also painted scenes far afield, from New Mexico to the coast of Maine. Frates first studied art in San Francisco with noted landscape painter and ornithologist William Otto...

Copy of Impressionist landscape painting titled "Beach Scene" showing bathers with sun umbrellas in front of town