Fused glass sculpture mystery!

unnamed, unknown, 18.5" x 15" x 1/2", fused glass

Mystery Solved! This is the work of Edward Martin, Springfield, Illinois fused glass artist. He has a web site.


This piece migrated from place to place at the local thrift shop before there was a 50% off art sale, and I picked it up. It is fused glass, about nine pounds worth. It came from the estate of a Bloomington, IL builder who also lived six months of the year in Highland Beach, FL and squeezed in time at a family cabin in Ludington, MI. In addition, he travelled to several countries. Since this piece is not marked in any way, it will be a challenge for me to identify the artist, so hopefully someone will recognize the work of this artist!? No idea of when it was made, either. Sigh. Not a commercial piece, I think, since the hanger and spacers verso are roughly cut Lucite blocks, glued on.

Mystery monotypes!

 

unnamed, unknown, 1 7/8" x 5 7/8", monotypes, 1991

I found these very nicely framed, and interesting monotypes at a local pawn shop. The signatures are maddeningly close to being readable, but I can't make them out. A lot of work went into making these, so it would be nice if the artist received recognition for his or her work. 

Midwest Fauvist?

unnamed, unknown, 10" x 12", oil

Not much hope here, probably . There is what may be a signature in the lower right corner. This painting was framed in the shop of a Bloomington, IL framer who was active from the early 1960s to the early 1990s. I paid $5 for this at a local thrift shop, but I really (Really) like it. I suspect that it is the work of a local artist, but just a guess. Interesting color choices.

Hottingh/Nottingh?

unnamed, Hottingh? Nottingh?, 18" x 24", oil

This was a find at a local thrift shop. I was at first torn between liking the frame and liking the painting. The painting eventually won. This is a painting that comes alive in the right light and at the right distance. It appears to have been painted mostly using a knife. I suspect that this painting may be European in origin. The signature appears to be something like "Mauriry Hottingh" or "Morriry Nottingh". I am certain that this is more than an amateur artist's work, but I can find no information on this artist, probably because I am not searching for the correct name. A little help here!

 

L. Kohn European artist?

unnamed, L. Kohn, 4" x 9", oil on canvas

    This is an ebay find. The seller claimed it was the work of Ludwig Kohn and that they had found two images of paintings with identical signatures in old auction catalogues. That may or may not be true, but I was fairly easily able to locate an example of a work by Ludwig Kohn on the Internet and the style and signature did not resemble the work of this artist. Ludwig Kohn seems to have signed with his full first name, not the initial "L". That being said I like this artist's work. I suspect he or she worked in Europe, possibly in France. I found another work by an L. Kohn that reminds me of this artist's style and the signatures are very similar, too. Several folks have contacted me who also have works by this artist. Any information about this artist would be appreciated.

No Hope for New Hope?

unnamed, unknown, 22" x 28", oil

    I don't often buy unsigned paintings because it is usually very hard to find out anything about them and it thwarts my enjoyment in doing research. I am a sucker for winter paintings though, especially colorful ones, so here we are. This one was purchased by the previous owner at an estate sale in Hopewell, NJ in early 2009 and described as in the New Hope School style and guesstimated to be 1930s vintage. I tend to agree on the age, judging by the board it is painted on and the frame it is in. The board is canvas board that has a built in paper backing that is darkened and quite brittle. The scene could certainly be 1930s-1950s. It is a mixture of naive and fairly sophisticated painting, obviously done by a painter of some experience, though perhaps not formally trained. I don't have any hope that I will be able to find out more about it. Just planning to enjoy it on those hot, Midwestern July afternoons. I have a slim hope that someone may be living who actually saw this painting hanging in someone's home or may recognize the artist's style.

Don't Bale on me now!

unnamed, Bale, 3" x 5", watercolor

    I found this one at a local thrift shop and paid very little for it. For such a small painting, it is very complex and colorful. It was simply but nicely framed and matted, and I half expected I would find it was some kind of print when I removed the cardboard backing to replace it, I have this one hanging to the right of my kitchen sink, so get to look at it a lot and never get tired of it. I have not been able to find out anything about this artist, though the signature is very unique. I think this dates from the 1980s or 1990s.