Roberts pottery.

unnamed, Roberts, 12" x 4" x 3", ceramic

    Here is a nice vase, a thrift shop find. Looking inside, it can be seen that this vase is was constructed using the coil method. It is decorated on both sides, with similar, though not exact, images of what I think are blue iris flowers. There is also a triple line around the bottom and what I read as the signature "Roberts", on the bottom. This is so well done and striking that I am certain that it is by an established artist. It does not appear to be too old, perhaps later than 1990. Any help in identifying this artist would be appreciated.

A really zwaal drawing.

"Huizen in Vreeland", P. Zwaal, 12" x 18.5", charcoal on paper

Another mystery solved! This drawing is the work of Amsterdam artist Pauline Johanna "Polly" Zwaal 1906-1993. She was a well known, academically trained, Dutch artist.

    Here is a nice mystery. This drawing, "Houses in Vreeland", is titled in Dutch and bears the signature of a Dutch artist, and was found at my local thrift shop. It was only passably framed with a poor attempt at a French Mat and badly mounted. I think that this is the work of an amateur Dutch artist, though pretty well done. No fixative was applied to the drawing, which would seem to indicate that it has not been handled much, as it remains in good condition. Any information on this artist would be appreciated. 

Title and signature

Watermark

    The piece was created on good paper with a watermark which may be an indication of the date it was created. I have not been able to find out anything about this watermark, yet. 

Ring a Bell?

unnamed, N. Bell, 14" x 8", ink wash

    A thrift shop find. Nicely done pen and ink drawing that has been framed multiple times, so was valued by someone. There is residue of tape from two of the previous mountings verso, and a piece of folded scotch tape at the top which is on both sides. The multiple mountings may be an indication of age. The last time it was mounted and framed was by a Bloomington, IL framer who went out of business in the late 1980s. The only record I find of an artist named Bell with the first initial of "N" was a British artist named Norman Martin Bell (1907-1970). This artist was listed as a painter and was also an author. I have not been able to find any examples of his signature or work. Coincidentally, at the same thrift shop, about the same time, I acquired an etching done about 1925 by the British artist Dorothy F. Sweet. 

   An interesting thing about this drawing is that there is a number written verso on the drawing that was transferred to the framer's label on the back of the drawing. I am not sure of the significance of this number.

B. Grant watercolorist

unnamed, B. Grant, 8" x 10", watercolor

The seller of this painting speculated that it could be the work of Blanche Chloe Grant (1874-1948), based on the signature and label from a prominent Boston art dealer. Grant is best known for western scenes as she moved to Taos, New Mexico in the 1920s, where she painted mostly in oils. She studied in Boston at the Boston Museum School of Fine Arts and at the Art Students League, first, though, and worked as an illustrator with Howard Pyle.  My research shows that she won a prize for her watercolor work before 1920 and also travelled to Europe to study and paint before moving to Taos, so it is easy to understand this attribution.

 Label, verso

There are problems with this attribution, though. When I received the painting, I realized that it had been opened and that some modern materials, probably from the 1990s, had been used to mount this watercolor, so it cannot be confirmed that that this painting is original to this frame, or even that the label is original to the frame.

Signature

At first examination, I thought that the signature might have been done with a ballpoint pen, but close examination with a magnifying glass shows that it was more likely done with a fountain pen. All in all, a nicely done watercolor that could easily date to the 1920s, or before, and may, or may not, have origins in Boston, and may, or may not, be the work of Blanche Chloe Grant. I would appreciate hearing from anyone who is familiar with the early work of Ms. Grant and can confirm whether or not this is her work. In the mean time, this remains a mystery artist.

Alderly Park mystery artist

Alderly Park, unknown, 7" x 9", watercolor, 1887

This watercolor is likely by a British artist. I can make out the title and date, but the other writing is a mystery and may be the signature of the artist. I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who can identify this artist's work or signature.

Inscription, verso

Mystery handled pot

unnamed handled pot, unknown,  12" x 6", clay pot

I found this pot at a local thrift shop. It is very well done and unusual. There is a signature on the bottom, and if I knew what the name was, it would probably be easy to read. Unfortunately, I have no idea who the artist was. The last name may be "Beach".

Another view

Signature

Any help in identifying this artist would be appreciated.

Hotel Art?

 unnamed, H. Helgason, 10" x 8", oil on canvas

  Based on the amount of authoritative responses to my original post, I am updating this post in its entirety, instead of just adding an update section to the post.
  This is what I once thought was "Hotel Art", that is, art which was commissioned, or distributed, by a company that provided art to commercial institutions like hotels, motels, etc., perhaps copied from other works or maybe duplicated many times. A label on the back shows that the art was distributed by a company called Personal Preference Inc. (PPI) of Lisle, IL.
  Actually, PPI was a company that worked directly with artists to offer their original works to customers at "house parties", using a paradigm similar to that used for Tupperware parties of the 1950s. PPI used Tupperware's direct marketing strategy in which individuals contracted with PPI to present their wares, original art, at a house party. All of these art pieces had a PPI label verso, that contained PPI's contact information, the name of the person who brought the artwork to the party, an inventory number and sometimes the name of the person who purchased the artwork. All of the artwork was framed using frames made in Mexico. PPI worked mainly with unknown or new artists. Subsequently, some of these artists became successful, and even well known.
  I have other paintings, and a few collages, in my collection that were also distributed by Personal Preference Inc. of Lisle, IL, and all are quite well done.
  

Label

  Regarding the painting from my collection used as an example of PPI's wares, the artist has been identified as H. Helgason by a former PPI consultant who knew the artist, who was her mother's favorite artist. This may be the work of Hallgrimur Helgason, an Icelandic painter, writer, translator and columnist. There is a fairly lengthy Wikipedia entry for him and several YouTube videos featuring him. Helgason lived in Boston in 1985-6 and in New York in 1986-9 where he painted and exhibited and was apparently a starving artist with numerous occupations to support himself, so it does not seem implausible that PPI may have been one of them. He returned to New York, briefly, in 1995. Helgason later enjoyed, and enjoys, success as an artist, writer and poet. I am, though, still trying to confirm the identity of the artist who created this painting.

H. Helgason's Signature