Thursday, April 9, 2009

Sumner/Marlatt

Around 30 years ago I happened by an art show being held in a grocery store parking lot in South Lake Tahoe. I love to stop and browse these shows. So much unknown talent out there.

That was when I found my Sumner painting. A very young George Sumner stood there hawking his paintings.



I fell in love with this one on the spot. Well, actually, with quite a few of them. I wasn't even sure this one would fit in my car! I'm still crazy about it to this day. It's a moody picture. I can look at it and see a fresh, misty, new day, full of hope. Or I can see a storm brewing. Angry skies decending on the quiet shore. Or, a storm clearing, leaving radiation fog along the cliffs.


George Sumner went on to be very well known for his environmental paintings. I just remember him as a young, bearded dude who got a kick out of selling his paintings.


In the same parking lot, next to young George was, an equally young, Tom Marlatt. I bought two of his that same day. Call me crazy! Also, I had a very good job at the time. His were smaller but had a bit of moodiness about them as well.



This one is my favorite by him.

I went online recently to see what he'd been up to over the last 30 or so years. Can this be the same artist???

We all change, don't we? The changes in me all these years have probably been equally as drastic! :)

4 comments:

septembermom said...

He has changed apparently. I like both the early and his latest pieces. The newer ones are very alive with color and line. I would have fell in love with that Sumner painting too. Thank you for letting me know about these two talented artists. Wonderful!

Proud Mom said...

I love the Sumner painting, too. The others are nice, but I like Marlatt's newer works.

So do tell what you did for work when you could afford to buy paintings from young starving artist?

Max-e said...

Interseting post. It is amazing how the work of artists can change and develop over time. My wife is an artist and it is interesting seeing the way her work has developed. I really like the direction that Tom Marlatts work has taken.
It must also be nice to have early paintings of artists who have made it.

Scriptor Senex said...

I really love the second of the GTom Marlatt paintings. All three have such great atmosphere - no wonder you fell in love with them.
One of the biggest problems about downsizing one's house is that over the years we have lost so much wall space. When we had a big Victorian house it was almost an art gallery. Now we have to constantly rotate pictures to get even a tenth of them on display.

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