Lot 160, Auction 4/12/2026: Don Stone Watercolor – Hunter in Snowy Field (1970s)

$390.00

In stock

Don Stone (American, 1929-2015). Hunter in Snowy Field. Watercolor, ca. 1970s CE. Signed at lower left. A winter hillside opens before the viewer, hushed beneath fresh snow, as a lone figure in a red plaid jacket stands at the edge of a frozen field. In this watercolor from the 1970s, Don Stone captures the quiet drama of a familiar New England landscape, using transparent washes and crisp, drybrush marks to evoke shifting light, brittle branches, and the subtle warmth of earth showing through the snow. Stone’s lifelong sensitivity to atmosphere shapes every inch of the scene: the muted sky dissolves into distant hills, the bare trees rise like ink strokes against the cold air, and the figure’s stance draws the eye into the broad, open space beyond. His training as a plein-air painter is evident in the immediacy of the brushwork and the confident handling of light, which turns an ordinary winter moment into something contemplative and expansive. Size: 15″ W x 11″ H (38.1 cm x 27.9 cm)

About the artist: Don Stone emerged as one of the leading modern impressionist painters of his generation, celebrated for a mastery of light that transformed harbors, headlands, and working shores into radiant studies of atmosphere. He often remarked that the subject itself was secondary to the light that animated it, a philosophy that shaped a career spanning more than six decades and earned him a devoted audience of collectors and fellow painters.

Born and raised in Gloucester, Massachusetts, Stone discovered painting early and received four years of formal art training at Gloucester High School. He continued his studies at the Vesper George School of Art in Boston, later returning to its faculty as an instructor. His most formative mentorship came through private study with Paul Strisik, N.A., who introduced him to the discipline and joy of plein-air painting. Stone’s early experiences among Gloucester’s fishing community left a deep impression, and those memories resurfaced throughout his mature work, particularly during his long association with Monhegan Island, Maine.

Stone’s artistic achievements earned wide recognition. He was elected to full membership in the National Academy of Design, the American Watercolor Society (Dolphin Fellow), the American Society of Marine Artists (Fellow), the Salmagundi Club (Honorary Member), and the New England Watercolor Society (Lifetime Honorary Member). He was also an active member of the Guild of Boston Artists, Allied Artists of America, the Hudson Valley Art Association, the Rockport Art Association (Lifetime Member), and the North Shore Art Association, among many regional groups with whom he exhibited for years.

His paintings were shown in numerous public museums, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Museum of Mobile, Alabama, and the Canton Art Institute in Ohio. Over the course of his career, Stone received many honors, among them two Greenshields Foundation Grants and top prizes in juried exhibitions at both the Rockport Art Association and the North Shore Art Association.

Throughout his life, Don Stone remained committed to depicting the world as it appeared in a particular moment of illumination, believing that light itself was the true subject of every canvas. His work continues to stand as a testament to that enduring vision.

Condition: Painting is in excellent overall condition. Signed at lower left. Information about artist on verso.

Provenance: private Colorado, USA collection; Private collection of a Private Colorado Family

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