Lot 161, Auction 4/12/2026: Don Stone Watercolor Painting, 2 Figures in Snowy Field

$390.00

In stock

Don Stone (American, 1929-2015). Figures in a Snowy Field. Watercolor, ca. 1970s CE. A winter field becomes a quiet stage in this 1970s watercolor by Don Stone, its pale expanse interrupted only by two small figures making their way across the snow. Stone’s practiced eye for atmosphere animates the scene: slate clouds press low over the horizon, while the earth below breaks into a tapestry of ochre grasses, icy washes, and windswept marks that suggest the textured churn of frozen ground. The artist’s long devotion to painting directly from experience is unmistakable here. His brush captures the kind of fleeting winter light he so often sought outdoors, where shifting weather could turn a simple hillside into a meditation on tone and temperature. The figures – humble, bundled, purposeful – give the landscape both scale and story, underscoring Stone’s belief that ordinary encounters with the land could offer their own quiet revelations. Size: 15″ W x 11″ H (38.1 cm x 27.9 cm)

Stone’s command of watercolor is on full display: drybrush mingles with delicate wet passages, crisp scratches cut through warm pigments, and the composition breathes with a sense of immediacy that reflects his lifelong commitment to plein-air practice. The result is a scene at once familiar and contemplative, inviting the viewer to step into a winter day distilled through the hand of an artist who spent his life honoring the subtle drama of lived experience.

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 right. Label with information about artist on verso.

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

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