John F. Clymer Oil Painting "The Oregon Trail," 1967
Item Details
John Ford Clymer (American, 1907 – 1989)
The Oregon Trail, 1967
Oil painting on board
Signed and dated to lower right
Title inscribed to the verso
Attribute label to frame
Includes Oregon Trail history to the verso, commonly believed to be by Doris detailing the research she conducted
Provenance
Purportedly acquired from Christy Lee Gallery, circa 1995;
Private collection of Richard and Helen DeVos
John Ford Clymer was a celebrated American painter and illustrator, known for his paintings of wildlife and historical Native American and Western frontier depictions. A Washington state native, Clymer was born in 1907 and showed a great aptitude for art at a young age, taking his first art courses by the age of thirteen. After graduating high school, Clymer attended the Vancouver School of Fine Art and the Ontario College of Art in Port Hope, Canada. Later he studied under Newell Convers “N.C.” Wyeth (1882 – 1945) at the Howard Pyle School in Delaware. Heavily influenced by Wyeth, Clymer became a well-known illustrator, commissioned by novels, advertising companies, and American magazines, such as Field and Stream, Saturday Evening Post and Pennsylvania Railroad to name a few. Clymer’s illustration career lasted over forty years and composed over ninety covers.
In 1932, John married his childhood sweetheart, Doris. After traveling to New York, throughout Canada, and serving in World War II, Clymer settled in Jackhole, Wyoming in the mid-1960s with Doris. It was there that he focused on the content he most preferred, painting the Northwest. Doris would become an intrical part to Clymer’s oeuvre. The couple would travel across the Northwest, sketching and conducting research for his best known Western paintings. Doris would read and select interesting subject matter for him to paint. They visited the Oregon Trail, Texas Bozeman Cattle Trail, and the Lewis and Clark country, just a few themes of Clymer’s work.
Clymer’s work is highly regarded and has received countless awards. As a member of the Cowboy Artists of America, his work won prizes nearly every year of his twenty-year association. Other alliances include National Academy of Western Art, Associate of the Royal Canadian Academy of Art and more. John passed away in 1989 in his home in Jackson Hole. Much of his work is on permanent display at the Clymer Museum of Art, located in his birthplace Ellensburg, Washington.
Condition
- faint abrasion to lower center of composition; minor mildew and paint brush accretions throughout the composition; wear, dust accretions, loss of gilt, cracking and wood worm holes to frame; staining, abrasions and dust accretions to verso; examined with UV light.
Dimensions
- measures frame; sight measures 39.25" W x 23.25" H.
- Please note, this is an item that may be especially difficult to move and/or transport. The winner is responsible for bringing appropriate assistance, vehicle, proper materials, and any necessary tools to pickup. International shipping may be restricted.
- Item not examined outside of mounting
Item #
ITMG679090
