First Light on the Harbor by Ritchie Allen Benson

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Watercolor of boats anchored in a harbor by Ritchie Allen Benson (American, 1941-1996). This piece is signed "R. A. Benson" … Read more Watercolor of boats anchored in a harbor by Ritchie Allen Benson (American, 1941-1996). This piece is signed "R. A. Benson" in the lower center. Some age toning to paper. Image, 7.5"H x 9.38"W.

Ritchie Allen Benson was born in Los Angeles. He studied at the Art Center School (Los Angeles) and was a member of the American Watercolor Society and the California Watercolor Society.

Ritchie Allen Bensen grew up in the Los Angeles area during the World War II era. By the late 1950s, he was studying watercolor painting and by the 1960s was exhibiting on a national level. He spent a great deal of time painting along the California coast and was most interested in producing works which pictured boats and harbor scenes.

His watercolors were sold through the Challis Gallery in Laguna Beach and through art association exhibition sales. Although he continued to paint occasionally in Southern California, most of Bensen's later works were done in Mendocino, California, or farther north in Washington state where he spent a lot of time painting on the beaches and in the harbors.

Biographical information: Interview with R.A. Bensen, 1994 Esther Wells Gallery, Laguna Beach, 1993. Courtesy of "California Watercolors 1850-1970" By Gordon T. McClelland and Jay T. Last. See less