Saturated Red Bay Area Figure 1950-60s Distemper Painting

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This 1950s-60s distemper on paper painting is by Bay Area artist Alysanne McGaffey (1931-2018). Born in Seattle, McGaffey moved to … Read more This 1950s-60s distemper on paper painting is by Bay Area artist Alysanne McGaffey (1931-2018). Born in Seattle, McGaffey moved to San Francisco in the mid 1950s to study at SFAI with Bay Area Figurative pioneers Joan Brown, Nathan Oliveira, Jay DeFeo, Walter Kuhlman, and Manuel Neri. McGaffey also took classes at CCAC and UC Berkeley, and received an MFA in Painting from the University of San Francisco. She became involved in community arts organizations, holding offices in several, including the Coastal Arts League and Pacifica's Cultural Arts Commission. Eventually McGaffey's gaze moved from the figure to the landscape, and she spent the last thirty years traveling the Northern California coast painting watercolor seascapes.
Distemper refers to any water based paint that blends chalk with an organic-based binder. It has a soft, velvety finish and was commonly used by Bay Area Figurative artists in the 1950s-1960s.
Signed lower right. Excellent vintage condition. Framed in a contemporary wood frame with a black finish and gold accented inner lip using warm white archival museum-style matting behind conservation clear glass. See less