Vintage Carl Sublett ‘Surf #172’ Original Abstract Textural Seascape Watercolor 22x30 Signed

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Surf #172 original watercolor by Carl Sublett (American, 1919–2008) 22” x 30”
Signed lower right ‘79 Sublett and with “Surf … Read more Surf #172 original watercolor by Carl Sublett (American, 1919–2008) 22” x 30”
Signed lower right ‘79 Sublett and with “Surf #172” and artist signature pencil signed on the back.

Large scale textural, atmospheric abstraction

Modern neutral palette

Abstract texture

Strong horizontal movement with grey/earth tones


Surf #172 is a substantial original watercolor by Carl Sublett, one of Tennessee’s most celebrated artists and a member of the National Academy of Design. The work belongs to Sublett’s characteristic numbered-series format — a practice well documented throughout his career, with titled works like Wintered Ridge #178 exhibited at the Tennessee State Museum.


Coastal and surf subjects hold special significance in Sublett’s body of work. He spent decades summering in Port Clyde, Maine, where the sea, rocks, and shoreline became recurring themes — influenced by the same landscape that shaped Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, and his near-neighbor Andrew Wyeth. At 22 x 30 inches, this is a full-sheet, exhibition-scale watercolor.


About the Artist:

Carl Sublett studied at the American Academy in Florence, Italy after WWII, then joined the faculty at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where he taught painting until 1982. He was a founding member of The Knoxville Seven, a landmark abstract expressionist group active 1955–1965. In 1976 he was elected to the National Academy of Design in New York. His works are held in the permanent collections of the National Academy of Design, the Tennessee State Museum, and Cheekwood Museum of Art in Nashville. In 1991, The Unseen Carl Sublett was the inaugural exhibition at the new Knoxville Museum of Art.




Tennessee’s most celebrated watercolorist and member of the National Academy of Design. This coastal work belongs to Sublett’s numbered series format — a practice documented throughout his career in works like Wintered Ridge #178, which was exhibited at the Tennessee State Museum.


Item details:

• Title: Surf #172

• Artist: Carl Sublett (1919–2008)

• Medium: watercolor on paper

• Signed: lower right and in verso

• Size: 22x30

• Condition: good

• Frame: preserved in original frame; will be removed, shipped, and sold without frame unless otherwise specified See less