Mid-Century Hawaiian Cockatoo & Botanical Airbrush Original Painting Signed Seay, Framed

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Billy Seay Airbrushed Cockatoo Lovers artwork (original airbrushed over a print) for the Turner Company, circa 1948, in the original … Read more Billy Seay Airbrushed Cockatoo Lovers artwork (original airbrushed over a print) for the Turner Company, circa 1948, in the original off white painted frame. Circa 1948, this striking composition features three stylized white cockatoos with dynamic, swirling crests and delicate pink underwing accents dynamically nestled amid a lush backdrop of deep green foliage and a prominent, fiery orange-red tropical bloom. Executed using fine airbrush techniques for seamless color gradients, the piece exemplifies the iconic "Hawaiian modern" aesthetics popularized by the Turner Manufacturing Company during the late 1940s.

Housed in its original, elaborately hand-painted wooden frame featuring matching folate corner flourishes, this authentic piece of Americana serves as an exceptional and highly collectible statement artwork for any vintage-inspired interior.

Bill Seay (1922-2012) started his working life as Billy Seay, a child actor, in the late silents and early talkies (“Kid Millions” with Eddie Cantor, “Topaze” with John Barrymore, and “The Unknown” with Lon Chaney and the young Joan Crawford, are the most noted of these films), then followed in his father’s footsteps as an artist, joining the designer Sacha Brastoff in his studio from 1952 to 1959, remaining a life-long friend and co-author of the definitive book on Brastoff’s work, soon striking out on his own as a portrait painter (clients included Judy Garland, Crawford and the ill-fated George Reeves of the Superman series on TV).

Finally becoming an antiquaire and decorator until his passing at the age of 90." This piece on a soft board was damaged at some point in the past. At the left center (and see corresponding area on reverse, now taped), are cracks in the board which someone attempted to fix. They did a respectable job but it is hardly professional. From a normal viewing distance, the flawed area is kind of lost in the imagery of the bird and flowing flowery background.

Dimensions: 25.5" height x 40" width x 3" depth

United States, 1948, United States See less