Wikipedia

John O'Shea (artist)

For other persons named John O'Shea, see John O'Shea (disambiguation).

John O'Shea (1876 - April 29, 1956) was a California painter. His works are held in the permanent collections of several locations, including the Harrison Memorial Library,[2] Monterey Museum of Art,[3] Municipal Gallery of Modern Art,[4] and the Bohemian Club.[5]

John O'Shea
John O'Shea (1876-1956)
Born
John Garret O'Shea[1]

1876 (1876)
Waterford, Ireland
Died29 June 1956(1956-06-29) (aged 80)
Carmel Highlands, California, U.S.
OccupationPainter
Known forlandscape painting
Spouse
Mary D. Shaughnessy
​
(m. 1922)​
AwardsCalifornia State Fair, 1941 (1st prize)

Early life

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John O'Shea was born in 1876 in Ballintaylor, near Waterford, in southern Ireland.[6]

Career

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Carmel-by-the-Sea Seascape by John O'Shea (1927).

In 1913, O'Shea moved to Pasadena, California and began his artistic career. He held two showings, one at the Kenneth Avery studio and the other at the Friday Morning Club in Los Angeles. Antony Anderson described his work as "wonderfully beautiful interpretations of our landscape, full of vibrating light and color." Twenty of his paintings were shown at the Friday Morning Club's large auditorium.[7][8]

In 1914, O'Shea painted a canyon with the San Antonio snow-capped mountain in the distance between Mount Lowe and Mount Wilson, Los Angeles County, California.[9]

O'Shea returned to New York in November to December 1921, and put on an exhibition of about 28 watercolors and oils at the Kingore Galleries on 5th Avenue.[1][4]

On May 25, 1922, O'Shea and Mary "Molly" D. Shaughnessy of Terre Haute, Indiana, obtained a marriage license in New York City at the Municipal Building. Their wedding took take place at a later time.[10] Molly had inherited 10-acre (0.040 km2) in the Carmel Highlands, California, near Smugglers' Cove. This is where they built a stone mansion, that they named "Tynalacan." Fellow artists, Theodore Criley and William Frederic Ritschel were their neighbors. They entertained friends from the area including poet Robinson Jeffers and his wife Una, photographer Edward Weston, Mabel Loomis Dodge and her husband, and Tony Luhan.[8][11]

In 1926 and 1927, O'Shea made trips to Arizona with a close friend and artist Theodore Criley. Paintings from these excursions, like the Grand Canyon, resulted in art showings in Pasadena, Tucson, and San Francisco.[1][11]

In 1928, O'Shea and Molly traveled to Tahiti in the South Pacific where he painted landscapes and seascapes. He went to New Mexico in 1930, and painted places around Taos. The New Mexico and Tahiti paintings were exhibited at the Denny-Watrous Gallery in Carmel.[12] O'Shea's wife died on October 8, 1941, at St. Luke's Hospital in San Francisco after a long illness.[13]

The California Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco, exhibited 36 of O'Shea's paintings in April and May 1934. The Director of the Legion of Honor said of O'Shea's work "The gorgeous color and design of [his] canvases were sure to please the San Francisco public."[14][15]

In November 1939, at the Bay Region Art Association's annual at the Oakland Art Gallery, he won first prize for a watercolor called "Old Trees, Monterey."[16]

In March 1941, at the California State Fair, O'Shea won $570 for the first prize in the category "Decorative" of an oil painting called "Rusty Cypress". He exhibited alongside of Paul Dougherty who won second prize.[17] At the Bohemian Club exhibit in San Francisco, in March 1942, O'Shea gave a one-man-show of his work. He showed a closeup of tropical vegetation, a Hawaiian landscape, and a rocky seascape.[18]

O'Shea was an active member of the Carmel Art Association, serving as president, director, judge, and exhibitor. He served three terms as president. He designed their front patio and garden area.[19][8][20]

Death

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O'Shea died at home on April 29, 1956, at age 80.[8][21][6]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "John (Shawn) Garret O'Shea" (PDF). www.tfaoi.org. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
  2. ^ Dramov, Alissandra (2019). Historic Buildings of Downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California: Arcadia Publishing. p. 12. ISBN 9781467103039. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  3. ^ "John O'Shea". Monterey Museum Of Art. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
  4. ^ a b Nelson-Rees, Walter A. (1985). John O'Shea, 1876-1956 The Artist's Life as I Know it, With a complete catalogue of the artist's known works. VIM. pp. 11, 33. ISBN 9780938842057. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
  5. ^ Hughes, Edan Milton (2002). Artists in California, 1786-1940: L-Z. Crocker Art Museum. pp. 838, 1247. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
  6. ^ a b "Death Notices". The Terre Haute Tribune. Terre Haute, Indiana. 4 May 1956. p. 26. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  7. ^ "Arts and Artists. John O'Shea". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. 14 Dec 1913. p. 30. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d "John O'Shea Biography". Trotter Galleries, Inc. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
  9. ^ "O'Shea Paints From Trail, Tramps 110 Miles To Work". Los Angeles Evening Express. Los Angeles, California. 5 Sep 1914. p. 11. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  10. ^ "John O'Shea, Artist, to Marry". The New York Times. New York, New York. 26 May 1922. p. 19. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  11. ^ a b Lawrence Jeppson (26 May 1922). "O'Shea Can You See". Nauvoo Times. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  12. ^ "O'Sheas Sail For Tahiti". San Francisco Bulletin. San Francisco, California. August 9, 1928. p. 4. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  13. ^ "Mrs. Mary O'Shea, Artist's Wife, Dies". The San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco, California. 9 Oct 1941. p. 19. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  14. ^ "O'Shea Work On View at Palace". The San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco, California. April 29, 1934. p. 56. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  15. ^ H. L. Duncan (April 29, 1934). "John O'Shea Holds Exhibition Of Water Colors, Drawings and Oils at the Legion of Honor". Oakland Tribune. Oakland, California. p. 34. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  16. ^ "Todhunter Wins Guest of Honor Prize". Oakland Tribune. Oakland, California. 26 Nov 1939. p. 25. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  17. ^ "Prize Winners Announced For State Fair Exhibit". Oakland Tribune. Oakland, California. 31 Aug 1941. p. 40. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  18. ^ "Novelty Oils In Bohemian Club Exhibit. Carmel's John O'Shea, Other Good Artists Enliven Show". The San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco, California. 15 Mar 1942. p. 41. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  19. ^ "John O'Shea". Crocker Art Museum. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  20. ^ "Art Exhibit Is Held At Jaysee Here, John O'Shea, Burton Boundey Display Work". The Californian. Salinas, California. 12 Oct 1939. p. 7. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  21. ^ "O'Shea". The San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco, California. 4 May 1956. p. 51. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
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