Charles W. Nicholson (1886-1965) American, Oil on Canvas. Painting of California Mission San Juan Capistrano. Signed "W. Nicholson" bottom left. Original exhibition label on back. 

Overall: 22 1/2 X 31 1/2 in. 

Sight: 17 1/4 X 26 1/4 in. 

#2702 . 

Charles Westly (or Wesley) Nicholson was born in French Lick, Indiana on June 25th, 1886. Apparently self-taught, he received a teacher’s certificate from the state of Indiana and taught in a log cabin for three years at the turn of the century. In 1908 he moved to Chicago and worked for Marshall Fields while studying at the Art Institute. When his training was complete he traveled with vaudeville shows, painting and designing their sets. He served in the Army in World War I, settling afterwards in Los Angeles to work as a set designer and artist for several major motion picture studios. While freelancing he also sold many paintings on the side, sometimes repainting the same image multiple times in different colors, with different shadows, and signing them with different permutations of his name (hence the confusion about his middle name). With the onset of the Depression his art sales fell off dramatically, so he changed his style to be more impressionistic, demonstrating his remarkable talent and versatility. He traveled in his Model A Ford to paint the deserts of the Palm Springs area, the California coastal regions, and the Monterey Peninsula. While painting alongside the road with his pet cockatiel perched on his shoulder, he would display his works for passersby. Known up and down the West Coast for his landscape, seascapes, and occasional rare mission paintings, Nicholson died in Los Angeles, California on December 20th, 1965 leaving behind a large volume of work which is highly sought after for its composition, quality, and insight into the shifting artistic landscape of his time.