John O'Shea (artist)

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

John O'Shea (1876 - April 29, 1956) was a California impressionist painter known for his landscape, marine, figure, and portrait paintings. He was one of the major artists in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California between 1917-1945, and resident of Carmel for 36 years.[1] 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]

Early life[edit]

John O'Shea was born in 1876 in Ballintaylor, near Waterford, in southern Ireland.[6] He was an art student in Dublin and Cork. In 1892, at age 16, he immigrated to the New York City in the United States. He continued his studies at the Adelphi Academy and the Art Students League of New York. He first worked at Tiffany & Company as an engraver.[7]

Career[edit]

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.[8][7]

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 moved his studio-residence to Laguna Beach in 1915, and shared this art colony with George Gardner Symons, Anna Hills, and Frank Cuprien.[1]

He made his first visit to Carmel-by-the-Sea in April 1916, land stayed at the Monte Verde Inn.[1] In 1917, O'Shea relocated to the art colony of Carmel Highlands. He frequently exhibited at the Carmel Arts and Crafts Club in Carmel.[7][10]

O'Shea superintended the building of Elizabeth Bigelow's home, considered the showpiece of the Highlands in 1922.[11]

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.[12] 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.[7][13]

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][13]

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.[14] O'Shea‘S wife died on October 8, 1941, at St. Luke's Hospital in San Francisco after a long illness.[15]

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."[16][17]

O'Shea also did showings at the Del Monte Art Gallery in the Hotel Del Monte, as well as the Crocker Art Gallery in Sacramento, California in the 1930s.[1] In 1938, The O'Shea's moved to Pebble Beach.[18]

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."[19]

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.[20] 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.[21]

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.[18][7][22]

Death[edit]

O'Shea died at home on April 29, 1956, at age 80.[7][23][6]

Legacy[edit]

O'Shea left a legacy of over 500 works in oil, charcoal, and watercolor.[7] In October of 1856, the Carmel Art Association staged a memorial with 29 of his paintings.[1] In 1965, an exhibit of 33 oils and watercolors opened in honor of O'Shea at the Laky Gallaries in Carmel.[24]

List of exhibitions[edit]

Some of the venues where O'Shea exhibited include the following:

Public collections[edit]

Among the public collections holding works by O'Shea are the:

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "John (Shawn) Garret O'Shea" (PDF). www.tfaoi.org. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
  2. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c "John O'Shea". Monterey Museum Of Art. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
  4. ^ a b c d e f 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c d e f g "John O'Shea Biography". Trotter Galleries, Inc. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
  8. ^ "Arts and Artists. John O'Shea". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. 14 Dec 1913. p. 30. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  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. ^ "Exhibitors of the Carmel Arts and Crafts Club (1906-1924)" (PDF). www.tfaoi.com. p. 258. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  11. ^ Carmel Pinecone Thursday June 8, 1922
  12. ^ "John O'Shea, Artist, to Marry". The New York Times. New York, New York. 26 May 1922. p. 19. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  13. ^ a b Lawrence Jeppson (26 May 1922). "O'Shea Can You See". Nauvoo Times. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  14. ^ "O'Sheas Sail For Tahiti". San Francisco Bulletin. San Francisco, California. August 9, 1928. p. 4. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  15. ^ "Mrs. Mary O'Shea, Artist's Wife, Dies". The San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco, California. 9 Oct 1941. p. 19. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  16. ^ "O'Shea Work On View at Palace". The San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco, California. April 29, 1934. p. 56. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ a b "John O'Shea". Crocker Art Museum. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  19. ^ "Todhunter Wins Guest of Honor Prize". Oakland Tribune. Oakland, California. 26 Nov 1939. p. 25. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  20. ^ "Prize Winners Announced For State Fair Exhibit". Oakland Tribune. Oakland, California. 31 Aug 1941. p. 40. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  21. ^ "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.
  22. ^ "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.
  23. ^ "O'Shea". The San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco, California. 4 May 1956. p. 51. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  24. ^ "Art News". Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 1965-03-11. p. 4. Retrieved 2024-02-20.

External links[edit]

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