28: JOHN NOLF (ILLINOIS 1872-1950) TWO WATERCOLOR PAINTINGS

John Thomas Nolf (1872-1950)
(1944)
Each is signed lower right. The image of a fisherman is dated 1944.

John Thomas Nolf, short-term resident of Joplin, Missouri and many other locales, lived a pretty colorful life before becoming an artist. Winnings from a poker game bought him a first class ticket to Chicago where he attended the Chicago Art Institute, launching his career as an artist, an illustrator and a teacher. He is most associated with the quaint Illinois village of Grand Detour, home of the Grand Detour Artist's Colony to which he described himself as mayor. Others, it has been reported, described him as 'Will Rodgers without the chewing gum and lariat.' Biographers also report that the people and places around Grand Detour often provided inspiration for Nolf's paintings. That may explain the strong similarities of the barnyard plot in this composition, and another in this auction,
Man on the bench image measures 16 x 12, sheet is 18 x 13.75, and framed size is 26.25 x 19.75 inches. Fisherman sheet measures 12 x 15 and framed size is 23 x 27 inches.
Good condition, noting some scattered light toning and or foxing.
$500 - $1,000