Ohio Mag: Collecting Winter Scenes

Does living in the snow belt give you your fill of the lovely white fluff?  Or, do you find yourself anticipating, with the wonder of childhood, the first downy flakes of the season?  Winter’s robe has inspired artists of all media - from Irving Berlin’s melodic holiday hit to Robert Frost’s soothing refrain.  Painters like Guy Wiggins have created fame and fortune by reproducing iconic cityscapes cloaked in a dreamy film of snow.   With our rich history of artistic talent, it is no wonder that Ohio painters should contribute to the winter genre with terrific examples of snowy town and countryside.  From an appraiser’s perspective, any artistic element that adds sentiment and creates wide-ranging appeal improves the value of a painting.  Recently, Garth’s sold two similar landscapes by well-loved Ohio artist, Tella Kitchen in the same auction; the painting with snow outperformed the other by 300%!  Whether you are a snowbird or snow bunny, warm up to the whimsy, romance and charm of wintry scenes by Ohio artists.  

Interested in learning more about Ohio artists? Check out these great resources:

The Schumacher Gallery at Capital University

The Butler Institute of American Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art

The Columbus Museum of Art

This winter Scene by Tella Kitchen (Ohio, 1902-1988), captures the naive approach which elevated Kitchen to her status as one of the greatest folk painters of the 20th century.  The oil on canvas pictured here sold for $1,175 at Garth’s Auctioneers & Appraisers.

 Snow In the City by Clyde Singer (Ohio, 1908-1999), an accomplished artist who lived most of his life in Northeast Ohio, sold for $11,448 at Garth’s Auctioneers & Appraisers.

While not an image of a major Ohio city, most of us can identify such an iconic and patriotic New York City street scene.  Looking Down 5th Ave. by Guy Carleton Wiggins (New York/Connecticut, 1883-1962) is one of many winter themed works by the prolific artist, yet subject and demand still produce impressive sales.  Sold,  $41,125 at Garth’s Auctioneers & Appraisers.