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Grand Canyon, 1918
Oil, 10 in x 8 in |
Born in Missouri, Edgar Payne left home at an early age because his father disapproved of his painting. Self-taught, he worked as a sign and house painter and painted scenery for theatrical productions. He lived in Chicago for several years, joining the Palette and Chisel Club, where he made contact with other artists and first exhibited his landscape paintings. The Santa Fe Railway sponsored his first trip to New Mexico and Arizona in 1916. He married artist Elsie Palmer; together they made regular visits to California and the Southwest. They painted murals for theaters and courthouses until they could support themselves through the sale of oil paintings, They lived briefly in Laguna Beach, California, where Payne established the Laguna Beach Art Association and Art Gallery. Payne became known for his paintings of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, done from sketches made on many camping trips. His book, The Composition of OutdoorPainting, was published in 1941.
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Edgar A. Payne (1883-1947)