Sterling Boyd Strauser (American, 1907-1995). Oil on board, 1964. Hand-signed and dated at upper left. A delightful painting of a charming white llama by self-taught artist Sterling Strauser who along with his wife Dorothy were known throughout the Pocono Mountains region of Pennsylvania as folk artists and promoters of folk and outsider art. An endearing painting delineated in Strauser's expressive folk art style with a bold black and white color palette against a grey ground. Size (painting): 29.875" L x 6.5" W (75.9 cm x 16.5 cm) Size (frame): 30.625" L x 7.25" W (77.8 cm x 18.4 cm)

Sterling Strauser and his wife, the self-taught artist Dorothy Strauser, were important figures in the American folk art scene. They championed the works of folk and outsider artists such as Jack Savitsky, Victor Joseph Gatto, Ironside Pry, Charlie Dieter, Joseph Polinski, and Justin McCarthy - credited with the discovery and support of many of these self-taught artists. Honoring their contributions to folk art in America, Chuck and Jan Rosenak dedicated their Encyclopedia of Twentieth-Century American Folk Art and Artists to the Strausers in 1991. In their dedication, the Rosenaks stated, "They taught us to see, and that seeing could be fun." In addition, the Folk Art Society of America presented the couple with its Annual Award of Distinction in 1993.

Sterling Strauser's works have been exhibited at: the Lyzon Gallery, Nashville, Tennessee; the Reading Public Museum, Reading, Pennsylvania; and Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. His paintings are included in the permanent collections of the American Museum in Bath, England; the Allentown Art Museum, Allentown, Pennsylvania; Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; Everhart Museum, Scranton, Pennsylvania; Cheekwood Museum and Vanderbilt University, both in Nashville, Tennessee; Maier Museum of Art, Lynchburg, Virginia; and, numerous private and corporate collections.

David Burliuk, an accomplished artist and member of the Blaue Reiter group, spoke very highly of Sterling Strauser, "It is amazing to find a self-taught artist in a quaint little provincial village painting like the masters in the great art centers of the world." Interestingly, Edward J. Driebe, a produce merchant of Stroudsburg where the Strausers resided, sent four of Strauser's paintings to the White House as gifts for the Kennedy family in 1961. These included "Trains" for the president; "Saucy Rooster" for Jacqueline; "The Giraffes" for Caroline, and "Newborn Palomino Colt" for John F. Jr.

Provenance: private Boulder, Colorado, USA collection

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#175717

Hand-signed and dated at upper left. Minor age wear with a few scuffs here and there. Otherwise very nice. Fit with suspension wire.