Will (William Roderick) James (Canadian/American, 1892 - 1942). "Castles in the Sky". Oil on canvas. c1930s. Signed "Will James," lower left. Oil paintings by Will James are very rare. Overall very good condition. Professionally lined as canvas was weak and brittle, preserving the original stretcher. Examined under blacklight. Signature contemporaneous to the painting; some inpainting at time of lining, primarily in the sky, a few touch ups here and there; no inpainting to the signature, nor the bush above the signature, nor the horse and human figures, nor to the hat; the only paint loss is a small flake in the middle of the bush, lower left, virtually unnoticeable because of its position. The wood frame is not the original frame and is in decent condition, with some minor losses and scuffs to the edges. Joseph Ernest Nephtali Dufault, later to be known as Will James, was born on June 6, 1892, in Quebec, Canada. At a young age, he departed Canada and traveled to the United States, working and drifting primarily as a cowboy. He served in the army and soon began selling his sketches. In 1920 he married, and shortly after that, he had a brief period of study at Yale University. During his writing career he wrote and illustrated 23 books in all, with appeal to a wide audience. His art appeared in the pages of books and periodicals, as well as illustrating the works of other authors. Will James spent his latter years at his home in Billings, Montana, and on his ranch, the “Rocking R Ranch” at Pryor Creek, Montana. During his lifetime, he was fortunate to watch his popularity grow, as he witnessed movies made from his books. Despite his popularity and success as a novelist and artist, James had a tragic life. He served a short prison term for rustling, experienced an unpleasant marriage, and had a severe alcohol dependency. His life ended at the early age of 50 in 1942 (Courtesy: AskART). Image size: 14 x 18 in. (356 x 457 mm). [18292] |50000| {R100} azzzz~rzzzz