PASADENA, Calif. – Since late 2014, John Moran Auctioneers’ Fine Art Department has been hard at work procuring fresh-to-the-market consignments for the March 2015 Fine Art Auction. The fruits of their labor are self-evident when viewing the selections included in the well-curated catalog, which features works indicative of the included artists’ most iconic subjects and typical styles.

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Two works by San Gabriel-born California Art Club Member Guy Orlando Rose (1867-1925) have been consigned; each from private collections within Southern California. The first, estimated to earn $100,000 to $200,000 at the March 24 auction event, is a charming Laguna coastal, which serves as a turn from Rose’s rather tonally uniform atmospheric studies Moran’s has been offering as of late. The second, titled Sierra Vista Hill is a variation on the haystacks subject Rose also employed for the work Moran’s offered in their March 25, 2014 auction. While that work was a frosty winter landscape depicting snow-capped haystacks in Crecy-en-Brie, France, the present example a swath of golden Southern California hillside dotted with rows of haystacks that recede to meet a hazy skyline (estimate: $200,000 to $300,000).

Moran’s will also offer works by two of the artists who comprise the venerated Northern California-based Society of Six. Hailing from the private collection of a Bay Area collector, the works include landscapes and a charming floral still life by the society’s eldest member, Seldon Connor Gile (1877-1947, Belvedere, Calif.), as well as landscapes by August F. Gay (1890-1948, Carmel, Calif.). Estimates all range between $5,000 and $12,000.

A selection of works by George Spangenberg (1907-1964, San Diego) from a San Diego area collection includes Southern California landscapes as well as meditative still life compositions. Originally traded directly from the artist to the consignor’s family for room and board, the works should garner quite a bit of interest at auction, as Spangenberg’s work is rarely seen at auction. Another single-artist collection, this one hailing from California’s Orange County, features works by Bishop, Calif. artist Robert W. Wood (1889-1979). The works include Texas bluebonnet landscapes, sprawling California scenic paintings and coastals, with estimates ranging from $1,000 at the low end to $18,000 at the high end for larger works.

Modern works of art are also eking out a position among Moran’s top-earning lots. Two highly anticipated modernist paintings by California artists are offered, including a sizable landscape titled Santa Monica Coast Highway by Larry Cohen (born 1952). The artist is known for grand, far-reaching townscapes illustrating the sometimes competing, sometimes complementary forces of sprawl and natural beauty on display throughout Los Angeles, San Francisco and surrounding metropolitan areas, and the present example is no exception (estimate: $2,000 to $3,000). Also a meditation on the coastal theme, Moran’s is offering an oil on canvas by Ray Strong (1905-2006, Santa Barbara, Calif.), with a conservative $3,000 to $5,000 estimate. Works by both the above artists have been sold above estimate by Moran’s in the past two years, and the house is hoping for a repeat performance.

Substantially-sized paintings provide breathtaking highlights throughout the March 24 sale catalog, including a forest interior landscape titled Fontainebleau Forest at Twilight, by Frederick Judd Waugh (1861-1940, Provincetown, Mass). The moody winter scene measures in at 44 in. x 58 in., and carries an estimate of $20,000 to $30,000. Taos Pueblo at Dusk by Will Sparks (1862-1937, San Francisco) exhibits the artist’s typical affinity for nocturnes. The work is expected to earn between $15,000 and $20,000 at the block. A stunning coastal oil on canvas by Paul Lauritz (1889-1975, Glendale, Calif.) featuring the Monterey Bay with cypress trees, measures nearly 4 feet across. The Lauritz is estimated to bring $40,000 to $50,000.

Additional highlights include:

• A patinated bronze figural sculpture titled Wings of Victory by Alonzo Victor Lewis (1886-1945, Seattle) depicts an American nurse and three uniformed World War I soldiers beneath the wingspan of Victory personified (estimate: $8,000 to $10,000).
• An impressionist landscape by important female Bay Area artist E. Charlton Fortune (1885-1969), depicts a verdant, partially shaded backyard garden dotted with flowers. Representative of the artist’s bright palette, the piece is expected to bring $70,000 to $90,000 at the March sale.
• Two stunning female portraits in graphite on paper by Russian-born Nicolai Fechin (1881-1950, Santa Monica, Calif.), are offered with estimates of $5,000 to $7,000 and $4,000 to $6,000, respectively.
• A playful crayon drawing of the Elephant Cat from If I Ran the Zoo by Dr. Seuss (a.k.a. Theodor Geisel) (1904-1991, La Jolla, Calif.), is offered for $3,000 to $5,000.

John Moran Auctioneers will hold the March 24 California and American Fine Art Auction at the Pasadena Convention Center, located at 300 E. Green St., Pasadena, Calif. For more information regarding this or upcoming auctions, consignment, or any of the works listed above, call John Moran headquarters: 626-793-1833.

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