California Artists in China

 If you ever visited Ruth Dicker's studio, there was a distinctive poster on the wall with small lettering "CALIFORNIA ARTISTS IN" and then in big bold red letters "CHINA."  In the small text it describes a group of artists led by Earl Thollandar and including Ruth Dicker and Don Birrell (of The Nut Tree) among others.  I don't know if I still have a copy of this anywhere, but I recently came across an Earl Thollander website where not only is there a reproduction of the poster, but also many sketches and even a picture of Ruth Dicker on the journey.  You can scroll through it all here.  Below is a single page with Ruth Dicker Pictured.

Poplars and Haystacks from 1961

This painting really caught my eye, when I first saw it in scanned slides.  I included it in a set of cropped iPhone Wallpapers, now much too small for current iPhone.  Well, a fan wrote in to say that she found it at a consignment shop in Palo Alto, CA.  What a great discovery!

Also, SFGate just ran a story on The Nut Tree, that includes a picture of at least one Ruth Dicker painting. When I first saw the link, I was hoping that they uncovered some photos that I hadn't seen, but I don't think that was the case.

Multiple Updates

A fan wrote in to say they found Thistles from 1962 at a consignment shop in Mountain View.  Good find.  Keep your eyes peeled.  I'll have to check the slide archive for any record of it.

Another painting from a similar vintage seen on the blog here: http://ruthdickerpaintings.blogspot.com/2018/07/a-nice-piece-from-1960s.html is semi-actively looking for a good home.  Reach out if interested.

It looks like somebody snapped up a very fine piece at Auction last fall: https://finesf.com/lot/ruth-dicker-the-forest-der-wald-1982-4047462.

Finally, Les Arbres dans L'Hiver continues to be for say on ebay, but the price might be too high.  We'll have to keep watching that one.

Update to Les Arbres dans L'Hiver

Over a year ago, it was noted that this painting sold and we asked "Who was the lucky buyer?"

It seems that it has shown up again on Ebay and the current link is here.

Updates

It has certainly been a strange year and we hope everyone is staying safe in the world, but we have a handful of updates.

A previously seen painting has now showed up on eBay.  Check out Les Arbres dans L'Hiver.

Another fan found a really nice minimalist piece and sent along this photo:

Also, in what was a very unexpected surprise, a Ruth Dicker painting appeared in this Japanese food commercial:

Solano Collects at Vacaville Museum

I found a recent article referencing Ruth Dicker paintings appearing at the Vacaville Museum for a show titled Solano Collects.  I couldn't seem to find any pictures on the museum website.  Then, I found another article that does show six paintings together on a wall together.  I might need to pay a visit.  Article excerpt below:

Since October 5, the Vacaville Museum at 213 Buck Avenue has been featuring an amazing exhibit of 30 collections belonging to Solano County residents.

A jury panel of three judges — a gallery owner, a museum exhibitor and an artist — selected the 30 from 45 submissions to comprise the Solano Collects exhibit. Each collection is a treat.

...

Dicker is known for her California landscapes in her hallmark style of intentional paint splatters, vibrant acrylic colors as well as strips of wood covered in rice-paper to give dimensionality and texture. Her large paintings depicting the four seasons were in the dining room of The Nut Tree in Vacaville before it closed in 1996.

Update: According to the museum, the paintings are titled "Summer Plains", "Shadows", "Pine Forest", "Spring Oak with Lupine", "Annadel", and "Moon with Fog."   Some of the smaller paintings look like they are prints of other paintings, which means the artist did something like a block print of one painting and then filled in the rest with different color paints.

Garden Terrace Room at Yosemite Lodge

OK, after a quick panic, the Yosemite Mural has been found safely at the Yosemite Lodge.  It is in the Garden Terrace room and based on these pictures, it might actually be a better location because more people will see it and enjoy it for meetings and festive occasions.