North American Auction Company
Live Auction

Early American Frontier & Antique Auction

Sat, Aug 25, 2018 12:00PM EDT
Lot 139

Donald "Putt" Putman Oil on Board Native Couple

Estimate: $1,000 - $2,000

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $5
$50 $10
$100 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$25,000 $2,500
$100,000 $5,000
Featured in this lot is an original oil on board painting, crafted by Donald "Putt" Putman. The subject matter of the painting shows a Native American Indian couple, exchanging deep emotion. Both of the Native Americans are dressed in typical garb, and are sat upon a Navajo rug. Donald Putman lived between 1921 through 2007, and was an accomplished family man, and artist through that time. Donald "Putt" Putman was born in Spokane, Washington in 1926. Although born in Washington, he has spent most of his life in California. Putt attended high school in Los Angeles, and then joined the Navy during World War II. After the war he received a scholarship to California State University Fresno. While in college his passion for the arts convinced him to transfer to Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles. After completing his studies at Art Center College, Putt joined Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, working at first as a porter, then the strongman catcher, and then a comic acrobat. Putt worked during the day, but drew and painted the show people, animals, and freaks during the evening, His circus paintings include several portraits of the famous clown Emmett Kelley. Putt met his wife Bobbie in Florida while traveling with the circus. While Putt enjoyed circus life, he eventually left the big top to get married, and returned to painting full time. The couple eventually settled in Los Angeles to raise a family. While raising two boys and two girls, Putt became a scenic artist for MGM. He helped in the painting of sceneries for such movies as Mutiny on the Bounty, The Brothers Grimm and The Four Horsemen. During the 1960's, Putt returned to Art Center College as a teacher. It was there that he discovered that he truly loved to teach, and found great joy in helping others to shape their artistic skills. Over the yearó»s Puttó»s passion for portraying the people and the history of the American West earned him a reputation as an accomplished Western Painter. His Western works include Native American portraits and scenes, frontier life, colonial Spanish ladies and Vaqueros, dance halls, saloons, and bordellos. While he is best known as a Western artist, his works cover a wide range of other subjects including portraiture, dance, circus life, nudes, and landscape. In his later years Putt devoted his time fully to his painting, doing occasional shows and teaching art workshops at his home near Yosemite National Park. Putt was a member of the Yosemite Western Artists art organization based in Ahwahnee California. During the last years of his life Putt painted regularly at the historical Gertrude Schoolhouse with the YWA painting group. Paintings of Putt's hang in the Rochester Museum of New York, the Whitney Museum in Wyoming, and in public and private collections world-wide. Many celebrities have purchased an original Putt painting including Charlton Heston, Burt Reynolds, and Clint Eastwood. Overall, the painting shows good condition, there is some scuffs on the top left. The painting is framed in a green suede frame. The frame measures 50" x 41".

Condition

For a complete representation of condition and for additional images please call 800-686-4216. It is the buyer۪s responsibility to view each image and preview the item to determine condition.
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