Percy Gray
American, 1860 - 1952
Born in San Francisco on October 3, 1869, Percy Gray came from a long line of artists. Continuing the family tradition, he studied under Emil Carlsen and then under William Merritt Chase. By 1920 he had established himself as a professional landscape painter. In 1923 Gray married and settled in Monterey where brick by brick, they rebuilt the historic Casa Bonifacio, also known as the Sherman Rose House, built in 1835, locale of the legendary romance of Senorita Maria Bonifacio and William T. Sherman, the famous Civil War General. Working from his studio attached to the house, he attained total mastery of his watercolor technique. In 1939, they sold the house and after two years in San Francisco, settled in San Anselmo, in Marin County. After the death of his wife in 1951, the last year of Gray's life was spent as a resident of the Bohemian Club in his native city. He died of a heart attack in his studio on October 10, 1952. Although he did some oils and portraiture, he is best known for his atmospheric watercolors. His works most often depict the glades and valleys of Northern California, with slopes of poppies & lupine under oaks and eucalyptus trees.Biography courtesy of DeRu's Fine Arts
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