“Close of the Day”

Beautiful oil painting on heavy artist card stock of a sunset in Epsom, England by the British painter, Harold Sutton Palmer. Signed S. Palmer lower right. The painting is it’s original frame. Gold painted over original gilding. Overall framed measurements are 14 by 20 inches. Condition is very good.

Epsom is a market town in Surrey, England, 13.7 miles (22.0 km) southwest of London, between Ashtead and Ewell. The town straddles chalk downland (Epsom Downs) and the upper Thanet Formation. Epsom Downs Racecourse holds The Derby, now a generic name for sports competitions in English-speaking countries. The town also gives its name to Epsom salts, originally extracted from mineral waters there.

Sutton Palmer was born in Plymouth in Devon, England, and studied at the Royal College of Art for two years, winning a gold medal for his work. He exhibited in London - at the Royal Academy (RA) from 1870, Fine Art Society, Leicester Galleries and Dowdeswell galleries - and in New York City. He was a member of the Royal Society of British Artists (RBA) from 1892 and Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours (RI) from 1920.

He illustrated several travel books for the publisher A & C Black as well as postcards for A & C Black and Salmon.[2]

Sutton Palmer specialised in idyllic rustic landscapes painted in watercolours. He lived in London but painted widely in England (e.g. Surrey, Berkshire, Devon, The Lake District, Yorkshire) and Scotland. His works can now be found in art galleries such as the Victoria and Albert Museum, Leek Art Gallery and Wardown Park Museum, Luton, and also in private collections.

Sutton Palmer married Maud Moore in 1889 at San Jose, California. He resided in California for short periods, and painted a series of California scenes.