“Plein-Aire Painter

Beautiful pastel on archival paper by the well known American pastelist, Gene Sparkman. In excellent condition and very nicely custom gallery frame. Signed lower right. Overall framed 23.75 by 32 inches.

Gene Sparkman (1941-2010)
Master pastelist, Gene Sparkman’s work is in many private, corporate and permanent public museum collections world-wide, such as, the Butler Institute of American Art, Franklin Library, The Smithsonian, et al. He was a director of the Pastel Society of America and elected Master Pastelist in 1984. Exhibitions and major awards include Salmagundi Club, NYC; Allied Artists of America, NYC; Pastel Society of America, NYC; Manchester Institute of the Arts, NH; Canton Art Institute, OH; Butler Institute of American Art, OH; New Britain Museum of American Art, CT; Society of Illustrators, NYC; Society of Illustrators, CA; Rameau Palais, Paris, France, etc.. Gene Sparkman studied with such formidable masters of their genre as California artists Joseph Henniger, Harry Carmean , John Asaro and Rudolf Baranik of NYC.

Mr. Sparkman taught drawing, figure painting and the fine art of illustration for 10 years at the Art Students League of New York, NYC. He also taught at Western Connecticut State University, CT; Sacred Heart University, CT; University of Bridgeport, CT; Pratt Institute, NY; Fashion Institute of Technology, NY and briefly at Silvermine Art Guild, CT.

Gene Sparkman received his MFA in Visual Arts, Vermont College of Fine Art, Montpelier, VT; BFA in Illustration, Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA. He is currently represented by the Geary Gallery, Darien, CT and the Whitehall Galllery, Annapolis, MD.

He is listed in Marquis’ Who’s Who in American Art (1986) under his full name Carl Eugene Sparkman Jr.