Will Sparks (painter)

Will Sparks (February 7, 1862 – March 31, 1937) was an American painter. He painted the adobe buildings of Spanish missions in California, Arizona and New Mexico, with a focus on colors and nocturnes.

Will Sparks
BornFebruary 7, 1862
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
DiedMarch 31, 1937
San Francisco, California, U.S.
EducationSt. Louis School of Fine Arts
Académie Julian
Académie Colarossi
OccupationPainter
Spouse(s)Ethel Martin

Early life

Will Sparks was born on February 7, 1862 in St. Louis, Missouri.[1][2] He first studied medicine and passed his exams, but he decided to become a painter instead.[3] He was educated at the St. Louis School of Fine Arts, the Académie Julian and the Académie Colarossi.[1]

Career

Sparks began his career in the art department of The Cincinnati Enquirer.[3] While he was in Paris, he sketched body parts for Louis Pasteur.[4] Upon his return to the United States, he pursued his artistic career in Denver, Colorado, and he subsequently settled in San Francisco, California.[4]

Sparks painted the bluffs of Santa Catalina Island and the landscape of Niles Canyon as well old windmills in Mexico.[5] However, most of his work consisted of the adobe buildings of the Spanish missions in California, Arizona and New Mexico.[1][6][7] He used plenty of colors in his paintings.[7] He also did many nocturnes.[8]

Sparks was a co-founder of the Hotel Del Monte Art Gallery in Monterey, California in 1907.[8] Philanthropist Alma de Bretteville Spreckels owned 37 of his paintings.[9]

Personal life and death

Sparks was married to Ethel Martin.[1][10] He was a member of the Bohemian Club.[6] He died at St Mary's Hospital in San Francisco on March 31, 1937.[6][10]

References
  1. "Missions of Will Sparks". Santa Barbara Historical Society. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  2. Weber, Francis J. (1994). Golden State Catholicism: Some Historical Reflections. OCLC 166508445.
  3. Artists' locale : exhibition of early landscape paintings of the Monterey Bay Region, January 13 - March 24, 1989. Santa Cruz, California: Santa Cruz Historical Trust. 1989. OCLC 19992158.
  4. Spangenberg, Helen (1976). Yesterday's Artists on the Monterey Peninsula. Monterey, California: Monterey Peninsula Museum of Art. p. 31. OCLC 2493254.
  5. "Pictures Of Old Ruins By Sparks". The San Francisco Chronicle. July 28, 1912. p. 30. Retrieved July 9, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Will Sparks, Noted Artist, Dies in S.F.". The Oakland Tribune. March 31, 1937. p. 1. Retrieved July 9, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Artists and Their Work". The San Francisco Chronicle. August 24, 1919. p. 6. Retrieved July 9, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Burton-Carvajal, Julianne (2002). The Monterey Mesa: Oldest Neighborhood in California. Monterey, California: City of Monterey. p. 31. OCLC 50946426.
  9. "Missions of Will Sparks". St Mary's College Museum of Art. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  10. "Will Sparks Dies". The Bakersfield Californian. April 1, 1937. p. 12. Retrieved July 9, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.


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