Featured Pair of watercolours artist info please

I’ve identified the artist as Alex Tawson, born 1900 according to Auction house but I’ve not been able to find out much about him, (assuming a him), only one of the paintings is signed. 14x18 inches. Couple of his paintings online, a marine oil on panel and village green watercolour. Fresh from a jumble sale yesterday, some tidying up to do! Would like to know more about the artist from our best info sleuths if possible please, thank you. ie @Debora

 

Try Alexander Lawson.

https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/alexander-lawson-british-active-1890-1903-115-c-ee64fdd8ef

 

Thank you SO much Debora, it appears a couple of Auction houses have named him incorrectly too. I just didn’t see Lawson at all.
I think his oils I’ve seen now on Mutual are better than my watercolours but for £1 each I am happy to have them.

 

Nothing much about him to be found on the internet. Wonder if he wasn't a Sunday painter. Still, his work is charming and you did good at £1 pound each.

Debora

 

Does this work appear to have his name and town written on the wood at bottom?

Debora

 

Yes, it does. Perhaps someone can decipher.

Debora

 

It's W'hampton short for the city of Wolverhampton in the English Midlands. I think the subject of the first painting is the Great Orme in Llandudno.

 

Great eyes! Thanks. So he was a Midlands artist who like to holiday and paint in Wales. Here's another of his works. Web site says 1860-1927.

https://shop.artuk.org/artist/alexander-lawson-1860-1927/

Debora

 

Ah, he was a Sunday painter. Full time job as a Fine Art Dealer. From the 1898 edition of 'The Year's Art'.

https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Year_s_Art/ZmMoAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=artist+alexander+lawson+wolverhampton &pg=RA1-PA193&printsec=frontcover

Debora

 

Terrible things have happened to Dudley Street since then.

Debora

 

There's loads of superb 'Sunday Painters' out there. These folks had 9 to 5 day jobs,kids and never had time to devote their whole lives to Art.
Hence no agents,prominent gallery/museum shows,press clippings,acclaim,or big bucks. Doesn't mean they didn't have the potential for brilliance-life just had other ideas.
A famous amateur's studio (Winston Churchill)-

 

Winston Churchill. A great American.

Debora

 

I’m not sure if this is him, if so he did well to exhibit in the Walker and RA.
Only 13 active years though. Maybe that’s when he decided to become a dealer.

 

So many here look like that

 

Digital print, I thought £15 was a bit low! Life Dates nearly the same as the Art Bio I just found. Thanks Debora.

 

In the 1901 census he's described as "ARTIST LANDSCAPE PAINTER & PRINTSELLER", aged 40 (i.e. born c.1861), born Scotland. Living at 187 Merridale Road, Wolverhampton.

He was already in Wolverhampton in 1881, aged 20, when he was living with his parents. Both he and his father James give their profession as "Frame Maker". Before that, when Alexander was 10, they were living in Gloucester.

 

Thanks for the additional info @architrave. Wonder if he actually made the frames on my paintings. I’m hoping I might find an sig or date on the other picture when I take them apart to clean them up.

 

Got the foxed painting out of the frame today, alas it’s tightly glued down but managed to separate the cardboard, but no chance of finding a signature under the gold mount as I can’t get the watercolour free.
I carefully scraped the foxed areas with the tip of a scalpel blade and filled in with dry watercolour pencils, you could use chalk pastels too I would think. I replaced the back board with acid free board and will put back the pine boards as the new acid free board will protect the painting. I’ve given it a few more years.