Featured CA oil painting: Haskin

Hi again. Does anyone have any idea who 'Haskin' might be? It's a common enough name that I'm not figuring it out.

Presumably titled 'East of the Sierras,' it looks a lot to me like Death Valley, or at least one of its neighboring valleys.

All comments valued and appreciated!

 

Beneath that grime is I suspect a very lovely little painting. I suspect theres something out there though,this artist seems skilled. Be sure to save that piece of paper with the writing on it,looks like it was the artist as the H is the same. I just love it !

 

Nice match on those letters! Thanks.

Yes, it's really dirty. I cleaned a tiny section and it made a difference. I've never tried to clean a painting myself, but I may have a go at it.

 

ask how here 1st...

 

I've read on here about using saliva and cotton swabs, which is weird, but multiple sources say it works.

Has anyone else done this?

 

Little painting I cleaned that way, before and after:


Do a small area to test first, then clean a small area at a time, do it gently, not too much pressure. You will go through a whole lot of Q-Tips!

However, I would first do research to try to ID the artist. If it proves to be worth something you may want to have it professionally cleaned.

 

Wow-- what a difference! I'm guessing it also takes a lot of time...

 

That's very nice. Middle ground could be a body of water to my eye.

Debora

 

Saliva's the safest way to clean an oil.Re:Chemical solvents-I'd consult an actual reputable professional.

 

You know... There is a Haskin family in Inyo County, California. I wonder if some connection. County's population in 1968 was only 3,641.

Debora

 

If it's where I think it is, that's a seasonal dry lake bed: shallow saline water in the rainy season (or when a hurricane comes onshore ), salt flat in the summer.

 

Wow-- interesting! That'd be exactly the place....

 

Your work was clearly done by a trained artist who might not have been a resident but may have some family connection. If you haven't already, you might want to join familysearch.org and do some exploring. It's free.

Debora

 

Or... Why don't you start with the research librarian in Bishop?

https://www.inyocounty.us/services/library

Debora

 

The Eastern Sierras are a beautiful often overlooked part of California.I'd like to see more of his paintings.

 

Like anything else, doing the job the right way takes time. It's why professional cleaning is expensive.

 

Thank you for the valued opinions and suggestions, @Debora.

 

Ok, so I gave it a go on the saliva and Q-tip cleaning. I'm not sure it made much difference. I didn't want to go too hard. I did notice some colors of paint seemed to have 'caught' more dirt than others (or at least more dirt came off certain colors). I cleaned the frame too...

Before:



After:



(P. S. Still waiting to hear back from the librarian in Inyo County regarding the name.)

 

I see a difference. Think improved.

Debora