Ella Bird Smith, Point Loma, California, Oil on Canvas, c. Late 19th Early 20th Century

Painting

The sky in this seascape is dramatically pink and filled with puffy, partially pink clouds; the pink color is most intense in the lower clouds. The sky takes up about half of the canvas. A distant cliff is visible in the distance on the right side. Two structures stand on the cliff. The foreground depicts foam-tipped, abalone-colored waves as they roll in and break on the beach. The beach is a warm tan, ranging-to orange. Brown seaweed and dead plant life have washed up on the beach and are visible through shallow water.

Smith paintings became part of the Eagle’s Nest Art Gallery’s permanent collection at some point after 1950.

11 1/2 x 15 1/2″

Ella Bird Smith was originally from Stillman Valley. In 1881, she married Henry A. Smith, lawyer, and eventual mayor of Oregon. Smith wrote, travelled, painted, and was active in many of the local women’s organizations. She showed several oil paintings in the 1892 Oregon Women’s Columbian Club Exhibition, which was held in 1892 at the courthouse.