Menu
  • | All Art
  • | New Arrivals
  • I Bernard Zawisa
  • | Gaétan Caron
  • | Rob Delamater
  • | Curator's Vault
  • | Book Your Visit
  • | Artist by Name
  • | Art by Category
    • Abstract
    • Figurative
    • Landscape
    • Still Life
  • | Art by Medium
    • Drawings & Watercolors
    • Limited Edition Prints
    • Mixed Media
    • Paintings
    • Photography
    • Printmaking
    • Sculptures & Objects
  • | Services
    • Rentals
    • Shipping
    • Framing
    • Our Acquisition Process
    • Installation & Design
    • FAQ for Designers
  • 1 (415) 861-1530
  • Login
Lost Art Salon
0

  • 1 (415) 861-1530
  •  Wishlist
  • Login
0

Your Cart is Empty

Continue Shopping
    • $0 Subtotal
    • Taxes and shipping calculated at checkout

    Lost Art Salon
    • | All Art
    • | New Arrivals
    • I Bernard Zawisa
    • | Gaétan Caron
    • | Rob Delamater
    • | Curator's Vault
    • | Book Your Visit
    • | Artist by Name
    • | Art by Category
      • Abstract
      • Figurative
      • Landscape
      • Still Life
    • | Art by Medium
      • Drawings & Watercolors
      • Limited Edition Prints
      • Mixed Media
      • Paintings
      • Photography
      • Printmaking
      • Sculptures & Objects
    • | Services
      • Rentals
      • Shipping
      • Framing
      • Our Acquisition Process
      • Installation & Design
      • FAQ for Designers
      Alysanne McGaffey

      Alysanne McGaffey

      Category

      Medium

      Size

      Color

      Price

      Availability

      Framed

      Unframed

      Previous Artist Next Artist

      Alysanne McGaffey (1931-2018)

      • The Collection
      • The Story
      • Alysanne McGaffey was a part of the Bay Area Figurative Movement of the late 1950s and early 60s, while studying at the San Francisco Art Institute. The name of this art movement defines a segment of the area's art production in the mid 20th century. Seen romantically at times, the period remains important in the history of American art.

        In the late 1940s and 50s, the art world had shifted its attention from a devastated and demoralized Europe to the aggressively vital New York scene with the work of the Abstract Expressionists. The culture was questioning Old World principles, emphasizing an inward looking personal expression and a rejection of the grayed landmark of the "Silent Generation". Artist on both coasts were developing new styles.

        On the West Coast, specifically The San Francisco Art Institute and the school’s surrounding neighborhood, North Beach, were the center of this cultural renaissance. It was here that this Bay Area style began to emerge, taking the expressionists' gestural handling of paint, often thickly applied, and merging it with figurative subject matter. They had worked their way through the crucible of cubism, found it wanting and began to reexamine the figure. Painters such as David Park, Elmer Bischoff, Hassel Smith, and Richard Diebenkorn were the first generation of figurative painters, a movement spanning nearly two decades. Amidst this scene, McGaffey was developing as a painter, honing her craft.

        Her subject matter and her expressive, loose, and deliberate brushstrokes firmly placed her in this movement. The school's art supply store in the basement was a favorite hangout where one could exchange ideas about the things in materials and techniques. Her palette included Alizarin Crimson, Prussian blue and Cadmium Yellow, generally from Bay City Company’s paint line. Some of the paintings and drawings in our collection are from McGaffey's body of work created during the 50s and 60s. Images include portraits of significant figures of the art scene, including Joan Brown, Jay DeFeo and Flo Allen.

        McGaffey began her studies at the Art Institute in the mid 1950s. She studied with such prominent artists as Wally Hedrick, Jay DeFeo, Bill Brown, Joan Brown, Dorr Bothwell, Manuel Neri, Walter Kuhlman, Nathan Olivera, James Weeks, Fred Martin, Ivan Madijrkoff and James Budd Dixon. Gregory Bateson taught Scientific Method and Fred Martin opened up Art History for her. The artists/instructors often adopted an informal teaching style, encouraging their students to learn by doing, working out visual problems independently. As McGaffey explains,” You were really forced to come to terms with your own ideas of craft, get excited about doing it, the act of painting ; not talking about it, analyzing the thing to death." San Francisco’s bohemian society was small enough so that the various disciplines could interact; painters and poets, actors and writers frequently partied together, arguing “great bones of contention”. After a full day of work in the Financial District, she would take an art class, do life drawing with a small group of her fellows from the SFAI, or worked at home on printmaking projects.

        At the Grand Opening of the new Hertz Hall at UC Berkeley, McGaffey recalls seeing her first David Park painting: "He had done a backdrop for the world premiere of Dario’s Milhaud’s "Orpheo". The backdrop was a very large canvas, a gold lyre on a rich brown field. The work and the configuration of events were and still are very charged for me. It is close in feeling to the way I still relate to Rothko's painting; that a simple painting could speak so deeply to the inner person, the psyche, amazing."

        Alysanne was born and raised in Seattle, Washington, surrounded by the wild grandeur of the Pacific Northwest. The natural world has always been a great source of wonder and inspiration for her art and spirituality. She has made her home and studio in Pacifica on the San Mateo Coast. While living in San Francisco, Alysanne found ways to vacation, crossing the Golden Gate Bridge to paint in West Marin and on Mount Tam, accompanied by her two poodles. As a child, she enjoyed working with wood and clay. She began her education at the University of Washington in journalism, studied with Ray Du Pen and exhibited plaster cast sculptural carvings at the school. Shortly after she moved to San Francisco, as she says: "to write the great American novel". Socializing with a group of progressive Catholic artists and writers, she was strongly encouraged to pursue art rather than writing. While working full time in the financial district, she enrolled at the Art Institute. Receiving many awards for her works, she was given a scholarship after her first quarter. Over the years she developed as an artist, attending many of the important art schools of the Bay Area; College of Arts and Crafts, the Academy of Art, UC Berkeley and UC B Extension. She completed her Bachelors degree at the College of Notre Dame in Belmont, and went on to complete an MFA in painting at the University of San Francisco (formerly Lone Mountain College).

        After completing extensive course work in art history and science, her focus turned to the education of others. She received a Community College Instructor in Art Certificate from San Francisco State University, completing a student teacher internship at two local community colleges. McGaffey helped found the Infant Development Center of San Francisco in 1978. She continues to teach art and painting; for the last several decades focusing on watercolor. She has had numerous solo and group exhibitions throughout her career, is heavily involved in various art organizations, holding offices in several, among them: the Coastal Arts League, Pacifica's Cultural Arts Commission, the Peninsula Chapter of Women's Caucus for Art, The Peninsula Arts Council (formerly ARTshre of San Mateo County) and the Peninsula Museum of Art.

        In our most recent group acquisition, the artist herself curated a group of watercolors depicting a lifelong devotion to the Pacific Ocean and its remarkable vistas.  McGaffey's roots in the Bay Area Figurative Movement are still palpable - in palette, stroke, and vibrancy; reminding us of the inherent similarities between the human figure and its environment. With titles such as "Sonoma Coast" and "Rockaway Beach", one can trace McGaffey's Bay Area route of inspiration.  Its effects are translated into vignettes of a coastal life, and ultimately, a life lead in pursuit of natural beauty.
      View All _|_ View Available _|_ View Sold
      Bay Area Figurative Scene <br>20th Century Distemper<br><br>#12709
      Bay Area Figurative Scene
      20th Century Distemper

      #12709
      Alysanne McGaffey $1,185
      <I>West Marin, CA</I> <br>20th Century Watercolor<br><br>#44003
      West Marin, CA
      20th Century Watercolor

      #44003
      Alysanne McGaffey $755
      <I>Logs at Spee-Bi-Dah</I> <br>1994 Watercolor<br><br>#43891
      Logs at Spee-Bi-Dah
      1994 Watercolor

      #43891
      Alysanne McGaffey $455
      <I>The Point of Spee-Bi-Dah</I> <br>20th Century Watercolor<br><br>#44006
      The Point of Spee-Bi-Dah
      20th Century Watercolor

      #44006
      Alysanne McGaffey $695
      Loose Orbicular Abstract<br>20th Century Watercolor<br><br>#22645
      Loose Orbicular Abstract
      20th Century Watercolor

      #22645
      Alysanne McGaffey $595
      <I>Marsh</I> <br>20th Century Watercolor<br><br>#44011
      Marsh
      20th Century Watercolor

      #44011
      Alysanne McGaffey $755
      <I>Looking Down on Skagit River Flats</I> <br>20th Century Watercolor<br><br>#43898
      Looking Down on Skagit River Flats
      20th Century Watercolor

      #43898
      Alysanne McGaffey $455
      Abstracted Bird in Flight <br>20th Century Charcoal<br><br>#22752
      Abstracted Bird in Flight
      20th Century Charcoal

      #22752
      Alysanne McGaffey $685
      <I>Pacifica, CA</I> <br>20th Century Watercolor <br><br>#43851
      Pacifica, CA
      20th Century Watercolor

      #43851
      Alysanne McGaffey $885
      Technicolor Nude Figures <br>1950-60s Distemper, Oil Pastel and Graphite <br><br>#23444
      Technicolor Nude Figures
      1950-60s Distemper, Oil Pastel and Graphite

      #23444
      Alysanne McGaffey $685
      Colorful Seated Nude Figure <br>1950-60s Pastel <br><br>#23344
      Colorful Seated Nude Figure
      1950-60s Pastel

      #23344
      Alysanne McGaffey $775
      Monochromatic Seated Female Portrait <br>1950-60s Charcoal & Pastel <br><br>#23390
      Monochromatic Seated Female Portrait
      1950-60s Charcoal & Pastel

      #23390
      Alysanne McGaffey $575
      Seated Male Nude <br>1950-60s Charcoal & Graphite <br><br>#23392
      Seated Male Nude
      1950-60s Charcoal & Graphite

      #23392
      Alysanne McGaffey $545
      Nude Figures Embracing <br>1950-60s Charcoal & Graphite <br><br>#23393
      Nude Figures Embracing
      1950-60s Charcoal & Graphite

      #23393
      Alysanne McGaffey $545
      Nude Figure Drawing <br>1950-60s Charcoal & Graphite <br><br>#23415
      Nude Figure Drawing
      1950-60s Charcoal & Graphite

      #23415
      Alysanne McGaffey $545
      <i>Jay #42</i>, Portrait of Jay DeFeo<br>Mid Century Distemper on Paper<br><br>#3708
      Jay #42, Portrait of Jay DeFeo
      Mid Century Distemper on Paper

      #3708
      Alysanne McGaffey Sold $1,175
      Sold
      Bay Area Figurative Seated Figure <br>1950-60s Distemper <br><br>#12653
      Bay Area Figurative Seated Figure
      1950-60s Distemper

      #12653
      Alysanne McGaffey Sold $1,650
      Sold
      <i>Abstract Portrait of Madeline Gleason </i><br>1960s Bay Area Figurative Distemper<br><br>#12705
      Abstract Portrait of Madeline Gleason
      1960s Bay Area Figurative Distemper

      #12705
      Alysanne McGaffey Sold $2,350
      Sold
      Flowers in a Vase Drawing<br>1950-60s Ink<br><br>#22969
      Flowers in a Vase Drawing
      1950-60s Ink

      #22969
      Alysanne McGaffey Sold $245
      Sold
      Rosebud Drawing <br>1950-60s Ink <br><br>#22967
      Rosebud Drawing
      1950-60s Ink

      #22967
      Alysanne McGaffey Sold $245
      Sold
      Contemplative Male Nude Figure Drawing <br>1950-60s Charcoal & Graphite <br><br>#23410
      Contemplative Male Nude Figure Drawing
      1950-60s Charcoal & Graphite

      #23410
      Alysanne McGaffey $545
      Bay Area Figurative Standing Nude <br>1950-60s Distemper & Pastel <br><br>#23436
      Bay Area Figurative Standing Nude
      1950-60s Distemper & Pastel

      #23436
      Alysanne McGaffey $1,195
      Saturated Bay Area Figure<br>1950-60s Distemper<br><br>#23227
      Saturated Bay Area Figure
      1950-60s Distemper

      #23227
      Alysanne McGaffey $1,165
      Seated Nude Figure<br>1950-60s Distemper and Pastel<br><br>#23453
      Seated Nude Figure
      1950-60s Distemper and Pastel

      #23453
      Alysanne McGaffey Sold $1,165
      Sold
      Colorful Nude Figures <br>1950-60s Oil Pastel & Distemper <br><br>#23439
      Colorful Nude Figures
      1950-60s Oil Pastel & Distemper

      #23439
      Alysanne McGaffey $775
      Colorful Nude Figure Painting <br>1950-60s Distemper <br><br>#23447
      Colorful Nude Figure Painting
      1950-60s Distemper

      #23447
      Alysanne McGaffey $1,250
      Nude Figure with Skull <br>1950-60s Charcoal & Graphite<br><br>#23388
      Nude Figure with Skull
      1950-60s Charcoal & Graphite

      #23388
      Alysanne McGaffey Sold $545
      Sold
      Blue Still Life Drawing<br>1950-60s Ink<br><br>#22968
      Blue Still Life Drawing
      1950-60s Ink

      #22968
      Alysanne McGaffey Sold $245
      Sold
      Abstracted Red Tree <br>Late 20th Century Watercolor<br><br>#22485
      Abstracted Red Tree
      Late 20th Century Watercolor

      #22485
      Alysanne McGaffey Sold $545
      Sold
      Abstracted Landscape with Ducks <br>1981 Watercolor<br><br>#22677
      Abstracted Landscape with Ducks
      1981 Watercolor

      #22677
      Alysanne McGaffey Sold $375
      Sold
      <i>Sand Dunes</i> <br>20th Century Watercolor <br><br>#43995
      Sand Dunes
      20th Century Watercolor

      #43995
      Alysanne McGaffey Sold $575
      Sold
      Moody California Watercolor Abstraction, 2004 <br><br>#22508
      Moody California Watercolor Abstraction, 2004

      #22508
      Alysanne McGaffey Sold $595
      Sold
      <i>Sonoma Beach, CA</i> <br>20th Century Watercolor <br><br>#43845
      Sonoma Beach, CA
      20th Century Watercolor

      #43845
      Alysanne McGaffey Sold $865
      Sold
      <i>Drake's Beach</i>, Marin, CA <br>20th Century Watercolor <br><br>#43861
      Drake's Beach, Marin, CA
      20th Century Watercolor

      #43861
      Alysanne McGaffey Sold $795
      Sold
      <i>Mystic Wetlands</i>, West Marin, CA <br>2009 Watercolor <br><br>#43996
      Mystic Wetlands, West Marin, CA
      2009 Watercolor

      #43996
      Alysanne McGaffey On Hold
      <i>Remembering Mt. Rainier, WA</i> <br>20th Century Watercolor <br><br>#44009
      Remembering Mt. Rainier, WA
      20th Century Watercolor

      #44009
      Alysanne McGaffey Sold $695
      Sold
      Abstracted Rocky Beach Scene <br>2013 Watercolor <br><br>#44010
      Abstracted Rocky Beach Scene
      2013 Watercolor

      #44010
      Alysanne McGaffey Sold $695
      Sold
      <i>Tomales Bay, California</i> <br>20th Century Watercolor <br><br>#44014
      Tomales Bay, California
      20th Century Watercolor

      #44014
      Alysanne McGaffey Sold $695
      Sold
      Dock & Boathouse Lake Scene <br>20th Century Watercolor <br><br>#22499
      Dock & Boathouse Lake Scene
      20th Century Watercolor

      #22499
      Alysanne McGaffey Sold $595
      Sold
      Serene Coast & Bluff <br>20th Century Watercolor <br><br>#43864
      Serene Coast & Bluff
      20th Century Watercolor

      #43864
      Alysanne McGaffey Sold $495
      Sold
      <i>Linda Mar Beach, Pacifica, CA</i> <br>1994 Watercolor <br><br>#43740
      Linda Mar Beach, Pacifica, CA
      1994 Watercolor

      #43740
      Alysanne McGaffey Sold $925
      Sold
      <i>Barbara S. Poet</i> <br>1978 Bay Area Figurative Oil <br><br>#13259
      Barbara S. Poet
      1978 Bay Area Figurative Oil

      #13259
      Alysanne McGaffey $1,850
      Bay Area Figurative Relaxed Seated Nude <br>1950-60s Distemper <br><br>#23430
      Bay Area Figurative Relaxed Seated Nude
      1950-60s Distemper

      #23430
      Alysanne McGaffey Sold $1,385
      Sold
      Vintage Victorian-Gothic House <br>1950-60s Ink Drawing <br><br>#22958
      Vintage Victorian-Gothic House
      1950-60s Ink Drawing

      #22958
      Alysanne McGaffey Sold $445
      Sold
      California Trees on Hillside <br>Late 20th-Early 21st Century Watercolor <br><br>#43874
      California Trees on Hillside
      Late 20th-Early 21st Century Watercolor

      #43874
      Alysanne McGaffey Sold $545
      Sold
      Coastal California Rock Formation <br>Late 20th Century Watercolor <br><br>#22498
      Coastal California Rock Formation
      Late 20th Century Watercolor

      #22498
      Alysanne McGaffey $545
      <i>Beach Lines at Spee-B-Dah</i>, Tulaip, WA <br>Late 20th Century Watercolor <br><br>#43857
      Beach Lines at Spee-B-Dah, Tulaip, WA
      Late 20th Century Watercolor

      #43857
      Alysanne McGaffey Sold $655
      Sold
      Rose Garland Vintage Cash Register <br>1950-60s Ink Drawing <br><br>#22955
      Rose Garland Vintage Cash Register
      1950-60s Ink Drawing

      #22955
      Alysanne McGaffey Sold $495
      Sold
      1 2 3 Next
      Information
      • Contact

      • Our Acquisition Process

      • About Us

      • Plan Your Visit

      • Press & Projects

      • Policies

      • Meet the Experts

      • Job Opportunities

      Services
      • Rentals

      • Shipping

      • Framing

      • Installation & Design

      • FAQ for Designers

      • Digital Gift Certificates

      © 2023 Lost Art Salon. Powered by Shopify

      Learn about new collections, special offers and events

      Learn about new collections, special offers and events