Artist: Chiura Obata
Medium: Original Watercolor Painting on Silk
Series Title: Yosemite
Edition: Original Painting
Date: c.1940s
Publisher: The Artist
Reference No.: Uncatalogued
Size: 16 x 20 " (image); 28 x 31 " (frame)
Condition: Very fine
Notes:
Signed and sealed by the artist; lower right. Presented in the original Oakland Museum Chiura Obata Exhibition frame. Provenance: From a California Collector and ex-student of the artist, who acquired the painting directly from Obata. Loaned to the Oakland Museum for inclusion in the, Chiura Obata Exhibition May 19 - July 20th, 1977. The location of the painting is confirmed by Obata family members; as numerous sketches of the specific area of the Merced River rapids are in the family archives.
Happy Isles is a group of small isles located in the Merced River in Yosemite National Park, California. They are located at the easternmost end of the Yosemite Valley floor where the slope of the Merced River changes from the much steeper upper main stem to the flat valley floor. This scenic spot is the starting point for the Mist Trail and is also the northern trailhead for the John Muir Trail that leads to popular destinations including, Vernal Falls and Half Dome. Trailhead elevation: 4,000 feet (1,220 meters). As noted in the book, Obata's Yosemite: 'Much of Obata's paintings have distinctly pastoral feel. Bathed in soft light, scenes of walnut orchards in spring, or Suisan delta on a warm summer afternoon, have a profoundly calming effect on the viewer.'