‘San Francisco From Marin’ by Jess Cauthorn, Seattle, Seattle Art Museum, Frye Museum, Golden Gate, Sausalito

Signed lower right, ‘Jess Cauthorn’ (American, 1923-2005), painted circa 1960.

A respected fine artist art teacher who transformed the art-school scene in Seattle, Jess Cauthorn’s artwork is held in the permanent collections of numerous museums including the Seattle Art Museum, the Frye Museum, and the National Infantry Museum in Fort Benning, Georgia. Cauthorn studied in California and Seattle before joining the 148th Infantry Regiment, which led the liberation of Japanese-occupied Manila. During this time, he recorded his time in the South Pacific and depicted the daily life of the infantry “grunt”, forming a rich visual history of the war. Cauthorn returned from war with a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. He studied at the Burnley School of Professional Art upon his return.

In 1959, Cauthorn began a teaching career that would lead him to become both owner and director of the Burnley School of Professional Art. He sold the business in 1982 and stayed on as president for its rebirth as the Art Institute of Seattle. The old Burnley building expanded the Seattle Central Community College campus. Jess Cauthorn was a member of the American Watercolor Society, Puget Sound Group of Northwest Painters, and the Northwest Watercolor Society and was the recipient of numerous prizes and awards.