James Couper Wright (1906 - 1969)

Still Life, 1962, watercolor on paper, signed and dated lower right, 14 1/2 x 19 1/2 inches (sight), label verso bears title and artist's name

$950

James Couper Wright was a Scottish-born American painter and educator whose luminous landscapes, architectural scenes, and still lifes made him a respected practitioner within the California watercolor scene during the mid-twentieth century. Although less widely known today than contemporaries such as Millard Sheets or Phil Dike, Wright earned a strong reputation for his technical mastery, subtle handling of transparent washes, and commitment to watercolor as a serious fine art medium, all attributes which are evident in Still Life.

Born in Kirkwall in Scotland’s Orkney Islands in 1906, Wright displayed artistic talent at an early age. He studied at the Edinburgh College of Art, where he received a rigorous academic training in drawing and design. After graduation, he won a scholarship that enabled him to continue his studies in France and Germany, concentrating on stained glass design. This experience proved formative, as the translucent qualities of stained glass deepened his appreciation for light and transparency, qualities that would become hallmarks of his watercolor paintings. Wright immigrated to California in 1930, working for seven years in Santa Barbara before settling in Pasadena during a period when watercolor painting was flourishing throughout the state. California artists embraced the medium for its ability to capture the region’s brilliant light, expansive landscapes, and distinctive architecture and flora. During the 1930s, his work was considered strongly modernist among the California Scene painters and he won 48 awards. His watercolors were included in group exhibitions at the Art Institute of Chicago, San Francisco Museum of Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Oakland Art Museum, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, the California State Fair, and the Golden Gate International Exposition, among many others.

Influential as a teacher, Wright served on the faculties of the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles, Occidental College, Pasadena City College, University of Georgia, and the Coronado School of Fine Arts. He also maintained a successful private watercolor school, where generations of Southern California artists studied. Throughout his career, Wright exhibited regularly and became a member of the American Watercolor Society, the California Water Color Society, Los Angeles Art Association, and Pasadena Society of Artists. His work is represented in museum collections including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (on loan from the GSA), Jonathan Art Foundation, and Norton Simon Museum, which hosted a solo exhibition in 1953 and whose holdings include Couper's 1952 watercolor The Green Tarpaulin. He is listed in Who Was Who in American Art and all other standard references.