ROGER M. UPTON, Northeastern Avalon Bay

ROGER M. UPTON, Northeastern Avalon Bay:

Roger M. Upton
Northeastern Avalon Bay 1956
Oil on canvas
30 in. x 36 in. (37 in. x 43 in. framed)

Roger Upton was born in Massachusetts, and moved with his family to Pasadena, CA. as a baby. He went to Catalina for the first time with his parents in 1902, and was never far away after that, often spending his summers there. From his earliest childhood, Upton was interested in art. In his early twenties he became a sign painter, working for Foster & Kleiser. It was during this time that he met Hanson Puthuff (1875-1972) and Paul Lauritz (1889-1975), both well-established and well-known CA. plein-air painters who would become his lifelong friends.

In 1932, Upton and his wife, moved to Avalon. As was the fate of many artists during those Great Depression years, Upton was unable to make a living exclusively as an easel painter, so he went into the sign business. He also painted murals, created decorations for tour buses, designed menus, and served as the all-around design and artistic consultant for many projects in the area. Upton painted in Avalon longer than any other artist to date.

Through his paintings, he recorded the buildings and landmarks of his time, as well as the landscape, weather, and everyday life of Catalina. Throughout his career, Upton chose to paint in his studio rather than out-of-doors. He used photographs, carefully transferring them to his canvas by laying a graph over both canvas and photo and transcribing one to the other. He also painted from memory. Upton is especially well known for his depiction of Catalina’s eucalyptus trees. Upton bragged that he had never had any formal art training but was largely self-taught. In 1958 Upton and a group of other Catalina artists formed the Catalina Art Association. In that first year, the group started an annual Catalina Festival of Art, which has been held continuously since 1959.