Alysanne McGaffey This Mid 20th Century distemper on paper is by Bay Area artist Alysanne McGaffey (1931-2018). Born in Seattle, McGaffey moved to San Francisco in the mid 1950s to study at SFAI with Bay Area Figurative pioneers Joan Brown, Nathan Oliveira, Jay DeFeo, Bruce McGaw, and Manuel Neri. McGaffey also took classes at CCAC and UC Berkeley, and received an MFA in Painting from the University of San Francisco. She became involved in community arts organizations, holding offices in several, including the Coastal Arts League and Pacifica's Cultural Arts Commission. Eventually McGaffey's gaze moved from the figure to the landscape, and she spent the last thirty years traveling the Northern California coast painting watercolor seascapes. Mid 20th CenturyDistemper on Paper16.75"x20." framed, 10.5"x13.75" unframed Estate stamped lower right. Excellent vintage condition. Framed elevated in a contemporary wood frame with a metallic grey finish using archival linen matting behind conservation clear glass.Distemper refers to any water based paint that blends chalk with an organic-based binder. It has a soft, velvety finish and was commonly used by Bay Area Figurative artists in the 1950s-1960s.
