About the work

From the personal collection of the artist and his wife Barbara. This painting is shown in the introductory pages of John Hilton’s biography by Katherine Ainsworth (The Man Who Captured Sunshine).

Inscribed verso with the date “68-2” and titled “Western Oasis.” Another inscription indicates that Hilton gifted the painting to his wife Barbara. The painting was also used as cover art for the Hilton’s Christmas card and was published by the Leanin’ Tree greeting card company of Boulder, Colorado. An original Leanin’ Tree note card bearing an image of the painting is attached verso, along with Hilton’s business card.

The full inscription on reverse reads:

“Western Oasis” (Xmas card) Property of Barbara Hilton. As in the past, the originals of Christmas card and other reproduced material of mine go to the personal and sentimental collection of my wife Barbara as a part of her Christmas from me. John W. Hilton

The painting and original frame are in very good condition.

About the artist…

The tranquility and beauty of the desert was a lifelong source of inspiration for Hilton. In an article from the March 1960 edition of Arizona Highways, he declared:

This is my desert! It extends through Arizona, southern California, Nevada, southern Utah, New Mexico and northern Mexico states of Sonora, Chihuaha, Sinaloa and Baja California. . . . It is a land of peace, silence and boundless skies.

Hilton’s early artistic endeavors were filled with frustration, but in the late 1930s/early 40s he worked with and was encouraged by many of the fine painters who visited or lived in the desert, including Nicolai Fechin, Maynard Dixon, Jimmy Swinnerton, and Clyde Forsythe.

Dixon in particular had two profound effects on Hilton: First, he convinced Hilton to throw away his early paintings, even though some had won awards at smaller exhibitions and shows. Hilton later remarked that an artist could never progress to the next level if he fell in love with his work. Dixon also convinced him to throw away his brushes and use a knife. Dixon felt Hilton's images were too precise, almost photographic. Hilton claimed that converting to knife painting was a relatively effortless transition if only because he easily tired of cleaning brushes.

Gradually the recognition and accolades came, and Hilton eventually became one of the few artists of his day to enjoy significant commercial and critical success during his lifetime.

Hilton’s works have been widely exhibited, including the Biltmore Salon Los Angeles; the Riverside Mission Inn; Paschke’s Gallery in Riverside; the Laguna Beach Art Gallery; Los Angeles City Hall and Public Library; the Southwest Museum; Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco; La Jolla Art Gallery; Desert Magazine Art Gallery; the Desert Art Center of Palm Springs, and numerous other galleries and shows where his works were often sellouts.

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