Edgar Payne (1883-1947)

Hiro Fine Art is interested in purchasing artworks by Edgar Payne.

Edgar Payne was born in Washburn, Missouri which was in the Ozarks of southwest Missouri. Payne left his home at the age of fourteen and worked painting signs, stage sets, and homes. He traveled throughout the Ozarks, Midwest and Southeastern part of the United States as well as into Mexico. His propensity to travel and see different landscapes would go on to have a profound impact on his life. Payne briefly studied at the Art Institute of Chicago, but found the curriculum too rigid and quit after a few weeks. This was the only academic that he received. Payne was a member of the Chicago Society of Artists and the Palette and Chisel Club. Payne received a commissioned to paint a large mural for the Congress Hotel.

At the age of twenty six, Payne made his way to California, spending his time in Laguna Beach and San Francisco. Laguna Beach went on to serve as an inspiration to his paintings. Several geographic monuments in the area were painted by Payne, including Laguna Canyon, Santa Catalina, and the Laguna shoreline. In San Francisco, Edgar Payne met his future wife the artist Elsie Palmer. The two moved back to Chicago to marry 1912 and lived there for a few years before moving back to California in 1917 and settled back in Laguna Beach shortly thereafter. He was an active member in the Artist Colony and became the president and founder of the Laguna Beach Art Association and the Laguna Beach Gallery.

In 1922, Payne and his wife traveled around Europe and visited the culturally rich cities of Paris, Venice, and Rome and was included into a Paris Salon in 1923 and earned an honorable mention. Edgar Payne and his wife moved back to the United States in 1924 and lived between New York City and California. When Edgar Payne decided to settle in Hollywood, California in 1932 he separated from his wife. Payne went on to publish the book “Composition of Outdoor Painting” which was a well received book by artists. He continued to paint scenes around the Southwest until his death in 1947.

Hiro Fine Art is interested in purchasing artwork by Edgar Payne.

• 1883 – Born in Washburn, Missouri
• Briefly studied at the Art Institute of Chicago
• Commissioned by the Congress Hotel to paint a mural
• Moved to California and painted scenes around Laguna Beach
• 1923 – Earned honorable mention at a Paris Salon
• Published “Composition of Outdoor Painting”