John O'Shea (1876 - April 29, 1956) was a California painter. His works are held in the permanent collections of several locations, including the Harrison Memorial Library,

Monterey Museum of Art The Monterey Museum of Art (MMA) an art museum located in Monterey, California. It was founded in 1959 as a chapter of the American Federation of Arts. The Monterey Museum of Art collects, preserves, and interprets the art of California from th ...

, Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, and the

Bohemian Club The Bohemian Club is a private club with two locations: a city clubhouse in the Nob Hill district of San Francisco, California, and the Bohemian Grove, a retreat north of the city in Sonoma County. Founded in 1872 from a regular meeting of jour ...

Early life

John O'Shea was born in 1876 in Ballintaylor, near

Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...

, in southern

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

Career

In 1913, O'Shea moved to

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commerci ...

where he began his artistic career and began to exhibit his work. In 1921, O'Shea exhibited about 28 watercolors and oils in New York. On May 25, 1922, O'Shea and Mary "Molly" D. Shaughnessy of

Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute ( ) is a city in Vigo County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 58,389 and Terre Haute metropolitan area, its metropolitan area had a populati ...

, were married in New York City. The couple then moved to Carmel, California where Molly had inherited . In 1926 and 1927, O'Shea made trips to

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

with a close friend and artist Theodore Criley. Paintings from these excursions, like the ''Grand Canyon,'' resulted in art showings in

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial d ...

Tucson Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...

, and San Francisco. In 1928, the O'Sheas traveled to

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian language, Tahitian , ; ) is the largest island of the Windward Islands (Society Islands), Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France. It is located in the central part of t ...

in the South Pacific where he painted landscapes and seascapes. He went to

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

in 1930, and painted places around

Taos Taos or TAOS may refer to: Places * Taos County, New Mexico, United States ** Taos, New Mexico, a city, the county seat of Taos County, New Mexico *** Taos art colony, an art colony founded in Taos, New Mexico ** Taos Pueblo, a Native American ...

. O'Shea's wife died on October 8, 1941, at St. Luke's Hospital in San Francisco after a long illness. The

California Palace of the Legion of Honor The Legion of Honor, formally known as the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, is an art museum located in San Francisco, on the West Side of the city. Located in Lincoln Park, the Legion of Honor is a component of the Fine Arts Museum ...

in San Francisco, exhibited 36 of O'Shea's paintings in April and May 1934. In November 1939, at the Bay Region Art Association's annual at the

Oakland Art Gallery Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is t ...

, he won first prize for a watercolor called "Old Trees, Monterey." In 1942, O'Shea had a solo show at the

in San Francisco.

Death

O'Shea died at home on April 29, 1956, at age 80.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:OShea, John 1876 births 1956 deaths Irish emigrants to the United States Artists from Carmel-by-the-Sea, California American male painters American watercolorists Painters from California 19th-century American painters 19th-century American male artists 20th-century American painters 20th-century American male artists