Milford ZORNES N.A.

Milford Zornes (January 25, 1908–February 24, 2008) was born on his grandfather’s farm in western Oklahoma. His mother taught him to draw at an early age. She also encouraged him to read adventure stories. He attended high school and junior college in Southern California and studied art with F. Tolles Chamberlin and Millard Sheets during the 1920’s.

From Regional Talent to National Recognition
In the early 1930’s, Zornes became a member of the California Water Color Society and one of the earliest exponents of the California Style. At that time he painted Southwestern landscape scenes primarily working on location, and was included in the California Group traveling show formed in 1937. During his one-man show at the Corocan Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. then President and Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt selected one of his watercolors to hang in the White House. Within a very short amount of time, Zornes went from being a California watercolor student to being a nationally recognized artist.

With national acclaim, Zornes concentrated on painting a number of high quality watercolors for exhibitions in California, Texas, Kansas, New York, and other parts of the United States. Zornes was a leading figure in the California Style watercolor movement and received much attention for using large sheets of paper, applying the transparent medium with sweeping, broad brush strokes and leaving planned areas where the white paper would show through to define a shape or color. He and other members of the group were painting with watercolors in new and creative ways, as opposed to the traditional use of watercolors. Zornes’ unwavering dedication to mastering the difficult watercolor medium led to a large body of outstanding works and numerous exhibitions nationally and locally. His service with the United States Army as an official war artist during World War II offered him access to many scenic locations, such as Burma, India, and China. Much of his art work was turned over to the War Department art collection housed at the Pentagon. Since that time he has continued to travel and paint many foreign scenes.

Painting and teaching have remained strong passions in his life, spending little time at his home in Claremont, California. Traveling abroad to locations such as Greenland is typical while pursuing new areas to capture for his work. Moreover, Zornes is also a well known art instructor having taught at several institutions including Pomona College, Otis Art Institute, and Pasadena School of Fine Arts and conducted watercolor workshops all over the world since the 1950′s.

Traveling, Teaching and Lifetime Achievement Honoree
Zornes continues to travel, having the best time in his life and enjoying a long career with no intention of slowing down. His remarkable work continues to be honored and respected in public and private collections from coast to coast. Zornes is a member of the esteemed group of artists known as the California Scene Painters. Most recently, he was the recipient of the Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award from the Watercolor U.S.A. Honor Society in August 2003. Zornes, a luminary figure, has made an indelible mark on the art world with his unique vision and illustrious watercolors.