Artist Spotlight: Marion Kavanaugh Wachtel

  • Artist Spotlight
  • Fine Art

This March 21st at Clars Auctions, we will be featuring a curated assortment of artwork from a wide range of periods and locales.


From our own state of California, we have an oil on canvas by plein air painter Marion Kavanaugh Wachtel (American, 1876–1954). Wachtel was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and studied in Chicago before moving to California, where she studied under Scottish American master landscapist William Keith.


Marion Kavanaugh Wachtel beautifully captures the vibrant transformation of the leaves in the foothills of California.

Keith’s influence coupled with her new surroundings inspired Wachtel to move away from portraiture and embrace landscape painting, focusing her attention on the mountains, coasts, and foliage of southern California. The painting in this month’s sale is titled Autumn, Trabuco Mountains, California, (estimate: $8,000–$12,000) and depicts the leaves changing color amidst the peak on the border of Orange and Riverside Counties.


Marion Kavanaugh Wachtel (American, 1876–1954), Autumn, Trabuco Mountains, California, oil on canvas, 26″ x 30.5″.Estimate: $8,000–$12,000
Marion Kavanaugh Wachtel (American, 1876–1954), Autumn, Trabuco Mountains, California, oil on canvas, 26″ x 30.5″.
Estimate: $8,000–$12,000

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  • Fine Art
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  • Artist Spotlight
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