John William Hilton California Desert Scene, "Spring", Signed/Dated

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This luminous oil painting on board by John William Hilton is signed lower right. It is titled and dated on … Read more This luminous oil painting on board by John William Hilton is signed lower right. It is titled and dated on the back 4-8-75, "Spring". The painting itself measures 12" x 16"; including the gold leaf frame it measures approximately 15 1/4" x 19". It is a very versatile size, easy to fit into many spaces.

The condition of the painting is excellent. The frame has a few minor dings as shown in the photos. Ready to hang on your wall and enjoy!

The life of John W. Hilton (1904-1983) was extraordinary. He was born in China, the son of missionaries, was raised as a pastor's kid in the American heartland, and then set his course in life on his own terms unencumbered by formal education.Driven by a deep sense of curiosity, he became an expert gemologist, botanist, geologist and miner, zoologist, advisor to General George S. Patton, friend and fellow painter of General / President Eisenhower, enjoyed playing guitar and singing, a very good writer, and of course, he wasn't bad with a palette knife or paint brush either.John W. Hilton made his home in the Mohave Desert, living near but never actually in Palm Springs. He preferred the desert.

Early in his career, he ran an off-the-beaten-path gem shop and gallery across the road from his landlord Russell, who sold date shakes at his "Valerie Jean's" Date stand. Part of the deal was John could run his gem shop as long as he didn't sell date shakes.With a date shake in hand, desert travelers would stroll across the road and into John's gem shop. Some showed interest in a few of his displayed artworks, and some of the more artsy visitors helped advance John's painting talents. Fred Chisnall was perhaps the teacher John appreciated most. John didn't think much of Fred's painting talents, but as a teacher and taskmaster, none was better. He was impressed that Fred had the gumption to get out and sell his paintings off the back of his pick up truck. A Who's Who of other artists stopped by too, such as Nikolai Fechin, Maynard Dixon, Clyde Forsythe, and Jimmy Swinnerton. They all contributed and influenced Hilton's fantastic ability to capture desert light, and formed life long friendships which included many painting excursions.

But John's life cannot be defined by his painting alone. He was a man of inquisitive adventure. Soon after Pearl Harbor, John noticed a few Army officers in a desert restaurant and introduced himself. After pleasantries were shared, the officers asked John's advice as to where to locate a training base for General Patton and his tanks. John circled what he thought to be an appropriate spot on the map and soon John found himself invited as a member of a reconnaissance mission into the desert with Patton himself. On one trip into the nearby Arizona desert, the General chose a certain campsite near two sets of cottonwood trees. John told the General that sidwinders would be passing from one group of trees to the other during the night, but the General being the General stood his ground. Later that night, "old Blood and Guts" found himself drawing one of his pearl handled revolvers and shooting an unwelcomed sidewinder drawn by the light of their campfire.

After Patton's Army went to North Africa, John missed his friend the General, but found his own way to help in the fight. He discovered and mined a super secret substance, a rare form of a common crystal called "optical" calcite, used in making highly accurate sights for the defensive guns on allied bombers. The sights sharpened the targeting accuracy of these guns used to shoot enemy fighters, and raised the survival rate of allied bombing patrol missions. Consequently, less missions had to be flown through hostile air space, saving airmen's lives. If John had been a better businessman, optical calcite, could have made him rich, but he believed himself part of the greater war effort, and refused to ask the army for more money.

After the war, while John was showing his paintings in Palm Springs, General Eisenhower came by, touched one of the paintings and left a fingerprint. Ike apologized, but John was most forgiving, commenting that the General's fingerprint raised the price of the painting. Ike painted with Hilton on several occasions, and invited John to his innauguration in January of 1953. John presented the President a painting, Twentynine Palms Oasis, and the new President proudly hung it in the Oval Office. Today the painting hangs resides at the Eisenhower Hospital in Palm Desert, California.

This painting will be carefully packed and shipped from Sebastopol, CA, insured, with signature required. Shipping is free. See less