Ken Messer, Oxford Cityscape #2, 1972

Description

This artwork " Oxford Cityscape #2" 1972 is a watercolor by noted architectural British artist, Ken Messer 1931-2017. It is … more This artwork " Oxford Cityscape #2" 1972 is a watercolor by noted architectural British artist, Ken Messer 1931-2017. It is signed and dated at the lower left corner by the artist. The artwork size is 10.5 x 13.65 inches, framed size is 15.85 x 19 inches. It is custom framed in his original wooden gold and green frame. Artwork and frame are in very good condition.

About the artist.

After attending City of Oxford High School for Boys, where he excelled at rugby and cricket, he started work as an accountant in the city.
He then moved on to become a steward for the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC). In the 1960’s Mr Messer was involved in a car accident which would end his sporting career and change his working life.
When he left his job with BOAC he became a graphic designer at Pergamon Press, owned by Robert Maxwell, which allowed him time to pursue his real passion which was painting watercolours.
He rose through the ranks at Pergamon to become studio manager and when he could progress no further he decided to become a full time artist, a role from which he never retired.
He quickly became well-known for his paintings of Oxford and throughout the 1980s his ink drawings appeared regularly in the Oxford Times.
His watercolours captured beautifully and in precise detail some of the city’s most historic buildings, and for this he became known as 'the Oxford Artist'.
He showed his work at various galleries and exhibitions across the county and further afield, and his watercolour landscapes and townscapes are held in collections world-wide.
He won prizes in three consecutive Saunders Artists in Watercolour international competitions and his work has hung in the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours annual exhibitions at The Mall Galleries.
He died on April 28, 2017 less