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Adobe Gallery Blog

Title: Original Watercolor “Hondo Valley Landscape”

Category: Paintings | Posted by Todd | Mon, Mar 4th 2013, 1:35pm

As an adult, at the time of joining the Navy during World War II, John Liggett Meigs (1916 - 2003) discovered that as a one-year old he had been "kidnapped" by his biological father and his father's mistress, moved from Chicago, and had his name changed to MacMillan. He never saw his biological mother again. Over the next several years, he and his family moved many times, finally settling in San Antonio, Texas, where Meigs first developed his interest in art, a career that lasted the remainder of his life, but not before many interruptions for various adventures.

Following the death of his father, he changed his name back to his original name of Meigs and moved to California with his foster mother and attended the University of Redlands. He worked as a newspaper reporter in Los Angeles, then a reporter in Hawaii, then architectural work in designing houses, then textile design which led him to become one of the first designers of aloha shirts. He then served in the Navy and following his discharge, lived in Florida for a couple years and established a lounge still in existence as the Trade Winds Tropical Lounge.

Meigs left Florida and went back to Hawaii, and that is when he met artist Peter Hurd from San Patricio, New Mexico. Meigs continued moving around, doing different jobs, but eventually settled down in San Patricio and became a lifelong companion and friend of Peter Hurd. When Meigs settled in San Patricio, he bought a small, old adobe house, which, over the next forty years, he expanded until it grew to twenty-three rooms; Peter Hurd dubbed it "Fort Meigs." His association with Hurd and his wife Henriette flourished, as did Meig's artistic accomplishments and his social connections.

In his artistic pursuits, Meigs worked in a variety of mediums, to include oil, watercolor, ink and photography. He had over fifty, one-man exhibitions, to include in Santa Fe, New Mexico; New York City; Lubbock, Texas; Roswell, New Mexico; and Honolulu, Hawaii. His subject material was primarily either landscape or architectural. In early 1960, he was commissioned by the Society of California Pioneers to paint a series of watercolors of Victorian homes in San Francisco, those paintings being exhibited at the Society's headquarters in San Francisco in June 1960. In 1997, the Honolulu Academy of Arts hosted an exhibit of aloha shirts with his designs from the late 1930s and 1940s. His art, to include his aloha shirts, is in private, corporate and academic collections.

This watercolor painting is typical of his work during his association with Peter Hurd. One familiar with Hurd's paintings can clearly see a similar style in this work. It is signed and dated 1969 in lower right. Research into auction records of Meig's sales indicated that only two of his paintings have been auctioned in the past. That is an indication that fans of his art, who have collected over the past 40 years, are keeping his paintings in the family and not interested in selling them. One cannot say anything more complimentary about an artist than that.

Condition: appears to be in original condition but has not been examined out of the frame. The mat material does appear to be acid-free so there should be no damage to the painting from acid-burn.
Provenance: brought to us by a client from Albuquerque
Reference Material: biographical information provided above was excerpted from the website of AskART.

Title: Original Watercolor "Hondo Valley Landscape"
Artist: John Liggett Meigs (1916 - 2003)
Category: Paintings
Origin: European-American Artists
Medium: watercolor
Size: 16-1/4" x 21-1/2" image; 26-1/2" x 31-7/8" framed
Item # C3351

As an adult, at the time of joining the Navy during World War II, Meigs discovered that as a one-year old he had been “kidnapped” by his biological father and his father’s mistress, moved from Chicago, and had his name changed to MacMillan. He never saw his biological mother again. Over the next several years, he and his family moved many times, finally settling in San Antonio, Texas, where Meigs first developed his interest in art, a career that lasted the remainder of his life, but not before many interruptions for various adventures. Following the death of his father, he changed his name back to his original name of Meigs and moved to California with his foster mother and attended the University of Redlands. He worked as a newspaper reporter in Los Angeles, then a reporter in Hawaii, then architectural work in designing houses, then textile design which led him to become one of the first designers of aloha shirts. He then served in the Navy and following his discharge, lived in Florida for a couple years and established a lounge still in existence as the Trade Winds Tropical Lounge. Meigs left Florida and went back to Hawaii, and that is when he met artist Peter Hurd from San Patricio, New Mexico. Meigs continued moving around, doing different jobs, but eventually settled down in San Patricio and became a lifelong companion and friend of Peter Hurd. When Meigs settled in San Patricio, he bought a small, old adobe house, which, over the next forty years, he expanded until it grew to twenty-three rooms; Peter Hurd dubbed it “Fort Meigs.” His association with Hurd and his wife Henriette flourished, as did Meig’s artistic accomplishments and his social connections. In his artistic pursuits, Meigs worked in a variety of mediums, to include oil, watercolor, ink and photography. He had over fifty, one-man exhibitions, to include in Santa Fe, New Mexico; New York City; Lubbock, Texas; Roswell, New Mexico; and Honolulu, Hawaii. His subject material was primarily either landscape or architectural. In early 1960, he was commissioned by the Society of California Pioneers to paint a series of watercolors of Victorian homes in San Francisco, those paintings being exhibited at the Society’s headquarters in San Francisco in June 1960. In 1997, the Honolulu Academy of Arts hosted an exhibit of aloha shirts with his designs from the late 1930s and 1940s. His art, to include his aloha shirts, is in private, corporate and academic collections. This watercolor painting is typical of his work during his association with Peter Hurd. One familiar with Hurd’s paintings can clearly see a similar style in this work. It is signed and dated 1969 in lower right. Research into auction records of Meig’s sales indicated that only two of his paintings have been auctioned in the past. That is an indication that fans of his art, who have collected over the past 40 years, are keeping his paintings in the family and not interested in selling them. One cannot say anything more complimentary about an artist than that. Condition: appears to be in original condition but has not been examined out of the frame. The mat material does appear to be acid-free so there should be no damage to the painting from acid-burn. Provenance: brought to us by a client from Albuquerque Reference Material: biographical information provided above was excerpted from the website of AskART.

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