Edgar Alwin Payne was a renowned artist who dedicated his life to painting the outdoors. His iconic works have been described as “atmospheric, sun-filled, and composed with a sophisticated elegance.” Payne’s impressive body of work is composed of pieces that capture the beauty of Western landscapes in an array of vibrant colors and textures.

In 1941, he published Composition of Outdoor Painting, a book that provided insight into his techniques and theories. This book has since been revised multiple times, making it an essential resource for art collectors, artists, teachers, and art dealers alike.

Payne’s works are still highly sought after today thanks to their timeless beauty and vivid depictions of outdoor life. His talent has made him an enduring example of American art and a source of inspiration for many aspiring artists worldwide.

Payne’s legacy is one that continues to live on in his paintings, which can be found in various museums, galleries, and private collections throughout the U.S. and abroad. His works prove he was indeed a master of his craft, one whose dedication to portraying outdoor life and landscapes will remain an inspiration for generations to come.

In 1957, Edgar Payne’s wife, Elsie Palmer Payne, penned a biography about her husband. It’s a fascinating read that offers another glimpse into the life of a renowned artist.

Edgar Alwin Payne was born in Washburn, Missouri, on March 1, 1883.  He grew up in the Ozarks, where his love of mountains and deep feelings for Nature were engendered.  He left home at an early age because his father objected to his becoming an artist, for he decided to become a landscape painter when very young and devoted his life to that end.  His youthful experiences as a house painter, sign painter, scenic painter (he became one of the best in the business then), and later, as a mural painter fostered his enormous facility with paint, which developed into the broad technique for which he was famous.  Added to this marvelous dexterity was a supremely sensitive nature and a passionate love for the great out-of-doors, so that he gave to his canvases of mountains, desert, sky, and sea-an – unsurpassed bigness and grandeur.  Although he attended the Art Institute of Chicago for a short time, he went directly to Nature for inspiration and instruction, so he was mainly self-taught.

He made his first sketching trip to California in 1911, spending several months in Laguna Beach, painting with such early timers as Norman St. Clair and Hanson Putuff, returning again in 1916.  In 1917 he brought with him a contract to paint a mural for the corridors of eleven floors of the Congress Hotel in Chicago.  He was assisted in the mammoth undertaking by such artists as Conrad Buff, Peter Neilson, Jack Wilkinson Smith, and Grayson Sayre.  Twenty-six thousand square yards of canvas and 67,000 pounds of white lead were used in the project.  It was finished in four months, and they all packed up their sketching kits and moved in a body to Laguna Beach, where they painted outdoors all winter.

Mr. Payne and his wife and daughter were so charmed with Laguna that they built a house there and made it their home for several years.  It was then that Edgar Payne conceived the idea of the Art Gallery—became its founder and the first president of the Art Association.  At that time, he made his first trip to the High Sierras, returning repeatedly throughout the rest of his life.

The spring of 1922 to the fall of 1924 and the summer and fall of 1928 were spent traveling and painting about Europe.