Help Deciphering Signature Please

Lovely little painting (8" x 11") I'm guessing French countryside with heavy emphasis on guess. Try as I may I can't riddle out the signature. Would love some help seeing what I'm not seeing Thank you everyone!

 

Looks like an English Norman church to my eye but, of course, could be somewhere else. Likely not France, as the French (and Spanish) alphabets don't include the letter "k"; it only appears in borrowed words. (I know, I know... That doesn't mean the artist...)

Debora

 

Looks English to me too ...could last name be something like Shirif?

...Maybe Omar Shirif?

 

I see HK Starie.

Haven't found much, but there's a catalogue of prints and sculptures here: https://docplayer.fr/34722217-Estampes-dessins-tableaux-sculptures.html

And it includes:

2 88 Ecole française début XXème. "Paysage lacustre". Aquarelle signée H.K STARIE en bas à 19, 5 x 45 cm.

which google translate hashes into
2 88 French school early twentieth. "Lacustrine landscape". Watercolor signed H.K STARIE down to 19, 5 x 45 cm.

 

Thank you Jivvy! sounds promising

 

good spot @Jivvy
'lacustrine' is probably more familiar as 'lakeland' or simply 'lake'

 

Yes, I even wondered if it was a description of this picture, but the size is off.

I have looked in a lot of places and I have found precisely Nothing Else.

I find that often means a mistranscription, but I haven't come up with anything else that gets better results.

 

I agree, odd that there's no other works as the author looks accomplished.

 

I think this piece is from the same artist, but "HK Stone"

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VERY-BEA...-ON-THE-BROADS-SIGNED-H-K-STONE-/163248693451

 

I'm not convinced "Stone" is correct, either.

 

"HK Storie" may be the winner.

 

Many more results with Storie, but no real info.

 

This lot has several pieces with same building as the one here:

https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/...0006/lot-4a68c31a-e9ea-4955-9ffc-a41a011912fe

 

In the 1911 England Census, there is a Horace Kendall Storie with the occupation of "artist".

 

In the 1939 England and Wales Registry, Horace is listed as "Sign Writer Royal Gun Powder Factory"

 

Horace Kendall Storie
birth 10 APR 1879 England
Death 27 JUL 1953 England

He married, had three children. Was a merchant seaman out of Louisiana for a bit (US WWI Draft Card, no question that it's the same guy).

There's more info out there, but not finding much relevant to paintings.

 

RANDOM: Horace had a dragon tattoo on his left arm and a snake tattoo on his right arm.

Yeah, I have the documents to prove it. No pictures, though.

 

Wow! I'm impressed Jivvy, really right on!

 

@Jivvy
I'm going to post a painting soon that I've had for years, but never have been able to identify. A Parisian scene, turn of the century-ish PLAINLY signed, really accomplished work ..can make NO sense at all out of the name - maybe you can figure it out?
Amazing work on the Horace Kendall Storie BTW. Tenacity makes the difference, eh?

 

That's some crazy amazing detective work Jivvy! Thanks

I'll update the thread if I can find out what church is in the painting. Looks like it may be on The Broads.