Two paintings, different artists. Just don't know who they are.

I picked up 2 paintings the other day and can't find anything about the artist. So I'm hoping someone might know who they are. The first one is signed Stan.. I think.. The other one I didn't see a name, but when I looked closer I did see initials AF written in ink. Im pretty sure they are not old. But they were cheap and I liked them. Any help would be great.. Thanks

 

Are they both oil on canvas?

The ship painting may not be old, but probably not new, either. I really like it... Can you take another shot of the signature from dead on? and the backs of both?

And the other - literally made me think of that plant "Snow on the Mountains."

It gives a very odd, celestial vibe. If it was an American landscape of a similar scene and technique, I wouldn't think too hard on it. But because of (what looks like to me) Chinese/Japanese style and composition I'd wonder a bit more. It's not as quite as crude as it looks and may be older. JMO.

 

Yes they are both oil and on a canvas. Here are the backs of the paintings.. The first one is of the ships. The canvas has been stapled to a frame. And bc of that I can't get a better picture of the signature without taking them out.. Should I take the staples out? Makes me a little nervous doing that bc I don't want to make a mistake and mess up the painting. The second pic is of the mountain painting. Thanks for the help.

 

maybe "Star?"

That signature could be anything... so much texture.

Hopefully, someone with more expertise will come along

In this case, I like them both for different reasons - but that doesn't necessarily mean they're rare or valuable.

 

Pretty sure these are factory type paintings . Though I like the boats one too . Did they come from a smokers house ? I ask because they look a tad yellowish . Beware , they will have your house reeking of cigs if they are from a smoker .

 

Thanks guys for your info.. Yea that signature could be anything. Also I'm not sure if they came from a smokers home or not, I got them at a thrift store so they very well could have been.. The Mountain seen could very well me at factory print.. The boat painting I'm not sure because I can the brush strokes from the back of the painting, and from doing a little research that could be a sign that it is real.. But I really don't know I'm not very familiar with paintings.. So what do I know.. Lol.. I'll keep researching maybe I'll get lucky on who the artist could be. If not that's fine too, I like them both...

 

I think it's a "real" painting, we just don't know very much about it.

I don't disagree - but when (what era?) did factory paintings of this type become
common?

Stand by, hopefully someone will come along who can give some guidance...

 

Nikki - often, a signature (on a factory painting) that looks specific or "almost" readable is actually a factory signature, very close to a legit "name," but ultimately meaningless. They're designed to be illegible.

The problem is, you can't always rule out art created by a talented, obscure artist. In those cases, you can only assess to your own values.

 

I think the first one is a factory painting. Those bold red signatures are one sign. The way it is framed is improper which makes me think this was bought unstretched, as is sometimes the case with factory paintings. The second is probably by an amateur..... from the happy tree school of Bob Ross You rarely see factory paintings signed just with initials.

 

I'm still trying to find the artist on the ship painting... I have a better picture of the name. I love a good mystery and searching for answers, but this one is hard... I realize its probably a factory painting, Im just interested in the background painting/artist. Thanks

 

www.johnstoa.co.uk/
The signature looks right to me.

 

John Stoa

 

I don't see the same quality of work as John Stoa. Admit that the signature is similar but have seen factory paintings with signatures similar to real artists before.

 

I agree that the mountain painting looks like factory art, but to my eye the boat painting looks like an autograph piece. Whoever painted it really attacked the canvas. In this instance I advise not pulling the staples unless you plan to properly mount the canvas. Is there any support to the canvas at all, or is it just stretched across the frame opening? (Certainly prone to pokes and tearing if so.)

 

The second painting says "AF" ???? Maybe our friend here has a side job we don't know about.