This powerful painting is a Clarence Ball original oil painting, signed and dated 1901. The vintage work is a gorgeous oil on canvas depicting a horseback cowboy taking down a bull he’s lassoed, in a pretty wooden frame. The age of this piece alone contributes to its value, but the artist is also highly collectible.
“Born in Mount Vernon, Ohio, L. Clarence Ball was a painter, illustrator, and decorator whose primary studio was in South Bend, Indiana. His specialty was landscaped with cattle and sheep, primarily around South Bend and the Kankakee River as well as Diamond Lake in Michigan where he spent his summers.
He started as an artist working for the Studebaker Wagon Company, painting various scenes on commissioned wagons. Ball studied briefly (1892-1893) at the National Academy of Design in New York and also at the Art Institute of Chicago but was basically self-taught. He exhibited at the Boston Art Club, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. His work is in the Saint Joseph Public Library in South Bend, Indiana. In 1904, he was selected to exhibit at the St. Louis World’s Fair. Ball’s paintings are a fine contribution to midwestern art at the turn of the 20th century.” - Ask Art