Dollie Nabinger (Am. 1905-1988), Bluebonnets, oil on canvasboard

Bluebonnets, oil on canvasboard, 16 x 20, signed lower left: D. S. Nabinger, Nabinger’s image adheres to the uniquely Texas tradition of bluebonnet landscape painting, a subject that has always captivated Texans, and one that Nabinger would return to often. A native of Commerce, Texas, she received formal academic training as a young woman, including studying under the private tutelage of renowned Texas impressionist, James Ferdinand McCan (1869-1925) for seven years. Nabinger went on to spend two years at the Art Students League in New York City, after which she returned to Texas to live and work in San Antonio for several years. There, she worked with artists like José Arpa (1858–1952) and Harry Anthony DeYoung (1893–1956). Nabinger preferred to paint en plein air, developing an impressionistic style of brushwork and use of color. Her luminous landscapes were exhibited regularly throughout Texas in the 1930s, through the 1950s. Noteworthy shows in which Nabinger exhibited include the Annual Southeast Texas Artists Exhibition in Houston in 1937 and the Texas Fine Arts Association in 1938.