Edgar Alwin Payne

Born in Washburn, Missouri, Edgar Payne became one of the foremost plein-air landscape painters of California in the early 20th century. He is best known for his majestic Sierra Nevada Mountain scenes, and depicted so many Indians on horseback riding through the Sierra Nevada Mountains that a mountain lake, Lake Payne, was named for him. He painted many works “en plein air” and also did numerous sketches from which he later did studio paintings. He worked quickly and completed about one painting per day.