Percy Gray

Percy Gray was a renowned American painter known for his poetic depictions of California’s natural beauty. Born in San Francisco, Gray developed his artistic talent during a childhood illness. He studied at the California School of Design and later became a newspaper illustrator, working for the “New York Journal.” Gray’s career as a fine artist began after returning to San Francisco following the 1906 earthquake, and his first works focused on ocean landscapes. Over the years, his paintings evolved to capture misty, ethereal scenes of eucalyptus trees and fields of wildflowers, often in a tonal style that emphasized introspective emotion over dramatic grandeur.
Gray’s work earned him acclaim, with his watercolor Out of the Desert, Oregon winning a bronze medal at the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition. His later years were spent in Monterey and San Anselmo, where he continued to paint until his death in 1952, leaving a lasting legacy in California landscape painting.