George Brandriff (SOLD)

George Brandriff (1890-1936)

George Brandriff may have inherited his art talent from his maternal grandfather, a house painter in New Jersey who painted watercolors from memory of the moors and lakes of Scotland. In school he drew portraits of the prettiest girls and made posters and acted in school plays. His first job was in the music business selling pianos. In this profession he managed the piano department in a store in Millville, New Jersey and in 1913, when he came to California he continued in the music business in Orange. Deciding that was not the career for him, he returned to school at the age of 24 and graduated from USC Dental College. Following a short stint in the Army in Camp Greenleaf, Georgia, he opened a dental office in Hemet in 1918. Brandriff truned to painting in earnest after meeting Frances Conder, the local school teacher who he married. She continually commented on the beauty of the California landscape around them and about a year after their marriage encouraged him to take lessons. The lessons were brief ten from Anna Hills , six from Carl Oscar Borg and Jack Wilkinson Smith. The lessons intrigued him and for seven years, from approximately 1921 to 1928, Brandriff combined his dental practice in Los Angeles with painting on the weekends. In 1928 he closed his office and turned to painting full time. After building a studio-home in Laguna Beach, Brandriff taught painting (Orrin White was one of his students) and served as president of the local art association. In 1929, he went to Europe and painted with Edgar and Elsie Payne. Praise came quickly for his works.e