Louise Noack Gray
Encyclopedia
Louise Noack Gray was an artist in California
. Her favored medium was oil paint
although she also worked in pastel
s and charcoal
. Her work included both portraiture and landscapes. Stylistically, she favored impressionism
.
Gray was born September 10, 1909 in Oakland, California
to Walter Noack and Katherine Van Fossen at her grandparents' home. Her paternal great grandfather was a German immigrant who'd come to California during the Gold Rush
. By the time she was born, one of his sons, her grandfather, owned a commercial furnishing shop in Oakland. Her maternal grandparents were descended from English and Dutch immigrants. Her mother was born on a wagon train
along the Oregon-California border.
Although she was born in Oakland, Louise's parents lived in Stockton, California
where her father was employed at the Holt Manufacturing Company which developed the caterpillar tractor. He went on to found his own business, Noack Pumps, makers of agricultural pumps. It was in Stockton where she met her husband, Ralph Nichols Gray, an artist who produced commercial signs and political cartoons for various newspapers. It was then that she became interested in becoming an artist herself.
The Grays had two children, but were divorced by the end of World War II
. During the war, Louise worked as a welder
at a shipyard at the Port of Stockton
while her husband was serving in the U.S. Navy. Louise moved back to the Bay Area, eventually making her home in Berkeley, California
. By the 1950s, she began working as a publicist at the Herrick Hospital in Berkeley. The steady income allowed her to improve her artistic skills. By the early 1960s, she was working as a publicist at the California College of Arts and Crafts and was beginning to sell a number of paintings. Many of these were commissioned portraits while others were sold through various galleries and art exhibits.
By the late 1960s, Louise Gray's income from painting allowed her to leave the College of Arts and Crafts and devote her full attention to her profession. Many of her paintings were purchased by banking and commercial firms, especially her landscapes. Many of these landscapes were based on some of her favorite childhood locales in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, especially in the vicinity of Bear Valley
and Jamestown
. Her portraits included many depicting her six grandchildren and even some of her great grandchildren.
Gray was the illustrator for Emerging humanity; multi-ethnic literature for children and adolescents, by Ruth K. Carlson, published by W.C. Brown Co. (1972).
Gray's grandson is singer/entertainer Kyle Vincent
.
Gray died in July 2000 at the age of 90, a few years after suffering a hip fracture from a fall.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Her favored medium was oil paint
Oil paint
Oil paint is a type of slow-drying paint that consists of particles of pigment suspended in a drying oil, commonly linseed oil. The viscosity of the paint may be modified by the addition of a solvent such as turpentine or white spirit, and varnish may be added to increase the glossiness of the...
although she also worked in pastel
Pastel
Pastel is an art medium in the form of a stick, consisting of pure powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are the same as those used to produce all colored art media, including oil paints; the binder is of a neutral hue and low saturation....
s and charcoal
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
. Her work included both portraiture and landscapes. Stylistically, she favored impressionism
Impressionism
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s...
.
Gray was born September 10, 1909 in Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
to Walter Noack and Katherine Van Fossen at her grandparents' home. Her paternal great grandfather was a German immigrant who'd come to California during the Gold Rush
Gold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
. By the time she was born, one of his sons, her grandfather, owned a commercial furnishing shop in Oakland. Her maternal grandparents were descended from English and Dutch immigrants. Her mother was born on a wagon train
Wagon train
A wagon train is a group of wagons traveling together. In the American West, individuals traveling across the plains in covered wagons banded together for mutual assistance, as is reflected in numerous films and television programs about the region, such as Audie Murphy's Tumbleweed and Ward Bond...
along the Oregon-California border.
Although she was born in Oakland, Louise's parents lived in Stockton, California
Stockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
where her father was employed at the Holt Manufacturing Company which developed the caterpillar tractor. He went on to found his own business, Noack Pumps, makers of agricultural pumps. It was in Stockton where she met her husband, Ralph Nichols Gray, an artist who produced commercial signs and political cartoons for various newspapers. It was then that she became interested in becoming an artist herself.
The Grays had two children, but were divorced by the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. During the war, Louise worked as a welder
Rosie the Riveter
Rosie the Riveter is a cultural icon of the United States, representing the American women who worked in factories during World War II, many of whom produced munitions and war supplies. These women sometimes took entirely new jobs replacing the male workers who were in the military...
at a shipyard at the Port of Stockton
Port of Stockton
The Port of Stockton is a major inland deepwater port in Stockton, California located on the San Joaquin River before it joins the Sacramento River to empty into Suisun Bay, eighty miles inland. The port sits on about , and occupies an island in the San Joaquin Delta, and a portion of a...
while her husband was serving in the U.S. Navy. Louise moved back to the Bay Area, eventually making her home in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
. By the 1950s, she began working as a publicist at the Herrick Hospital in Berkeley. The steady income allowed her to improve her artistic skills. By the early 1960s, she was working as a publicist at the California College of Arts and Crafts and was beginning to sell a number of paintings. Many of these were commissioned portraits while others were sold through various galleries and art exhibits.
By the late 1960s, Louise Gray's income from painting allowed her to leave the College of Arts and Crafts and devote her full attention to her profession. Many of her paintings were purchased by banking and commercial firms, especially her landscapes. Many of these landscapes were based on some of her favorite childhood locales in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, especially in the vicinity of Bear Valley
Bear Valley, California
Bear Valley is a census-designated place in Alpine County, California. The population was 121 at the 2010 census, down from 133 at the 2000 census. The town is accessible by State Route 4. Bear Valley is within the Stanislaus National Forest...
and Jamestown
Jamestown, California
Jamestown is a census-designated place in Tuolumne County, California, United States. The population was 3,433 at the 2010 census, up from 3,017 at the 2000 census.A scene from the movie Hidalgo was filmed in Jamestown...
. Her portraits included many depicting her six grandchildren and even some of her great grandchildren.
Gray was the illustrator for Emerging humanity; multi-ethnic literature for children and adolescents, by Ruth K. Carlson, published by W.C. Brown Co. (1972).
Gray's grandson is singer/entertainer Kyle Vincent
Kyle Vincent
Kyle Vincent is an American singer-songwriter/entertainer, labeled as the "crown prince of soft pop," by Goldmine.Vincent was born and raised in Berkeley, California, U.S.A..-Musical career:...
.
Gray died in July 2000 at the age of 90, a few years after suffering a hip fracture from a fall.