Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/784242
C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 1 7 203 such as Hansen, Tavernier and others strongly associated with the Monterey Peninsula art colony of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The displays aren't limited to just the artworks created by these craftspeople, however. Other items related to the artists' lives, including pri- vate letters, personal effects, palettes, brushes, carving tools and easels bring to life those peo- ple who created these sublime creations so many years ago. In the case of Hansen—who is given a prime location just inside the gallery's door—on dis- play are several sketches and studies later turned into paintings. A finished painting of a grove of trees is displayed just over the char- coal sketch Hansen did in situ to work from later in his studio. And Trotter knows the backstory, the origin and the provenance of every artifact in the building. His encyclopedic knowledge of this era allows him to wax poetic about the artists' everyday lives and times, their working habits and how a specific work came to exist. Several large works by Jo Mora—the Uruguayan-born, multi-talented ar tist who set- tled in Carmel-by-the-Sea in 1921—dominate the gallery. These were commissions he per- formed for the Hotel Drake-Wiltshire in San Francisco (now the Taj Campton Place Hotel on Union Square). These massive, delightful works depicting anthropomorphic animals adorned the walls of the hotel's Fable Restaurant. Other commercial commissions include collaborations by Armin Hansen and Paul Whitman for the Tap Room at the former Hotel Del Monte in Monterey. Many paintings on display depict Monterey Bay Area places that are still recognizable a century or so later. And that makes this gallery a time machine of sor ts. The Monterey Peninsula was and continues to be a source of inspiration for ar tists of all genres. That's why it became the center for ar t and creativity that it remains to this day. Trotter Galleries is also part library, with clus- This enterprise is far more than a commercial gallery. Owner Terry Trotter calls it "a love letter to Early California artists." That's apparent at every turn: dozens of Early California artists' work and effects are represented.