In 1913, O'Shea moved to Pasadena, California and began his artistic career. He held two showings, one at the Kenneth Avery studio and the other at the Friday Morning Club in Los Angeles. Antony Anderson described his work as "wonderfully beautiful interpretations of our landscape, full of vibrating light and color." Twenty of his paintings were shown at the Friday Morning Club's large auditorium.[8][7]
He made his first visit to Carmel-by-the-Sea in April 1916, land stayed at the Monte Verde Inn.[1] In 1917, O'Shea relocated to the art colony of Carmel Highlands. He frequently exhibited at the Carmel Arts and Crafts Club in Carmel.[7][10]
O'Shea superintended the building of Elizabeth Bigelow's home, considered the showpiece of the Highlands in 1922.[11]
O'Shea returned to New York in November to December 1921, and put on an exhibition of about 28 watercolors and oils at the Kingore Galleries on 5th Avenue.[1][4]
On May 25, 1922, O'Shea and Mary "Molly" D. Shaughnessy of Terre Haute, Indiana, obtained a marriage license in New York City at the Municipal Building. Their wedding took take place at a later time.[12] Molly had inherited 10-acre (0.040km2) in the Carmel Highlands, California, near Smugglers' Cove. This is where they built a stone mansion, that they named "Tynalacan." Fellow artists, Theodore Criley and William Frederic Ritschel were their neighbors. They entertained friends from the area including poet Robinson Jeffers and his wife Una, photographer Edward Weston, Mabel Loomis Dodge and her husband, and Tony Luhan.[7][13]
In 1926 and 1927, O'Shea made trips to Arizona with a close friend and artist Theodore Criley. Paintings from these excursions, like the Grand Canyon, resulted in art showings in Pasadena, Tucson, and San Francisco.[1][13]
In 1928, O'Shea and Molly traveled to Tahiti in the South Pacific where he painted landscapes and seascapes. He went to New Mexico in 1930, and painted places around Taos. The New Mexico and Tahiti paintings were exhibited at the Denny-Watrous Gallery in Carmel.[14] O'Shea‘S wife died on October 8, 1941, at St. Luke's Hospital in San Francisco after a long illness.[15]
The California Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco, exhibited 36 of O'Shea's paintings in April and May 1934. The Director of the Legion of Honor said of O'Shea's work "The gorgeous color and design of [his] canvases were sure to please the San Francisco public."[16][17]
In November 1939, at the Bay Region Art Association's annual at the Oakland Art Gallery, he won first prize for a watercolor called "Old Trees, Monterey."[19]
In March 1941, at the California State Fair, O'Shea won $570 for the first prize in the category "Decorative" of an oil painting called "Rusty Cypress". He exhibited alongside of Paul Dougherty who won second prize.[20] At the Bohemian Club exhibit in San Francisco, in March 1942, O'Shea gave a one-man-show of his work. He showed a closeup of tropical vegetation, a Hawaiian landscape, and a rocky seascape.[21]
O'Shea was an active member of the Carmel Art Association, serving as president, director, judge, and exhibitor. He served three terms as president. He designed their front patio and garden area.[18][7][22]
Death
O'Shea died at home on April 29, 1956, at age 80.[7][23][6]
Legacy
O'Shea left a legacy of over 500 works in oil, charcoal, and watercolor.[7] In October of 1856, the Carmel Art Association staged a memorial with 29 of his paintings.[1] In 1965, an exhibit of 33 oils and watercolors opened in honor of O'Shea at the Laky Gallaries in Carmel.[24]
List of exhibitions
Some of the venues where O'Shea exhibited include the following:
Jack and Shanaz Langson Institute and Museum of California Art at University of California, (Irvine, CA)
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