About the Artists

Leon Deane Marsh (1906–1993)

Leon Deane Marsh was an American painter in the style of Abstract Expressionism. Born in eastern Washington state and educated at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, he joined the US Army and rose to the rank of Colonel. He spent a large part of his career in Northern California, with stints in Indiana and abroad in Korea and Turkey, retiring eventually to Orinda in the east San Francisco Bay Area. He was married to Ruth Bassett and had two sons, David and John. A few years after her death he married Joy White and relocated to Kensington.

Under the demands of his military career, he pursued painting entirely as an avocation, and did not make significant efforts to commercialize his art. All known pieces were gifted by the artist or inherited. A number of his pieces carry exhibition tags proving inclusion in regional shows organized by community organizations such as the East Bay Artists Association. It seems likely a few pieces were sold through this mechanism, but it does not appear he ever had formal gallery representation.

While he rarely dated his art, some evidence suggests that most of his signature works were created in the 1960s and 70s.

Ruth Bassett Marsh

Biographical information to come. Ruth Bassett Marsh trained alongside Leon and painted landscapes, florals, and abstracts, several of which appear in the themed galleries and in the archive of known works.

Photos by Iris Marsh.