George Mathis (1909-1977) was born in Seattle, Washington. He spent much of his early life in Hoquiam, where his father managed a clothing store. He attended Washington State University, where he majored in art, and studied under William T. McDermott (1884-1961), who became a well-known western landscape painter. After graduation from WSU in June 1931, he moved to California and worked as a commercial artist and art teacher for a number of years. He married his wife Jean, also an artist, in 1936, in Oakland, California; they had one daughter, Carol.
After living for a few years in the Bay Area, the Mathis family relocated in 1948 to Nevada City, California, the Mother Lode country. The primary motivation for this change was George's growing urge to pictorially recreate western history. Here George and Jean began doing lithography, which eventually turned into a thriving business. Around 1960 they moved to Coloma, another Mother Lode town, where they completely remodeled a Victorian-style house dating to the Gold Rush era. Gold was in fact first discovered in Coloma in 1848 by James Marshall. The Mathis home was called "Friday House," after Jean's maiden name. Here they both lived and operated an art gallery and studio where they sold many products of lithography and George's numerous historical drawings and sketches. George became generally and affectionately known as the "pictorial historian of the Mother Lode."
Between 1960 and 1970 George Mathis' artistic vision took on a new dimension. During this time he worked in Sacramento for Aerojet Corporation, America's largest producer of rocket engines. Here his versatility, imagination, and eye for detail were once again challenged, and he became one of the better known space artists of the time.
His illustrations include Gemini and Apollo space missions. The Smithsonian Institution acquired some of his of oil paintings of space art. Spanning western frontiers and deep space, Mathis' artistic career was truly unique, successful, and rewarding.
From the guide to the George Mathis Photo and Art Collection, 1915-1970, (Washington State University Libraries Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections)
