a artist signs work MONTANOLA oil painting any info on artist?

Answer 1

I've only found a couple of eBay references (the others are all repeats of the same ones); in one case the painting started at $9.99 and was purchased for $16.99; in the other they listed it at around $400, saying that Montanola is a "listed California artist".

But I have my doubts. It seems strange there's nothing else about him/her (unless he or she is an amateur, but then what would "listed" mean?).

I found one more google reference, which is this:

Leon Caille Oil Painting Reproduction 1. reproductions of the originals and retain their Borders engraved by Leon LeMaire. 132: MONTANOLA SAILBOATS Oil on ...
www.usaediscountretail.cn/leon-caille-oil-painting-reproduction-1/

The trouble is, if you click on it, what should take you to "www.usaediscountretail.cn" takes you, instead, to:
http://store.hinkyimport.com/
-- importers of articles from China, Nepal, and Tibet.
But it takes you there by passing quickly through a site called "www.shareasale.com", but you have to look fast and not blink to see it.

Since the first URL ends in "cn" (China), and there are no cached pages to verify the link, it might very well be the same people, who have changed their name and business. Maybe they used to deal in those mass-produced paintings done in China, to look lilke Western ones. In that case, "Montanola" would not be a true "California artist", but instead a Chinese factory painter.

But then, googling the phrase taken from the "cn" website write-up ("132: MONTANOLA SAILBOATS Oil on"), another eBay page comes up:
http://cgi.liveauctions.ebay.com/132-MONTANOLA-SAILBOATS-Oil-on-canvas-6-x-11-1-2-in_W0QQitemZ260175457028QQcategoryZ28247QQcmdZViewItemQQisPrinterFriendlyZ1QQpvZ2

So far, mystery...

Answer 2

Some of the paints would. The Flake white would but it isn't all as dangerous as the other true colours. Once the paint has cured the lead is rendered inert. It will not affect anyone. The dangerous ones are the Cobalt colours like Cerulean blue and the Cobalt blue itself. The other dangerous ones would be the Cadmium colours. The Cadmiums are all warm based colours like yellow, red, and orange and they range from deep to pale in value. The Cobalt colours are made with the same Cobalt that they use in X-Ray machines but that too is inert once the paint is cured. Now many commercial companies do not use these Cadmiums and Cobalts because of the expense so what they do is have their chemists come up with a "hue" that is similar to the true Cobalt, a facsimille of a Cadmium orange, or a "pale Cadmium yellow", but they are not actually Cadmiums and Cobalts. They are simply mixed pigments to copy the colour indicated and the company will have it labelled " Cobalt Blue Hue ", or " Cadmium Red Hue ", to make the distinction that it is not the real thing. The key word here is 'hue'. There are other dangers besides the paints themselves. The turps are dangerous and you should never buy a "scentless turpentine" because if you can't smell it then you could very well get into trouble for not knowing it's there and in the air. The linseed oil is combustionable. A lot of " Sunday painters" have inadvertantly started fires in their homes by the poor means of disposing the rags they use to clean up the oils. When Linseed oil is confined to an enclosed trash can all bunched up with a rag the chemical reaction can lead to spontaneous combustion. That could burn the place down. Now for the oils that MIGHT hold any lead, the only one I could think of would be "Flake White", it's the oldest of the whites and it is the classical white on the palette. If you are old school in the trade then the other place would be the gesso spread on your painting surface. That too would be rendered inert upon curing. You have more to fear with the rest of your oils than you do with any lead in any of your tubes!!! I wouldn't worry about it at all.

Answer 3

“Montanola” From my research – “Miguel Angel Gomez (Montanola), was born on December 29, 1906 in the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador. He studied art at the Guayas Philanthropic society of Guayaquil. As a caricaturist, he achieved much triumph doing editorial cartoons at "El Universo" - the major newspaper of 'Ecuador, w he worked for 36 years. In 1960 he competed in the International Editorial Cartoon Competition, organized by the World Newspaper Forum, and won first place for all of Latin America and 3rd place in the International Competition. Montanola participated in many expositions in his country and received many awards. After a brilliant career he took up residence in the Untied States, for thirteen years, in semi-retirement, he painted hundreds of oil paintings, most of which are in the hands of collectors and galleries in different countries of the world. Montanola died in Burbank California.” A nice piece for an office or library – it is a “quiet” painting in deep greens, blues, grays and browns.

Answer 4

Hi! It seems there was a California artist named Montanola as seen in this Ebay oil painting listing. Most other references to the 'name' (but not necessarily the artist) were all in Spanish. I hope this helps!
http://cgi.ebay.com/Montanola-Coastal-Landscape-Impressionist-Oil_W0QQitemZ170137976545QQihZ007QQcategoryZ20135QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem?_trksid=p1638.m118
http://cgi.ebay.com/Montanola-Coastal-Landscape-Impressionist-Oil_W0QQitemZ170137976545QQihZ007QQcategoryZ20135QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem?_trksid=p1638.m118