GUEST: It's by Raymond Jonson. He was a New Mexico painter. It belonged to my parents. And when they died I got it from the estate, because I thought it was lovely and it reminded me of places where I worked as an archaeologist, and that's all that I know.
APPRAISER: Well, it's a beautiful painting.
GUEST: Thank you.
APPRAISER: And it's a scene of Santa Fe.
GUEST: Ah.
APPRAISER: It's an oil on canvas, and it's signed with his stylized signature and dated 1922. And it's fully signed on the back "Raymond Jonson" and titled Santa Fe. He received his formal training in Chicago. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts under Nordfeldt, and then later at the Art Institute. Nordfeldt was a Modernist artist, and this is where he gained a lot of influence. It's significant because this painting was probably one of the first paintings done when he first visited Santa Fe. By 1924, he became much more abstract. He was the founder of the Transcendental Painters Group in Santa Fe, and his works became completely different from what you see here. This painting reminds me a lot of CÈzanne. He was influenced heavily by the French artist Paul CÈzanne, where the mountains and natural forms are abstracted. Do you have any idea of what the value might be?
GUEST: Oh, I thought maybe $5,000, $10,000. I have no idea, honestly. I just liked it.
APPRAISER: I think a painting like this at auction would bring $25,000 to $35,000, easily.
GUEST: Oh, my God! Mom and Dad, great taste. Thank you! Sorry. Give credit where it's due. Thank you, that's delightful.
APPRAISER: Yeah, easily. It's a wonderful painting.
GUEST: Well, thank you so much.
APPRAISER: Thank you so much for bringing it here.
GUEST: Thank you. It's delightful. Oh, what a nice surprise. Oh, that's great.
