| Will Sparks | |
| Birth Date: | February 7, 1862 |
| Birth Place: | St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Death Date: | March 31, 1937 |
| Death Place: | San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Education: | St. Louis School of Fine Arts Académie Julian Académie Colarossi |
| Occupation: | Painter |
| Spouse: | Ethel Martin |
Will Sparks (February 7, 1862 – March 31, 1937) was an American painter. He painted the adobe buildings of Spanish missions in California, Arizona and New Mexico, with a focus on colors and nocturnes.
Will Sparks was born on February 7, 1862, in St. Louis, Missouri.[1] [2] He first studied medicine and passed his exams, but he decided to become a painter instead.[3] He was educated at the St. Louis School of Fine Arts, the Académie Julian and the Académie Colarossi.[1]
Sparks began his career in the art department of The Cincinnati Enquirer.[3] While he was in Paris, he sketched body parts for Louis Pasteur.[4] Upon his return to the United States, he pursued his artistic career in Denver, Colorado, and he subsequently settled in San Francisco, California.[4]
Sparks painted the bluffs of Santa Catalina Island and the landscape of Niles Canyon as well old windmills in Mexico.[5] However, most of his work consisted of the adobe buildings of the Spanish missions in California, Arizona and New Mexico.[1] [6] [7] He used plenty of colors in his paintings.[7] He also did many nocturnes.[8]
Sparks was a co-founder of the Hotel Del Monte Art Gallery in Monterey, California in 1907.[8] Philanthropist Alma de Bretteville Spreckels owned 37 of his paintings.[9]
Sparks was married to Ethel Martin.[1] [10] He was a member of the Bohemian Club.[6] He died at St Mary's Hospital in San Francisco on March 31, 1937.[6] [10]
. Weber. Francis J.. Francis J. Weber. Golden State Catholicism: Some Historical Reflections. 1994. 166508445.