Bill Rakocy "Gloria's Garden" 1998 Oil on Masonite — El Paso, Texas

An exuberant impressionist garden scene by Bill Rakocy (American, 1924–2010), the Ohio-born, El Paso-based painter best known for his work documenting the people, landscapes, and architecture of the borderland. Titled "Gloria's Garden," the painting depicts a profusion of hollyhocks and roses in red, pink, and coral, set against a sunlit adobe wall with a glimpse of a pink stucco building and tile roof in the upper left. The handling is loose, gestural, and heavily textured — palette-knife strokes and thick impasto build the foliage into a tactile mosaic of greens, blues, and violets. Signed "Rakocy '98" in red at the lower right.

The verso is inscribed in graphite: "Bill Rakocy / June 1998 / 'Gloria's Garden' / El Paso, Tex." A printed biographical card by Paul Jenkins (Paris, February 1962) is affixed to the backing, outlining Rakocy's training at Butler Art Institute and the Kansas City Art Institute (B.F.A., M.F.A. 1951), his Felician travel scholarship to Italy, his role in the rebirth of the ghost town of Mogollón, New Mexico, and his work organizing the 1968 Tri-State Plus Mexico Watercolor Show. Presented in the artist's original whitewashed wood frame, without glass.

Bill Rakocy (1924–2010) was a prolific painter, muralist, and author who spent the latter half of his career in El Paso, where he founded Bravo Press and produced a substantial body of work documenting the history and culture of the region and northern Mexico. A Navy veteran of WWII and a Kansas City Art Institute graduate, Rakocy worked across oil, watercolor, pastel, and spray enamel, and his paintings are held in regional collections throughout Texas and New Mexico. He authored numerous illustrated books on borderland history, including volumes on Mogollón, the Mesilla Valley, and El Paso's plazas.

Acquired locally; consigned to NM Estate Auctions from a private Las Cruces collection. Verso retains a prior gallery or estate tag marked "Bill Rakocy / 499–", along with the affixed Paul Jenkins biographical card.

CONDITION

Painting is in Very Good condition with stable impasto and bright, unfaded color. The wood frame grades Fair, with heavy scuffing, abrasions, and finish loss along all four sides and corners. No glazing.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Overall (framed): 22 1/4" H × 26 1/4" W × 1 1/2" D
• Medium: Oil on Masonite
• Artist: Bill Rakocy (American, 1924–2010)
• Title: "Gloria's Garden"
• Date: June 1998
• Location Inscribed: El Paso, Texas
• Signed: Lower right ("Rakocy '98") and verso
• Frame: Whitewashed wood, no glazing