**MEDIA ALERT**

St. Louis, MO --- Robert N. Morrissey of Clark Graves Antiques, 132 N. Meramec, presents American Realist featuring the watercolorist Stan Masters' rediscovered works on paper from Friday, September 8 through Saturday, October 21, 2006. An opening reception is scheduled for Thursday, September 7 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Concentrating on works created in the 1970s through the early 90s, this exhibition of Stan Masters' (1922-2005) works reintroduces an artist who skillfully worked within the American realist tradition of Edward Hopper and Andrew Wyeth. Masters studied art after World War II in Philadelphia before returning to his native St. Louis to work as an art director for numerous ad agencies. He began exhibiting his art, in particular the watercolors, around 1971 and received a number of awards for these outstanding works which were shown in exhibitions here and around the country.

Like Monet with his series of haystacks and cathedrals, Stan Masters returned time and again to the same subject matter. In beautiful, detailed studies of railroad engines, rural landscapes and townscapes as well as more seemingly mundane subjects such as rail switches and water tanks, he captured subtle differences in light and atmosphere with the deft handling of his medium. The works in American Realist illustrate Masters' exquisite use of color to convey mood, light and complexity of surface. They are indeed the works of a mature artist who worked quietly and steadily to portray the singular and sometimes stark beauty of uniquely American places.

Clark Graves Antiques proprietor and exhibition curator, Robert N. Morrissey described Stan Masters' art as "having a nostalgia and a poignancy without sentimentality." After Morrissey discovered Masters' body of unseen works by happenstance, he felt that he discovered a hidden treasure. Working with Masters' widow, Morrissey said "I am immensely pleased to be able to present these exquisite works and to reintroduce an American painter who, while working in our community, created such a rich body of work."

Gallery Hours are Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, please call 314/725-2695 or see www.ClarkGravesAntiques.com or www.StanMastersWatercolors.com.